A Masked Dance

[little wheel]

On 6/25/2020 at 10:40 AM, Ashbringer said:

Tyrian stared at Silas. He looked like a king, although more of a king by commerce then conquest. It was a large difference then his appearance in the van.

"You left me behind... to change your clothes," he growled. His crystal growth had busted out of the straightjacket easily, far before he had vanished. His fists clenched.

"You have a... proposition," he said coldly. "What is it?"

"The proposition comes not from me, but from my employers. They've noticed that you are a man of many talents, specifically those related to ending the lives of those who stand in your way." Silas stood up and dropped the now-empty teacup on the ground, the brittle china shattering in an instant. "We would be most honored if you would join our ranks."

[Ashbringer]

Tyrian stood and stared. “I hunt Skybreakers and bounties. Your rescue gave me an opprotunity for both. I don’t answer to anyone,” he said, simply.

Cinder vibrated in the pocket of his cloak. Tyrian agreed with this feeling. Something wasn’t right about all of this.

“What do you want? For me to team up with you to fight? You didn’t fight your way out of the van. You left me to do it for you.”

He took one step forward. “I can be an ally. But I will never be a tool.”

[little wheel]

9 hours ago, Ashbringer said:

Tyrian e “I e a t C h i l d r e n y a y. Butt."

"I think that you misunderstood my statement, which I can't blame you for, as I didn't exactly say what I meant." Silas stretched as maroon crystals began to spread down his arms and shadows reached towards him. "You will join us, regardless of status. Alternatively, you can die."

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yes I took the time to erase all of the other letters yes I was bored yes I am immature

 

[Ashbringer]

Tyrian stared. Then he breathed in, draining almost all his remaining Stormlight, and any other sources that would happen to be nearby. He stoked his chromium, readied his Division, and snarled. Cinder vibrated in agreement.

“Perhaps we should discover who should be serving who,” he bellowed, then unsheathed a sickle and launched himself toward the armored madman.

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So, I have almost no idea what Aethers are capable of. What should Division do to the Amberite? Because if I can’t break it this will be a real short fight.

 

[Voidus]

Laurelai glared a hole through the cup in front of her as she pused it away from herself and back to the middle of the table. She'd wanted to take a break from wandering and sit down in one of the outdoor bars for a quiet drink while she watched the festival unfold. Feeling frivolous she'd simply asked for whichever wine the bartender recommended and sipped it without looking, forgetting that she was currently in the Rosharan district of the city.

They do have some lovely fashions but by all the Shards how can they possibly call this wine? She wondered as she looked for something to rid her mouth of the taste. Unfortunately there was little present other than more of the same so she stood from her seat, and set down the street again. The Scadrian district would be closer than the Selish was, and her preference did lean towards the Scadrian ports over those of Arelon. The basin simply made for far too excellent a ground for vineyards, divinely blessed ground it seemed was superior to others.

She took a few side streets to move through the city faster, glancing a little nervously down them before proceeding but with the number of people walking the streets tonight they were safer and more watched than usual. Finally she arrived in the familiar mixed architecture of the Scadrian district, elaborate noble houses lying accross the street from a simpler terris community. And not too far beyong that the welcome sign of a smaller than usual crowd waiting outside a building that seemed to be some kind of inn or winehouse, a look through the window showed drinks being served, and thankfully none of those drinks were dyed blue.

"The Windlass?" She murmurred, reading the sign above the door.

She frowned at it for a moment before her mouth quirked up in a grin. Not a bad name, though it certainly sounded more like some dive bar at a port than it did somewhere to find a nice port or wine. But a look at the interior certainly raised her eyebrow, at first glance it appeared like a calm and elegant atmosphere of a winehouse, but some tables were a little too formal, or formal in a different manner. The interior design made the switch between the two seem somewhat difficult to immediately pick up on but once she'd noticed it Laurelai could notice the strange dual-design of the building. One large and elaborately decorated table looked like somewhere to hold a high tea while another was a simple and elegant standing table that held a wine tasting.

"Well this was certainly a good find." She mused to herself. It was almost a lucky enough find to offset her horrible mistake at the other bar.

Walking up to the nearby counter she waited to get one of the servers attention, the room wasn't crowded compared to the rest of the city but there were enough people that it would still take a moment before anyone would be able to get her a much needed drink. Still, that was useful in its own way. There were few opportunities to read a room as good as waiting for service, people naturally used the time to let their attention and gaze wander so others barely gave it a second glance.

Laurelai's eyes roamed over the interior, still trying to make sense of the strange decor and how they'd managed to pull everything together. But she quickly pulled her attention to the people who filled the room, began making guesses about relationships, trying to see if she could determine who in the city was native Scadrian or Alleycity born. There were too many conversations for her to easily pick up on many of them but she could read body language at least to make some educated guesses.

"What can I get you?" She heard a deep, bassy voice ask from behind her as one of the servers finally got to her.

"Just a red to start with." She said, turning towards him. "Scadrian won't be a problem I assume, I'll take whatever you recommend as long as it's not a Calingfale."

The server gave her an agreeable nod at that and fetched two bottles from nearby, presenting them both to her.

"For a red we have something new in from House Hasting, bin 145. I've only been able to have the one bottle myself so far but I was quite partial. But it is a festival after all so I thought I might also suggest..."

He turned the other bottle around to reveal its label, though Laurelai almost didn't need him to. It was a bottle of port rather than the wine she'd requested, but moreover it was from Elariel estate. Famously one of the best labels, and also one of the most expensive.

"I don't suppose you get a commission on these do you?" She asked with a smile and a slightly accusatory glance. "Trying to upsell a poor vulnerable young lady like myself?"

"Ah, I should be ashamed." He replied with a smile and mock-apologetic expression. "You're right, I should just put this one back..."

"Well since you took the effort of taking it out." Laurelai interrupted as he began to turn. "It is a festival as you said, if there's ever a time for something a little more high-end it's now."

He poured her out a glass with a smile, taking the Chrysts that Laurelai slid over and moving smoothly over to the next customer. Laurelai took a moment to admire his figure and manners as he confidently dealt with each of those at the bar, glad once again that she'd managed to find this little hidden gem. Taking her glass she moved out from the counter to allow someone else to step up, she took another brief look around the room before choosing a stool just in from the corner with only a few other occupants nearby.
@ZincAboutIt

[+ZincAboutIt]

Lita slid her pen back into her sleeve when the young woman entered the Windlass, noticing her slight confusion at the odd - if pleasing - interior design. A new customer, then. She wasn't surprised. On a night like tonight, people were apt to wander far afield of their typical haunts, driven by a desire to explore - or perhaps just driven by a desire for alcohol. Either way, this was an excellent night for observing new faces.

The young woman in question cut a striking image, with her red dress and all that dark hair contrasting with her pale skin. Lita allowed herself a clear look while her back was turned, head bent towards two bottles of wine. Definitely not natural black hair, Lita decided, turning back to her own glass of port and swirling the liquid around in a lazy circle. She'd have called it a lazy disguise on any other night, but this was the Festival of Rebirth. Pretty much any disguise would be incapable of standing up to intense scrutiny. After all, it was a party, not a deep cover mission.

Lita stoked her light burn of Tin to catch the last bits of the woman's conversation, mouth quirking a bit when Fritz got her to fork over the chrysts for a glass of Elariel Estate. The woman moved closer to Lita, perching on a stool just a few feet away and eyeing the crowd in the bar with a look that Lita found familiar. She wasn't just looking, she was watching. 

For the second time this evening, Lita found herself uncharacteristically fascinated. Well, no point doubting my intuition now.

"Fritz is shameless, isn't he?" Lita said, voice quiet but amused, taking a sip from her glass but not yet looking at the woman. "You're the fourth person he's tempted with that Elariel Estate - it's the dress I'm afraid. You look like you can afford it. To his credit though," she finally looked up, raising her glass to the light and looking at the young woman before taking a sip, "it is delicious."

[Voidus]

"Fritz is shameless, isn't he?"

Laurelai started as she heard the quiet voice to one side, there was plenty of noise in the room but somehow that small voice carried across to her as though perfectly pitched for her ears.

"You're the fourth person he's tempted with that Elariel Estate - it's the dress I'm afraid. You look like you can afford it."

Laurelai turned her head to the speaker, a rather stunning redhead with an elaborate headdress, mask and outfit that left even Laurelai feeling underdressed. The woman was still paying attention to her own glass but just as Laurelai turned to her the woman's eyes rose up to meet hers.

"To his credit though." The woman said, taking a sip from her own glass as she spoke. "It is delicious."

"Were you the third then?" Laurelai ventured with a sly smile, she naturally slipped into a slight Scadrian accent to match their surroundings. "You certainly seem to share my problem in looking like you can justify such a delicious vintage."

She took a sip of her own drink, using the opportunity to examine the other woman. It was a lovely outfit, a little extravagant to be able to justify but very appropriate for the festival atmosphere. The headdress was wonderfully crafted to match, not the most elaborate decoration she’d seen a person wear that night but one of the more elegant pieces.

Momentarily distracted by her appearance, Laurelai’s eyes shifted to the womans expression and posture looking for the subtler signs she generally used to read people. Not everyone was easy to read, but she didn’t seem particularly guarded. Her accent was the easiest to pick up, it wasn’t as pronounced as some but it was definitively Scadrian. Little enough information that could be gained from that alone, Laurelai watched her posture and was attacked by a momentary sense of incongruity. Pieces of body language and attitude she could read, but she was having trouble piecing together a single story about this woman. She couldn’t always guess accurately, even an experienced Forger wasn’t omniscient and people were some of the hardest subjects. But she would always be able to guess something, some explanation.

There’s always another secret. A voice at the back of her mind whispered.

[ShrubSeph]

The clashing smells of so many different foods hit Gethen as he stepped out of his coach. He had decided to wear a green suit with a matching mask tonight. A little extravagant, but he doubted he would stand out. A small child dashing though the crowd crashed into him, and bumped into someone else selling some sort of candied insect. Filling chromium minds could be a pain, but he would be glad to have the fortune later. Having finally escaped the mass of people, he started looking for somewhere to eat. He found a Rosharan place called The Cremlings Claw. He walked in and looked at the menu. Chouta? Claws? He decided to play it safe, and just ordered some wine. As a waiter brought his order, he noticed a group come in. One of them yelled "Horneater larger, please! Mates, siddown here!" Mates? Gethen thought. He burned tin to overhear their conversation. 

@BringerOfLight @Sorana @kenod @I think I am here.

[little wheel]

On 6/29/2020 at 9:04 PM, Ashbringer said:

Tyrian e. Then he e. He e . Cinder e.

“Perhaps e"

Silas stared as the sickle and the man wielding it came ever closer to him, and then at the last moment, he tipped his hat and smiled. Silas Sent himself a few feet behind Tyrian and then used as many tentacles of Night Ashe could to wrap around Tyrian's legs and ankles.

"Please, do consider reconsidering."

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I would guess that Division wouldn't do much of anything, but I would also guess that it would still affect Amberite, albeit slowly.

 

[BringerOfLight]

4 hours ago, Kings_way said:

The clashing smells of so many different foods hit Gethen as he stepped out of his coach. He had decided to wear a green suit with a matching mask tonight. A little extravagant, but he doubted he would stand out. A small child dashing though the crowd crashed into him, and bumped into someone else selling some sort of candied insect. Filling chromium minds could be a pain, but he would be glad to have the fortune later. Having finally escaped the mass of people, he started looking for somewhere to eat. He found a Rosharan place called The Cremlings Claw. He walked in and looked at the menu. Chouta? Claws? He decided to play it safe, and just ordered some wine. As a waiter brought his order, he noticed a group come in. One of them yelled "Horneater larger, please! Mates, siddown here!" Mates? Gethen thought. He burned tin to overhear their conversation. 

@BringerOfLight @Sorana @kenod @I think I am here.

"Look, mates," Brin started. "I just decided I'll be staying in Alleycity for little longer. I'm going to help hunt down that Dustbringer."

Brin's drink arrived, and he took a long draw. He sighed, relaxed.

"Alright, everyone, say what we know. Once we have all the information needed, we bring it to the Watch." Brin was experienced. As a Skybreaker, he was nothing more than a glorified detective. Others in his order would say that he's a glorified executioner, but Brin rejected that idea. "Let's start at the beginning- that carrier van, what was it for?"

[+ZincAboutIt]

21 hours ago, Voidus said:

"Were you the third then?" Laurelai ventured with a sly smile, she naturally slipped into a slight Scadrian accent to match their surroundings. "You certainly seem to share my problem in looking like you can justify such a delicious vintage."

Lita set down her glass and ran her finger around the rim, giving a rueful little laugh. "I'll admit that Fritz has me trained well enough that I order this of my own volition now. I'm afraid nothing else tastes quite good enough anymore. But, isn't that the way of it?"

She looked back up at the other woman, meeting her eyes. They were a light, crystalline blue, like two faceted shards of glacial ice. For a moment, Lita thought she could see a luminous glow reflecting out of those eyes, like light thrown off of water. Water, pouring in a single, unbroken stream into a silent pool. She smelled the damp chalkiness of wet stone, felt the pull of... something. 

Lita blinked, the odd feeling fading as quickly as it came. The smile hadn't quite left her lips yet, and she pulled her momentary confusion backwards into a small corner of her mind, siphoning that strange vision into a coppermind for later perusal. She turned the smile into a little grin.

Pull yourself together, Lita, she thought, lifting the glass to her lips and taking another sip of port. The rich, juicy taste brought her more fully into reality, and a little flare of Tin did the rest. "Once you taste the best this world has to offer, you think you'll be satisfied," she mused, lifting the glass so that the deep red liquid caught the light of one of the hanging lanterns. "But it only leaves you hungry for more."

Lita set down her glass, then nudged the chair opposite her out from beneath the little table with one foot. She tapped one laquered fingernail on the tabletop and then spread her hand, indicating that the woman was welcome to join her.

"It's a terrible shame to drink such fine port alone, don't you think? Perhaps you can tell me where you got that most excellent dress." 

 

[+Sorana]

Althea suppressed a slightly irritated frown when she realized that the Captian hadn't listened at all. She had explained it, hadn't she? At length, so that Mari knew where they were standing and he had been right next to him all the time. Men. And a skybreaker at the same time. It was to be expected, he was probably more skilled in open confrontations than in the slow and calm collecting and sorting of facts. Good thing he had her. She allowed her frustration to swell for a moment, carefully keeping it hidden behind a polite mask and waited for her drink to arrive as well. She had ordered a dry wine and a bottle of sparkling water, leaving the food away. She was hungry, but not so hungry that she was willing to give a try when she had been actively warned against it.

"At first." she started after a waiter had placed two glasses and a bottle in front of her, "I'm not sure if he needs hunting down." she let her words float in the room in between them for a moment and used the time to add some water to her wine. She didn't know if it was a good one or not, but she wanted to keep her head clear without needing to use stormlight. And besides she liked it. Snuffing her annoyance out, she made sure her tone stayed calm and polite thoughout the whole time. There was no need to anger him, not when they ultimatively had the same goal.

"I agree that he needs to be stopped to set another building on fire, but the way he acted, erratically and not completely planned, I'd like to rule out the possibility first the he needs help. He appeared to be unstable, although I can't say for sure if that's because he has an issue in general, or because of the situation. Keep in mind, that he faced three to four opponents, most of them Knight Radiants as well."

Resting her gaze on Brin she watched his face for her next words, tone slightly cooler than before. "But let's take another step back. There wasn't time for this so far, but I would prefer if you could call me by my name instead of mate." She lifted her glass to her lips to give him some time to consider his response and took a sip, tasted the cool wine for a moment before swallowing it. It was slightly sweeter than expected, not quite as dry as she prefered. It would do for now, but should she order a second one, she'd have to take a closer look at the menu.

@BringerOfLight ( @Kings_way )

[BringerOfLight]

Brin could tell that Althea was annoyed, and he didn't care. He wasn't a prissy city boy, he was Captain of the sea.

"I apologize…" Brin said unabashedly. He was comfortable with his bluntness. "Althea. Now I understand what the bloke was doing, but he came running from this van of sorts. I just want to clear up what it was. And if he came from this van, he could possibly have some... acquaintances. Meat chaouta, thanks mate."

That last part was to a server at the restaurant. He was feeling snippy. It did turn out, after all this time, he was itching for an investigation. Did he... miss this? No. And yet, he felt exhilarated. It was a rare feeling, one he only got from the occasional raid. He was shocked at the fact that tedious investigation did it for him. Huh.

@Sorana

[ShrubSeph]

15 hours ago, BringerOfLight said:

"Look, mates," Brin started. "I just decided I'll be staying in Alleycity for little longer. I'm going to help hunt down that Dustbringer."

Hunting a dustbringer? This was more interesting than Gethen had thought. As he continued listening, he was able to piece together what had happened. A rogue dustbringer seemed to have escaped from a van and set a building on fire. Gethen stopped filling his metalminds and walked over to the other table.

 "I just happened to overhear your conversation, and I have decided to offer you my services in hunting down that dustbringer."

@BringerOfLight @Sorana

Edited July 3, 2020 by Kings_way

[BringerOfLight]

1 minute ago, Kings_way said:

Hunting a dustbringer? This was more interesting than Gethen had thought. As he continued listening, he was able to piece together what had happened. A rogue dustbringer seemed to have escaped from a van and set a building on fire. Gethen stopped filling his metalminds and walked over to the other table.

 "I just happened to overhear your conversation, and I have decided to offer you my services in hunting down that dustbringer."

"Look, mate, we're happy for your offer, but who the storms are you?" Brin asks the strange man who seemed to be eavesdropping on them.

[ShrubSeph]

Just now, BringerOfLight said:

"Look, mate, we're happy for your offer, but who the storms are you?" Brin asks the strange man who seemed to be eavesdropping on them.

Gethen decided not to take offense at the front. The man was right to be suspicious, as Gethen's table had been on the other side of the room. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "My name is Gethen Entrone." 

[BringerOfLight]

1 minute ago, Kings_way said:

Gethen decided not to take offense at the front. The man was right to be suspicious, as Gethen's table had been on the other side of the room. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "My name is Gethen Entrone." 

Brin laughed at the man's audacity as Gethren pulled a chair up to their table.

"I didn't ask your name, mate, I asked who are you?" Brin responded.
 

[ShrubSeph]

50 minutes ago, BringerOfLight said:

Brin laughed at the man's audacity as Gethren pulled a chair up to their table.

"I didn't ask your name, mate, I asked who are you?" Brin responded.

 Back on Scadrial, the name would answer both. Gethen thought. "Very well," he said "I am a simple man with large pockets and a keen interest in other people's business." It was true. Dendor had always said Gethen was too curious for his own good. "I would like to help"

Edited July 3, 2020 by Kings_way

[BringerOfLight]

4 minutes ago, Kings_way said:

 Back on Scadrial, the name would answer both. Gethen thought. "Very well," he said "I am a simple man with large pockets and a keen interest in other people's business." It was true. Dendor had always said Gethen was too curious for his own good. "I would like to help"

"Are you telling me you didn't see what happened? We were bloody flying all over the place. The Dustbringer set a building on fire! The Brigade came! Youd didn't hear the sirens? Look mate, all we're doing here is musing about our encounter. If you really want to help, go to the Watch. Now, if you want to help us... then, then all you have to do... is buy me a drink." Brin smirked.

[ShrubSeph]

14 minutes ago, BringerOfLight said:

"Are you telling me you didn't see what happened? We were bloody flying all over the place. The Dustbringer set a building on fire! The Brigade came! Youd didn't hear the sirens? Look mate, all we're doing here is musing about our encounter. If you really want to help, go to the Watch. Now, if you want to help us... then, then all you have to do... is buy me a drink." Brin smirked.

 "I arrived late to the festival." Gethen replied. Buy him a drink? Was this how commoners negotiated? He sighed. "I will buy you a drink. But first, I will need to know who you are." 

[BringerOfLight]

6 minutes ago, Kings_way said:

 "I arrived late to the festival." Gethen replied. Buy him a drink? Was this how commoners negotiated? He sighed. "I will buy you a drink. But first, I will need to know who you are." 

Brin smiled, not unkindly. He couldn't hate a man who would buy him a drink. "I'm Flightless. Captain Brin Flightless, of the seas of Shadesmar. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

[ShrubSeph]

21 minutes ago, BringerOfLight said:

Brin smiled, not unkindly. He couldn't hate a man who would buy him a drink. "I'm Flightless. Captain Brin Flightless, of the seas of Shadesmar. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

 "The pleasure is mine" Gethen called a waiter and ordered a drink for Brin. Once It arrived he asked, "What do you know about the dustbringer?"

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As of now, I believe Tyrian is fighting/ talking with Silas, so I don't know if we will be able to find them.

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Kings_way

[BringerOfLight]

1 minute ago, Kings_way said:

 "The pleasure is mine" Gethen called a waiter and ordered a drink for Brin. Once It arrived he asked, "What do you know about the dustbringer?"

 

"Well, he had some koloss blood in him," Brin started. "All I know is that he was running away from a smoking van, and started causing chaos, so I stepped in to help. For any information beyond that, you might want to ask Althea." Brin gestured towards Althea sitting across from him.

@Sorana

[Ashbringer]

On 7/2/2020 at 11:16 AM, bees? said:

Silas stared as the sickle and the man wielding it came ever closer to him, and then at the last moment, he tipped his hat and smiled. Silas Sent himself a few feet behind Tyrian and then used as many tentacles of Night Ashe could to wrap around Tyrian's legs and ankles.

"Please, do consider reconsidering."

So, this man thinks he can hold a Dustbringer.

Tyrian focused on what was around him. Silas’s voice, condecending, but also not very far away. Shadows trying to trap his legs. And the storm within him.

“Perhaps I should reconsider. Perhaps you should. Defeat me and I will serve you.”

Tyrian channeled his Stormlight into Division and Abrasion. He didn’t know if he could Divide the bonds holding him. Abrasion, however... 

Tyrian spun in his bonds, swinging his sickle toward Silas’s heart.

“And if I defeat you?”

 

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I have no real idea if that would work. I’ve never read the Aether if Night samples and the only things I’ve been able to gather is that Amberite = Insta-Shardplate, and that Night Bond = Nightwielder-esque shadow manipulation and also teleporting for good measure. So... eh?

I think Abrasion should work, at least.

 

[18th Shard]

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Amberite is physically crystalline, so it's pretty tough. It's also invested, so I imagine it would resist Division somewhere between either a fabrial or metalmind and Shardplate. It's a little tough to tell because, while Invested materials do resist other Investiture, Radiant surges are pretty high power magic.