The moon was on the second half of it's arc through the sky when the door to the Shady Corner opened just enough to let the form of a small, cloaked and masked woman inside. Shutting the door softly behind her, she approached the bar. A thickly accented voice ordered a strong dwarven liquor with the ease of familiarity and retrieving it went to sit. Choosing a spot with her back to the wall, she drank in silence for a few moments, looking around- as if for someone specific. Quietly, she might be heard to mutter, "I wonder if the mail still runs from the back..."
Violet eyes flicked over to the newest arrival to the tavern. He looked somewhat different than she recalled, but recognized him all the same. He didn't seem to notice her as he walked past to a darker place in the room and sat and she didn't say anything at first. The woman had not even spared him a good bye the last time she had left and wasn't quite certain if he had ignored her presence or simply not seen her. After a moment, she contented herself to simply raise her glass in his direction slightly as a way of greeting and speak just loud enough to be heard, "Hello, Stiers."
His footclaw finally mended after his failed venture with Nasher, the drakna leaves the healer's den, making his way back to the tavern, hoping it will be mostly quiet and free of goblins. Entering he glances around, taking note of two unfamiliar persons, and the elf he had met the other night. Stepping up to the bar and inquiring if there were any of Zwey's manashlager; settling for something strong of dwarvencraft after being told no, he turns to face the elf.
"Evening."
Noticing the elf's change in demeanor from jyst the other night, the drakna takes a drink before continuing.
"You look like you're doing about as well as I; care to talk about it? I may not of what you speak, but I can at least listen. If not, we can simply take some solace in drink together."
With a shrug, Katri sat back and assumed Stiers merely did not hear her. She would speak with him more directly another time if he did not notice her presence that night. An eyebrow raised beneath her leather mask, when Syra came through smiling warmly at the man. A warm smile for Stiers? Well, well then. Things may have changed more than she thought. A face the Uordeqi woman did not recognize entered the tavern next. Scaley. She studied him, hearing him speak to the Elf. Nope, she was sure that wasn't the one everyone had called "Rocky." She finished her drink and rose, walking to the back of the tavern through the kitchen.
A few minutes later, she returned with a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. Katerina stopped at the bar, not far from Drakna and Elf on her way back to her table. She nods slightly in polite greeting to them before ordering another drink like her first.
The drakna regarded the stranger, casting a quick glance over her. Aside from her being a fleshling, and a female, he did not recognize her from anywhere before; though the last few days had been a blur, and under a cloak and mask in the tavern lighting it may be he simply did not recognize her.
"Good eve to you- I do not believe we have met?"
"No." She responded quietly, with a slight shake of her head. "No, I am not new to Jastrey. I have been here many times, extended times, in the last few years." Something in her glittering violet eyes said she was a touch less than thrilled by the fact, but she said nothing to that effect. "What of you, Nightclaw? How long have you found yourself in this adventurer's hole?"
"Just over a mest; I found myself transported here rather unexpectedly. Originally I thought it was the fairies that had done it, but the four who were together when we appeared apparently know nothing of the matter either, having been transported themselves."
The drakna pauses to take a drink.
"This Jas-ter-y is a strange place; my knowledge of such places is scant and hearsay, so perhaps you may enlighten me- is it normal for so many different peoples to live together in a single community?"
Katri's smile was wry when she responded, "For my kind, in my homeland? It is very abnormal... unless the 'different peoples,' as you say, are the slaves in our households and mines." Her chuckle was tinged with blackness as she continued, "Though now, it seems, we find ourselves particularly overrun with Dwarves."
"That, however, is another matter entirely." The Uordeq woman's tone lightened some. "Jastery is unique in many ways. I would say, no. It isn't too common for such an richly diverse community among the shards, though I've seen towns with some."
At the mention of slaves and households the drakna perks up a bit.
"Your homeland sounds akin to mine; when I first met him I assumed that achuak nuwa'yobolat- Nasher- was a slave- that is all I have ever known his kind to be. Zwey did not take kindly to my saying such a thing."
Taking another drink.
"Are there many great houses amongst your people? We drakna, at least where I am from, all belong to one of the great houses."
Furrowing his brow.
"I'm largely unfamiliar with any settlements aside from my own, aside from traders most of us do not make contact with the outside."
"Nasher? I don't believe I know who that is either. What is he?" She replied, adding, "Not many in Jastrey take kindly to slavery, I've noticed."
She let him continue, answering his questions each in turn. "Uordeq have Clans, yes. Not all of them are 'great houses' as you say. Some are little better than the slaves we take. Several high clans, who found their way to power through various means, usually vie to rule the Shadelands, our home. Though any order we, as a society, had before is all but lost. We are all cast out of our own home now. Of course, I cannot speak for those of my kind who choose to live outside of the society we had."
The drakna's eyes narrow and he reflexively flexes his footclaw.
"Nasher ui wer throdenilti xihuulina vur bekilip anqu silit ekess zhin wer ehaism di Orn... sorry, sorry- Nasher- so called "king" is a worthless green fleshling who's only noteworthy aspect is his ability to not kill himself through his own ineptness. There's a reason his kind is only given menial, simple tasks to complete."
The drakna huffs and takes a long drink, slamming the tankard down and gesturing for another round.
"Your clans sound much like our great houses; each continually vies for more power, in one way or another- those who live outside, on the surface, amongst these other races are likely either raiders, who became lost, or failed in their task- outlaws and criminals, fleeing punishment- or Woari, akin to your 'lesser houses'."
The drakna speaks the word "Woari" with particular disdain, as if merely saying it were to encourage it's use and proliferation and spread it like some kind of disease.
Green skin.. "A Goblin... king?!" She snorted out a laugh. "Perhaps luck will change and the green thing will dispose of himself eventually."
"It sounds like your houses are... somewhat similar I'm sure." Katri smiled. "Though I'm assured there are enough differences for you to find disdain should you truely look in to my people. It often happens that way."
Smiling and laughing with Katerina.
"Isn't it a rediculous notion? The thing must have heard the word and decided to call itself a king to seem more important. And I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over the loss of the filty vermin, though the demand for alcohol in Jas-ter-y may sharply drop in his absence."
The drakna takes another drink once he settles down.
"Perhaps; but I imagine that in their endless quest for more power, my own people are not above disdain either- in the eyes of outsiders."
"It's entirely possible. Goblins are strange foolish creatures." Katri gave a short barking laugh at the notion of jastery's alcohol demand would drop. "Nightclaw, unless every last Dwarf is gone from town, and I surely know that can't be true since one Miss Glimmer Forgesplitter is still in town- regardless of not having seen any of the bearded fools themselves, Jastrey's demand for alcohol will remain quite in tact. Goblin or no goblin."
She paused, becoming momentarily more serious, "I suppose that could be true."
Syra's eyes grow darker and the red around her right glows brighter than ever, she turns once more to face the Drakna "And why would I talk to you about myself? You'd be wise to learn not to trust just anyone" The warlock looks back to her tankard with a sardonic grin and takes a welcome sip. She looks to Katri gives a nod of acknowledgment. Teh elf then continues to listen to the two go on about recent events with in the town and the one who calls himself king. Syra scoffs at the thought and sips her drink once more.
At last, Katri turns to Syra once more. Her smile is in place but her eyes are empty as ever. It was a look familiar to all who had known the woman before. A common thing. She studied the elven girl for a few moments, recalling the last time they had spoken. She had been energetic, and briefly apologetic... and performing blood magic square in the middle of the tavern. Her tone was mildly amused when she spoke again, "From one extreme to the next between when I saw you last and now, Syra Guiltleaf. You're learning, but you've not quite evened it out I see."
The elven girl looks to Katri and speaks "I've learned quite a few things since last, I've evened out most of it, but since Murphy..." her words drifted as she remembered the night Captain Murphy Belle offed himself. She shakes her head dismissing the thought and starts a new sentience ".. I've learned some tricks or two, not everyone here is Jastrey is really who they say they are." She smiles warmly and winks her blacked out demonic eye then finishes off her drink.
"Yes, and he left me here with no idea how to run a crew" Syra's tone stiffens and she becomes almost annoyed at Murphy's selfish ways. "This whole 'pirate' thing has kinda gone to the pit, but we've made it far and we've got new 'friends'" The elf calls for another drink and takes a large gulp.
"So long as there are satisfactory, sensical, and- most especially- beneficial ways to move forward." Katri replied with a glimmer of something like approval. She lifted her glass at the elf slightly to compliment the look before taking another swallow. "Is Rasiri still around town somewhere?"
Syra raises her glass in return and takes another welcome drink. "Ha! Last time I saw him he looked quite odd, he had a long beard and a dwarven accent. He is still around but there is something quite interesting going on with him. Honestly I could care less what that 'thing' is doing."
The side door opens and Leofrick enters the tavern. His mask and hood covering most of his face. Noticing the three sitting at the bar, makes his way to the farthest end of the bar away from them. He orders a stout black drink that reaks of alcohol. "Another day gone." He removes his mask, laying it on the the bar in front of him. He then procedes to drink the dark beverage.
Nasher enters the tavern from it's side entrance, proud of the few bits he had made from the drakna. He saunters past the group, not giving so much as a single thought or even care who is sitting at the bar. He grabs a bottle from a table where some poor bloke was passed out asleep, claiming the half filled bottle of mead for himself. He then proceeded to a far corner, clamboring atop one of the tables on the opposite side of the tavern from the big, pale and scary man. And he smiled as he began to suck down most of his beverage. It had been a good day thus far.
"Race hopping again? So that must be what Solas meant." Katri chuckled. "Empyrean was one thing but Dwarf? That's just sad." As she finished speaking two more patrons entered the tavern. She looked the first over with distaste and turned her back to him, questioning Syra with a jerk of her head in Leofrik's direction, "How the hell is he still alive?"
The second was smaller and green, Katerina's nose wrinkled beneath her mask. "Great Shades and Hexadus' chains... They let anything in here still, don't they? You'd think after a few masacres of the filthy little green skinned bastards they'd stop that."
Syra chuckled as Katri spoke of Rasiri "Rasiri was and Experian?" The elf raised her brow and shakes her head. She scowls at Leo as he walks into the tavern and replies to the Uordeq woman question "I haven't the slightest clue, I've tried killing him a time or two myself. He claims to be family, HA! I am nothing like that fowl thing" Syra scoffs and takes a large sip of her drink then turns to the goblin with a look of disapproval.
"Once, yes." Katri chuckled in response. The woman turns to eye Leo again. "That boy is terribly interested in making himself a new family. What claim to relation does he say to have on you?"
As she speaks and Stiers gets up to leave, her bright eyes follow him. She noted his behavior, refusing to make eyecontact and keeping his head down. Katri wasn't sure of exactly the cause for it, but she would certainly be trying to find out. She would look for him at the mines later.
As Stiers stands it catches Syra's attention she carefully watches him as we walks past and out of the tavern. She then turns back to Katri and speaks "He claims to be my brother and Rasiri claims to be my father. HA! I am nothing of the sort I was raised in Sirison and I'm an elf." The elf then shoots her attention back to the goblin and scowls.
Katri eyed the goblin and then turned her back with a dirisive snort, attention on Syra once more. The Uordeq woman raised an eyebrow benrath her mask. "Oh? Interesting. Rasiri has interesting notions of his spawn and who or what thy should be. Though, Sirison, within the borders of the Shadelands, is where we grew up as well. Perhaps you hail from the deserts?"
"I don't know much about where I come from. All I can say is a grew up in a tribe within Sirison, I left once I became older and went to Rica. Now I'm here. That is who I am, I am not a Cassitran nor will I ever take claim to the name. I will always be a Del... Uhm Guiltleaf." The elf finishes speaking and drinks the last of her drink and orders one more. "You come from Sirison as well? Why have I never seen you?"
Katri listened and gave a short nod to the girl' story, giving no indication that she had heard the near slip. After a moment, she chuckled, "Sirison is a large place, child. When you add in other factors, such as the deliberate avoidance of the Shadelands by many- including by even some Uordeq- and that I was raised in its capitol, so to speak, among other things, it's no surprise we have not run across each other."
Stiers enters the Shady Corner afther a long trip in the woods wher ehe has been not been seen for a long time and sits in the darkest SPot in the tavren