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New Roleplay Story
New Roleplay Story
The one in the Mageguild is great, but... I found it too late to get into it without making it yet more confusing. Since that would really be something (more confusing? 
), I hereby start a new one. Same rules, those seem to work well.
Thanna crouched in the alleyway, listening for any sign of her mysterious pursuers. Good; she must have lost them. No unusual noise disturbed the quiet early-morning streets of Gamelin, the island-city that was the center of the world, according to all the tales. And whether it was the center of the world or not, its streets were a goldmine for those who lived off their wits as Thanna did.
Standing up, she kept walking away from the marketplace where she'd picked up those strange pursuers, zigzagging and changing directions frequently in case they were still following her. They hadn't had any apparent reason to suddenly yell "After her!" and send her tearing through the streets, but the first rule she'd learned was that when you were being chased, you ran if you valued your life. The unpredictable (crazy, the whispers said) king of Gamelin sometimes became paranoid and ordered the arrest of random people or the seizure of a shipload of goods. And since he was the king, no one dared to disobey. But since the King's instability had manifested itself, his ministers had started struggling against each other, each trying to take power for themselves. So the streets of Gamelin were a lawless, dangerous place. But Thanna liked danger.
submitted by Falmiriel
(February 18, 2009 - 9:14 am)
(February 18, 2009 - 9:14 am)
You started it without me? Argh, How dare you!? Okay, I'm done. Now, let's see, use Anara's name, or make a new character? Hm... New one.
A cloaked figure stood beside the wharf, watching the ship that had brought her silently slide away into the mist. She was a gamble, meant to feel out this territory for those who would come or not, depending on her report. She was sent because she was unnecessary to the plan, and if she failed, it would hardly be noticed. But she intended to make herself obvious. She had her own plan, a plan that depended on her being noticed. A plan that cared nothing for the plan of the Opening Secret. But to implement it, she needed time, and a few other things. And until she had those things, she was more than happy to further the Opening Secret's goals. As soon as they conflicted, however, her plan and theirs, her plan would win. She would abandon the other plan as though it had never existed. Turning away from the ship that was gone by now, her eyes fell on the palace in the center of town. Thinking back to her instructions, carefully given so as to tell her what to do without telling her too much, she smiled. You will never even see that palace if I have my way, Klen.
(February 18, 2009 - 10:41 am)
Wait..Starfire and Falrimiel are sisters? That explains alot...
(February 18, 2009 - 6:43 pm)
Yes, we're sisters. What does it explain?
(February 18, 2009 - 8:22 pm)
How you were gripping in the old one that "your sister started her own, why you little" and stuff like that. Nothing insulting, promise!
(February 19, 2009 - 7:27 am)
((More roleplay! This is always fun... I can't use Larco again, of course. New charrie time!))
The First Lord of Gamelin was in a rather bad mood. Larmacon had been thwarted in his most recent attempt to seize the throne before he had even set the dominos falling. Fifedrake, a minor earl, had been promoted to Second Lord, which ment Larmacon was a prime target of assasinations. Once Larmacon died, Fifedrake was next in line to the throne. Larmacon, however, had the mad king's ear, and could easily turn favor against Fifedrake. All was not lost.
(February 18, 2009 - 1:06 pm)
King Othpoly Scress Slife-Rumyat was not crazy, paranoid, or whatever else they said about him. And he wasn't the ancient lump they made him out to be, either. He was hardly over thirty, in fact, and perfectly sane- more so than most, in fact. Nobody knew this, of course, except for a very choice few. In fact, nobody knew much at all about the King- for instance, he liked to go by his initials, Ossr, instead of the absurd and eternal titles and names, or that his favorite food was not caviar or lamb but simply a good old-fashioned ice-cream cone. And other things, darker things- for example, he could read minds, see miles away with a crystal ball, and other magical abilities he told no one of. His "mad" arrests and seizing of ships were due to a horrible curse given by a fairy at birth- the ability to tell the future. He'd love to ignore the whole thing but knew that as king it was his duty to protect his people from what may come to pass. For it could be changed, he knew, with the right actions from the right people, for we can always choose, as was Ossr's mantra. Why had he sent his beloved queen Jaidae and newborn twins away without even naming them? (Which was another thing they didn't know- they had been named, a daughter and a son, Maple and Pietro.) Because he knew of the terrible things that would befall them had he let them stay. Jaidae knew as well, for she was one of the select few aware of the King's sound mind.
Ossr was desperate now, because a peek into the future last night had revealed horrible things that could very posssibly befall his town, himself, his wife and children, and all else he held dear.
((Okay, tacky- what can one do? I mean, he's a king- that's how they all are.))
(February 18, 2009 - 5:34 pm)
YAY!
*****
Masce crept around the city, quiet as a mouse. So far the ignorant Iteru, the local police, hadn't spotted him. Yet. Why he was even in the rich part of town, he didn't even know. Just on his daily rounds he had gotten lost, or as lost as a street rat who knew every inch of the could get. Maybe he just wanted to be here, becasue his arch rival, Thanna, never went here. Probably because she doesn't want her family to find her. Everyone knew that Thanna, now a respected theif, had come from the "better" part of town. Masce didn't see what was better about it. Give me a straw bed and some of Greasy Sane's food any day he thought. Speaking of which, if he wanted dinner, he was going to have to steal it.
Suddenly some shouted, "You boy! Come Here!"
Masce didn't wait to see what they wanted. Before the last was out of the person's mouth, he had disappered into the shadowy alleyways.
(February 18, 2009 - 9:08 pm)
Now, what were her goals? No, not her goals, her instructions. Her goals were mostly different. Well, whatever they were, the actual instructions were, (1) find a place to stay and blend in, (2) find the 'black market' and the rest of the shady group, and figure out which of them were the most likely targets for corruption, and (3) figure out the guard schedule, and general security level. Klen was all too transparent. He wanted to take over the throne of Gamelin. Shaking her head, she moved toward the nearest tavern that had rooms for let. Why, she wondered, did crime lords always have to be so predictable?
(February 19, 2009 - 12:25 pm)
Thanna walked slowly along the streets, back towards the hovel she called home. It had not been a good day. Failing to steal food for dinner (all the shopkeepers and stallholders seemed unusually wary), she had attempted to lift a belt pouch off an unsuspecting passerby, but he'd looked around at exactly the wrong moment. She had managed to stay out of trouble by feeding him some cock-and-bull story about how she was just brushing his coat off for him. The fact that she hadn't actually taken anything yet probably helped, too. But it would be a hungry night. And she didn't know what she'd do about the rent due next week, low as it was. Oh, how lonely she felt.
Passing through the warehouse district near the wharves, she nearly collided with a cloaked figure headed the other way. "Oops, 'scuse me" she said. Then she took a closer look. Hmmm. That cloak could have kept her fed for a month at least - probably paid the rent as well. It wasn't flamboyant, but it was new, finely woven, dyed the distinctive bluish-green of kaelny (which only grew on the Nevis Islands far to the north), and embroidered around the neck fastening. But the figure spoke into the midst of her thoughts.
"You like my cloak?" she asked.
"Uh, where are you from?" Thanna said, choosing not to answer the question. "You know this isn't the best part of town, right? I mean, there are worse ones, but still... I'd wear something else if I were you. Anyone who knows anything about cloth can see that's a valuable cloak."
"Thanks for the advice," the cloaked figure said. "Do you know of a place where I can spend the night?"
"Yes, several. How much do you have to spend?"
"If I tell you, will I soon find that I have much less?"
Thanna grinned. "Probably. I guess that mean's you're not willing to spend the night with me?"
"Well, I might. Where do you live?"
"In one of those worse parts of town I mentioned earlier. Does that change your mind?"
"No."
She had guts, Thanna had to admit. Either that or she was an idiot. Sleeping in a stranger's house - a stranger, furthermore, who had semi-admitted to being a thief. But Thanna was glad for the prospect of someone to talk to. She didn't have any real friends. Oh, plenty of acquaintances, to be sure, but ever since her parents had disowned her... but she wouldn't think about that.
((All teh comments Cloaked Figure makes have been approved by Starfire, btw.))
(February 19, 2009 - 2:12 pm)
Ossr had to take action quickly. Unfortunately, there were only so many options for a young king thought to be crazy trapped at a royal banquet while his world was at stake. But Ossr was far from stupid and for an accomplished magician like himself, hape-shifting was simple. It was the distraction that would be harder, but he hadthat under control too.
"Excuse me, lords and ladies," he said. "I must use the bathroom." He swept from the banquet hall until he reached the kitchens. "I need a lad," he told the head maid, who didn't question him, recognizing the golden ringlet on his head. Soon a young man about Ossr's height was standing before him.
"Yes, sir." Repectfully, the boy kept his head down.
"Raise your eyes, brother," said Ossr. "We are all equals in my palace. And for this reason, I ask of you a great favor. Will you don my robes, keep your face hidden as I have for the whole meal behind my cloak, and go out to masquerade as I? There is important business that must immediately be attended to."
"Of course, sir," said the puzzled kitchen boy. Ossr read his mind out of interest. "No, brother, I am not mad as a fruit bat. Nor, I hope, will I someday 'be the death of' our 'doomed country.' "
The boy looked disconcerted, but the switch was made with no further spoken remarks. Free of his kingly garments, Ossr sprinted off to stop a load of corrupt first, second, third, etc. lords and a band of thieves, not to mention untold terrors that could easily be unleashed should he botch up.
If only Ossr was not so fixated on his successful decoy, he might have looked ahead into the future and seen how the boy, also a seer, had gotten employment at the castle for this precise purpose, and was soon going to lead his thieving friends to power with him as their king- for this young man was none other than the Thief Lord, Klen.
(February 19, 2009 - 4:27 pm)
((I love that, Mary Liz! Let's see... Cloaked Figure presumably... Would she know about Switcher? I suppose so, since that would be why she wasn't concerned with the palace. So... The plot unfolds... I'm going to have to figure out what Cloaked's motives and plan are soon. I haven't yet. But it's so much more interesting to have a person who's supposed to do something and isn't than someone who just wants to follow someone's orders. By the way, in case you didn't get it, Cloak, belongs (supposedly) to a group called Opening Secret, which is plotting to take over the crown, and planted her in the city to prepare. She, in turn, has her own plans, which don't agree with the plans of Opening Secret, and it's overlord, Klen.))
The two figures moved almost imperceptibly through the streets. They walked on in silence until the petty thief - for so she was, whether or not she admitted it - commented, "Almost home."
The other figure made an agreeing sound, and commented, "I must have missed your name. What was it?"
The other girl grinned. "Thanna. You didn't miss it. I neglected to share it. So did you, naturally. What was it?"
The other figure froze, momentarily. She caught herself, and kept moving. She'd forgotten an alias. She hadn't been without one for years, and her real name hadn't been spoken to her in as long. But she had forgotten to come up with one on the ship. What to say? After a brief eternity, she replied, "Estune."
What had possessed her? To use her real name when anonymity was so important? And here, her old home, where people might recognize her! Why? She felt like banging her head against the nearest house, but of course she couldn't. She'd draw much more attention to herself than was worth it. So she continued walking, walking on with Thanna, her potential link with the underworld.
(February 19, 2009 - 6:37 pm)
BLAM! Masce crashed into the small lithe body of Thanna. He had been running past her hideout because it was a shortcut to his own.
"What are you doing here?" she sneered.
"Well, it just so happens that I am running from police who would as glady catch you as me, so if you move, it's possible we might both get away," he answered hotly. Blanching, Thanna melted into the shadows. She is so terrified of going back to her family, thought Masce, she didn't even stop think about why she heard no footsteps. What a fool. As Masce neared his den, he slowed. Something didn't feel right. What was it? Why did he feel like someone or something alien was here? Masce scanned the street for intruders or anything that might indicate one. Seeing no one, Masce darted across to his den; a pile of rags, enclosed in between 3 solid walls at the end of an alleyway. Soft footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned in alarm. Too late. Masce fell, knocked out cold on the hard cobbles.
~~~~~~
Light shined into Masce's eyes. Raising a hand to sheild his eyes, his gaze fell upon the wall opposite. Surprise shot through him. He was in some rich man's house! He sat up, and instatley regretted it. It felt like thousands of carpenters were working away, inside his head. With a groan, he fell down unto the soft fluffy bed. Masce's groan awoke an old woman, who sat snoring in a chair by the flickering fire.
"Ah, so you're awake" she softly cackled. "You may be wondering why you are here."
"Where am I?" whispered Masce.
"You son, are in the castle of King Ossr, as he likes to ba called." answered the woman.
Masce sat up, oblivious to his pounding headache "King Non-Sensical?" he gasped. Instantly the old woman's face hardened.
"How dare you call your king that! You should have more respect for your monarchs! Why in my day, we would..." she trailed off, muttering.
"But.. But.. he always does unreasonable things! Like when he closed the harbor in Bathni, when it was working just fine! And when..." The woman silenced him with a look.
"I'll let you know," she said glaring at Masce "that what the king has done is totatlly reasonable. In fact, if it wasn't for him, we would be in a much worse state."
" Maybe you don't know why the king does what he does and how he is cursed with a horrid gift. Yes, horrid, but it can save lives."
"Who are you," asked Masce bravely, "and how do you know so much about the king?"
"I am the king's mother, Geia," said the old woman. "The king was cursed from birth. A deluded fairy thought it a good gift for a future king to have. Sadly, she forgot to add the gift of people actually believing him. Now everyone thinks him crazy" Geia continued sadly.
Masce gasped. The gift of FarSyght was extremly rare and very few people had it. No wonder everyone thought the was mad. They had the first FarSyghter in over a century!
*************
Do you think someone could take over Geia and Klen??
(February 19, 2009 - 9:17 pm)
((Klen's not in this city, but I could control him if you like. Others could too, I guess. I was thinking he'd have to play into my hands, but playing an evil power-hungry villain is all too easy.))
(February 20, 2009 - 9:00 am)
Stupid Masce - there were no guards anywhere near here, Thanna thought as she stepped out of her hiding spot and looked around for Estune - why did that name sound familiar? There she was, looking a little confused, but still there, standing where she had been a moment ago. "Sorry about that," Thanna said. "Can't be too careful."
"It's all right," Estune answered.
"Well, my - uh - humble abode is this way. What brings you to Gamelin? You talk like a foreigner."
"Actually, I was born here."
Thanna was now thoroughly mystified. Who was this Estune? It was a name from back somewhere - she couldn't remember where - in her wealthier past, long before her family had turned on her... no, don't think about it - but the memory replayed itself in spite of her.
She was eleven. Coming inside one day, she had found her mother and father looking distressed and angry. "What did you do?" they had asked her.
"I didn't do anything," she'd answered, truthfully. But they wouldn't believe her. No matter how much she'd screamed and cried, they accused her of terrible things that she had never even thought of doing, and hated her for them. They pushed her out of the door and locked it.
From that day on, she'd lived in the streets, picking up skills as she needed them and stealing in order to survive. And she'd managed to rise in the underworld society of thieves, which earned her both respect and enmity. But she still had no real friends. Which meant that, when she received word of the fire that had destroyed her old home and her parents, she mourned almost as if they had never turned on her. Much later, she'd hearda rumor that the King himself had spoken against her. Why, she wondered, did we have to be cursed with a lunatic king?
(February 20, 2009 - 3:30 pm)
((Phoenix, I'll take care of Geia if you'd like.))
"So, uh, why am I here again?" asked Masce.
Geia sighed at the impertinence of this child. "Because you may be helpful."
"Me? I'm just a street boy. A thief, a begger... nobody important."
"That was a very bright thing to say," noted Geia dryly. "I could have you arrested for confessing to crime, you know." She chuckled when the boy gulped. Her chuckle turned into a hacking cough. When it abated, she continued talking. "Yes, you may be helpful. For instance, have you heard of a girl named Thanna?"
Masce pulled a horrid face.
"Ah, rivals," said Geia knowingly. "Of course. You know, I was a streeter, as they were called in my day, before I wed the King. He met me while out riding one day, right after I'd pilched an apple. He saw me hand it to a begger child and that was when we fell in love." She smiled at the memory. "But anyhow, Masce-"
"How do you know my name?"
"I have my ways. Anyhow, as I was saying, Thanna is a mystery. Her parents, the Lord Wandor and Lady Islereen-"
"WHAT?!"
"Yes, yes, those are her parents," said Geia. "Disowned her when she was eleven for crimes she probably didn't commit."
"What did they claim she did?"
"Murder my husband," came the old lady's calm reply.
(February 20, 2009 - 4:52 pm)