The Backways Bar [RP]

(haha time for a character reveal; i knew this spell would make a good rp event; btw if ur curious what spell im using you can find the details here: Misty Step)

As you eye the kitsune, she catches your eye for just a moment, before fading into a pool of mana and quickly dissipating into the air. From behind you, a voice you recognize as the kitsune's whispers, "You're not quite out of earshot."

(i don't want to speak for your character but I'll assume you turn around; in what manner, surprised or calm, you choose)

Sitting behind you is the kitsune, this time with her hood and veil doffed. Long white hair flows down her back in two braids, decorated with blue pins and flowers along the full length. Two round grey ears, covered in flowers, sit atop her head, accenting the bright colors of the rest of her attire. Two blue eyes stare at you with an intrigued look, as if trying to pry your secrets from your face, as if gathering any and all information they can get. Snowflakes drift to and from around her, each disappearing into shards of mana as they touch the ground.
"I notice quite a bit more than you'd expect Aurelion. Adventuring hones your senses, as I'm sure you know. Still, I was certain we were past the 'lets kill each other' stage of our relationship. By the way, lurking into a corner is the worst way to try and hide something. Do try and improve next time, I'd enjoy the challenge."

She then looks towards the clock and asks, "Two Iceveins if you would."

She takes the drinks from the clock, and hands one of them to you. "Try it. It tastes like snowflakes. Well, mana infused snowflakes, but snowflakes all the same." She takes a sip of her drink, put it down, opens up her mana book, and writes down a few things with her finger. You catch a mention of your name, and the name of the 'Icevein' drink, and the phrase "add to the list for the guild" before she puts the crystal away.

(OOC, the clock doesn't serve poison so even if I wanted to I couldn't poison you. This drink is pretty much the equivalent of a mana potion, but it takes fizzy with the faint taste that snow has)
(btw i wrote this before I saw the previous post)

 

Luthan is signaled by the mechanical bartender and takes his first glass of some odd Jossinarian ale. Taking a sip, his eyes immediately widen with surprise, familiarity. He keeps this look of shock as he sets the glass down on the counter louder than he intended, and walks to Neshu. "Where... well, no. This tavern seems to transcend space. Well then... from where did you arrive here?"

"I'll tell you for free," Luthan interjects. "It's a communication device... but that much is clear already."
From his belt of mystical treasures he pulls out a gemstone not unlike the one in the center of the metal disk, but a dark red in color and seemingly raw from the earth. Luthan holds it before him and mutters some sort of arcane incantation, causing the crystal to glow with a ghostly red light, only to dissipate with a decelerating hum. "The stones connect, see, through a sort of spell. This one has no sister yet bound to it, but if it did it would provide a secure communication window, perfect for long distances..." Luthan turns to Aurelion, "or menacing secrets."

Spoiler: OOC

Before all this great lore gets out of hand, I'm unofficially collecting it in a Google Doc, feel free to contribute to or correct it.

 

Aurelion cautiously raises the glass of Icevein to his lips and takes a sip. The drink seems to fizz in his mouth, leaving a faint chill in his taste. “I’m sure it would be wise to remain civil-as long as we both respect one another. We all have secrets here, and some are easier to learn than others.”
He turns to Luthan. “The newcomer is correct. Such things are simple creations of stone and magic..although the means of creating them may be valued far more than the materials. Some, in fact, would go to great extremes to know how such means were discovered.”
—————————————————————————
Can confirm Survivor’s worldbuilding doc is very cool, please check it out. I’ll be editing the Vylmar section myself.

 

Low nods, and walks to the counter. He pauses, and without ordering anything, returns to the Leivas table.
"This might be the longest round of Leivas I've ever played."

 

"A door, picked generally at random, to one of the many storage rooms of the reliquary building. I've already most spoken at length on this -- and I'd ask the same question to you."

Turning back to the table, Neshu falls back into the role of dealer with instinctual ease.

"It looks as if all who wish to play have been dealt in! Trump suit this round is -" Neshu sets down one of their cards "- lamps.* We will play forward**, beginning with Low. The game has now begun."

[Leivas has a massive variety in play, and the chaos between everyone's slightly different version of the rules is a core part of the game. To begin with, it's a card shedding game. The suits of an average playing card deck are Lamps, Coins, Spears, and Cups, though Jossinari decks famously replace Spears with Woods. The game has many similarities in rule to Mao. What better place to hide a thieves' cant?

*"Trump suit" is a famous verbal trap. For the next round, playing in the Lamps suit forces you to draw two cards.
** Clockwise.]

 

"Shattering glass."*
Low plays a goblet.

[*The next player to play a spear draws a card, and allows Low to play a coin if he has one.]

 

[Luthan does not yet know Neshu's origin.]

Luthan is clearly not satisfied by this information but does not ask for further elaboration. "As for me...

Spoiler: Flashback

[Can only be seen canonically by characters with some kind of mind reading]
Luthan walks through the streets of a bustling bazaar, his cloak wrapped around him. The streams of people and shouts of sellers should make him hard to find, but he senses his enemy and knows they sense him too. Out of options, he ducks into a dark alley and pulls from his belt a vial of black liquid. He shakes it, and the liquid begins to glow, emitting a dim light just enough for him to find a trapdoor at the end of the path. Convenient. As was typical in such a market, the many thieves needed their places to hide.
As Luthan opened the hatch, he heard the unsheathing of a sword behind him. He turned around to see his foe holding a shimmering curved blade to his face. "I'm warning you now, your reckless travelling will destroy everything," they declared.
Luthan set his hand on his blade. "You have no right to interfere." He ducked and rolled behind his adversary, drawing his weapon at the same time, blocking their blow as they whirled around to stop him. "I grow weary of your hypocrisy," he said as, rather than fleeing, he began a vigorous duel with the dark figure, his swift movements gaining him an advantage. His opponent, realizing this, jumped gracefully backwards into the passage beneath the trapdoor.
Luthan gave pursuit, his mind wanting one thing: to end this threat to his peace at last. He followed his enemy through the winding tunnels and confusing gates, approaching what he could sense to be a dead end. One more turn, and they would be cornered... the moment his rival turned and slammed the door behind them, Luthan brandished his sword for the final battle, and burst the door open into the Backways Bar.

...I came through mid-chase from the city of Aruzi in... well, you wouldn't recognize it anyway. I don't know all that much about it either... I just come and go, after all. It's an interesting life, to see much but master nothing."
Luthan seems to trail off, and returns his gaze to study the brew in front of him on the counter.

 

"Ahh... foiled. Might as well shoot my foot eariler than later."
xownfos plays a spear, and draws a card due to Low's goblet.
[For every spear-suite consecutively played, the first person to break the chain draws an extra card for every sequential card]

 

Low plays a coin from his hand.

 

[OOC] Bump for Aurelion to complete his character arc

 

anyone else playing cards?
If there's only three of us playing I think its @hmtn 's turn

 

Neshu, lacking the cards to keep this up, breaks the chain early. They draw a card before playing a coin.
"*Ante."
[Neshu bets that none have a Coins. Should none be played, Neshu can play two cards. Should one be played, Neshu draws one].

 

Low plays another coin.
"Leivas savagery."
[By prefacing the name of the game, Low is clarifying that he is not using a rule, simply commenting on his own actions.]

 

Without a coin, xownfos plays another spear, and draws a card from the spear's effect
"Drawing a poor hand I see Low."
[Choose to draw a card. If you do, every player draws a card]

 

"Unfortunately not."
[Low does not choose to draw a card.]

 

ooc: oh my god you guys are actually making this game a thing

 

[OOC idk lol im just running with it. i have a hand in my head im using to place, but its more of just an rp thing lol]
xownfos looks to the other members of the table
"By the way, Neshu, I haven't heard your story of discovering the bar. Would you mind sharing with us?"

 

[OOC] If you've noticed that Aurelion doesn't seem to be doing much, he's primarily waiting for an opportunity to arise right now-specifically one that might just happen to take place after the game is finished.

 

Neshu draws, before placing a coin.

"Leivas. Of course not. Alas, I lack a particularly dramatic story. T'was a month or two ago when I found this place. I had been sweeping the back rooms of the reliquary when a door unexpectedly opened here A few times since then have I returned, but this is my first seeing anyone else."

 

Low plays a lamp.
He takes another glance around the room, but says nothing.