Ryvauld game (Saphire)

[Arbuthnott]

As you look around for something suitable, you suddenly feel your stomach drop as a wave of vertigo washes over you. Your vision, still sore from the unnatural brightness of the sun, wavers like the shimmering air above flame. You watch events unfold almost in third person as the present flickers past like a book with pages torn out.

In the confusion, you remember seeing yourself find a large rock, before seeing the cart propped up as you’d planned. Next you see the flash of a thick tome, bound in a deep red velvet; you miss who was holding it, maybe Blottur? Either way, the next thing you notice is a fixed wheel in your hands, the person called Jhiro helping you force it onto the wagon’s bare spoke.

It's difficult for you to tell how much time has passed by the time the nausea fades, although your dazed blinking is disturbed by the ‘Thump’ of the cart returning to the ground, wheel affixed. Other than a slight headache and the strain in your eyes, you feel perfectly normal.

A smiling Jhiro slaps you good-naturedly on the arm, his laboured breathing belayed by his grin. “Thank you, lass. And yourself, small one.” He ruffles blottur’s small tuft of hair before looking back to you. “Is there anything you need as thanks? We’ll be heading to the market now; you’re welcome to a lift if you’re going that way.”

His opulent companion stands up. “Now wait just a moment. I appreciate that you’ve helped us, truly I do, but we can’t just give out open-ended offers of recompense. I’m running a respectable business here. I’ll give you 30 gold and a lift to market, take it or leave it.”

[Fallout_Monkey]

Ha, Saphire thinks and gives the lazy merchant a smile. The fool could've gotten away with just giving us a ride. But I'll gladly take his money.

"Sounds like a deal," She says. "Unless your not heading to Oaken Mawr in which case I'll just take the gold you offered."

[Arbuthnott]

The merchant eagerly shakes your hand, slipping you the proffered coinage. “Excellent; let it never be said that I leave a debt unpaid. You may call me Aman. Please, make yourselves comfortable, but we really must leave immediately; if we get caught in the Raining then I’ll lose a whole day!”

Jhiro joins you in the back of the cart, nestled among various boxes wrapped in tarpaulin. It isn’t a comfortable ride at all; the regular jolt of a wheel cracking into rock jars your spine, and the cramped quarters ensure you knock something often enough to bruise. Still, the ground passes under you at a steady pace, which picks up slightly as the ground beneath you evens out into a dusty worn road.

(If there’s anything you want to do during the journey, please let me know and we can easily return to it)

All at once, a deep shadow darkens the world around you, blocking out the painful sun and forcing your eyes to readjust once again. Looking into the sky, you see a billowing mass of dark grey congealing out of nothing, swiftly replacing the light blue as far as you can see. Jhiro calls out “Ten minute warning!”, which prompts an irritated response from behind you: “Yes, thank you. We’re here.”

And as he speaks, the cart breaks away from the tall, green plant-growth lining the road which forms a perfectly neat line from left to right. Beyond its border, you find yourself surrounded by yellow rock and dried shrubs, the dusty road continuing unbroken from one biome to the next. With the cart obscuring your view of the direction you travel, you can’t quite see the source of all the noise, but it sounds like civilisation; you hear indistinct talking punctured by laughter. Your nose twitches at the smell of cooking food, and the cart begins to slow from its intense pace.

From above, Aman looks over his shoulder at you. “We’re here. One lift, as promised. You three will have to get out now; I must go and register myself.”

[Fallout_Monkey]

Saphire disembarks from the cart and helps Blottur down. Once the merchant leaves she turns to Jhiro

"Forgive my ignorance," She says. "This is my first time on the surface. What is the Raining he mentioned?" she points with her thumb in the direction the merchant went.

[Arbuthnott]

“Hells, lass, you never been to Ryvauld before? That’s the Raining.” So saying, he points towards the roiling grey mass sweeping across the sky. “Them wizards do it twice a day; supposed to be at nine before noon and five after noon, although I swear they’ve been early a few times this season.”

Shaking his head slightly, he turns away from the darkening field towards a brightly coloured, bustling mess of a city. It reminds you of a gnomish settlement you visited early in your journey, except louder. There is none of the artistry and precision favoured by dwarven architects, nor any sort of plan at all; instead, the main structures seem to be made of patched together wood, flamboyant cloth and repurposed carts. Despite the enclosed shadows cast by infrequent awning, the roofless design somehow makes you feel even more exposed than your walk along the surface earlier.

Tall folk, the same species as Jhiro and Aman, bustle about with a similar chaos. Groups of them huddle around campfires, laughing and drinking, while others still move from stall to stall, questioning and bartering, complaining and snubbing. They all seem to be speaking in common, although you’re sure you heard a rough laugh accompanying dwarven somewhere amidst the mess.

Other than the many ramshackled wooden structures, most of which look like a decent earthquake would flatten them, there are a few noticeable buildings, the main one being a large stone structure deeper into the market, towering high above the rest of the city. Despite its rather rudimentary construction, it is however the most sturdy place you’ve seen so far; it’s difficult to tell anything more about it from this distance.

Jhiro coughs into a hand, before looking down at you again. “I don’t got long before Aman’ll be needing me to help set up, but if this is your first time here… is there anything you be needing help with?”

[Fallout_Monkey]

"Ah I see," Saphire says in response to Jhiro's comment about the raining "But what is it, exactly? and why don't you want to be caught in it?"

"I suppose I'll need a place to stay the night," she says to accept his offer of help "If you could point me in the direction of an inn, that would be wonderful. Also what's interesting to do or see in this town?"

[Arbuthnott]

Jhiro peers at you curiously, before rolling his eyes. “Course, you dwarves live underground, don’t you? Rain is water; them clouds up there are made of the stuff, and they break up and fall down which waters all the crops. It’s not dangerous or anything, but Aman’s got crops that would’ve been ruined by it. It’s why we travelled over-night, see? But we don’t got to worry about that over here; it never rains past that grass-line there.”

Scratching his chin, Jhiro shrugs. “Most people just camp; never any weather and the fires keep away the cold, and camping’s free. I think some woman owns someplace like an inn: Betty, maybe? Can’t remember. Just, whatever you do, don’t stay with the Germ,” he points at the stone building. “Don’t get me wrong, the man’s likeable enough, but nobody likes paying taxes, and if you’ve got the money to spend on privacy you’ve got the money to spend in the market. Fastest way to double your costs is for people to catch you staying there.”

“Otherwise, there’s loads to do around here. Biggest camping spot in Ryvauld, and the bards flock here like carrion crawlers. Else, Ol’ Mags might be around. Famous fortune teller, she’s here loads during the growing season. People come here from all over, so if you ever get bored there’s always someone interesting to talk to.”

[Fallout_Monkey]

"Thank you," Saphire says "That's very helpful. Well I'm sure you'll have you hands full with helping Aman. I think I'll wander about and explore. See what I can find."

After she says goodbye she will head in the direction he gestured at for where most people camp

[Arbuthnott]

“Take care of yourself; there’re a lot of guards here, but that ain’t always a good thing.” With that, Jhiro offers a short wave before disappearing into the crowd.

Although you see a few tents scattered here and there between stalls, you don’t see anything resembling a dedicated camping ground like you might expect. The crowd is thick and bustling, filled with people much taller and often wider than you, and you find yourself relying more and more on the shouting of merchants to identify the businesses around you.

Your wanderings are disturbed by a frazzled man landing on his rear directly in your path, the dust coating a streak along his back; he pushes a hand through his large moustache which comes away bloody. You notice three things happen immediately: the man begins to push himself up, calling out “You’ll pay for that, you jumped-up swine!”; a finely dressed man in an ornate headpiece steps out from a stall from the direction the man came from, flanked by two large bare-chested men with rippling muscles and mean expressions; and just out of the corner of your eye you spot a fifth man pushing his way through the crowd towards the downed man’s back, drawing a blade as he stalks.

Other than people making room between the downed man and his three acquaintances, nobody else seems to react to the display.

[Fallout_Monkey]

"I'll pay you for this in a second." Saphire says grabbing a round sturdy looking fruit one of the vendors is hawking and throws it at the dagger wielding assailant hoping to catch him off guard.

"Dagger!" she yells as the fruit leaves her fingers "He's flashing steal!"

'I just wanted to find that fortune teller' She thinks as she sighs and shakes her head. 'Should I have gotten involved'

Hoping to get him with a sneak attack with subdual damage.