<span style="font-style: italic">Sorry, everyone, for being absent these past 6 weeks! I've been completely swamped and consumed most days with the election season. Now that all the extra work I've been doing for it is coming to an end, I should be able to start posting more-or-less weekly again... assuming I don't run into writer's block. I'll try to write slightly shorter and more frequent updates..<br/><br/>Because I know a few of the old players have dropped off the radar feel free to PM me if you want to create a new character for me to retcon in.</span><br/><br/>Kinlia looked incredibly flattered by Celrie's attention - poor Arcea lost her fellow feline's devoted gaze the moment that the elf walked over and introduced herself. 'Lady K' first simply blushed and smiled back to Celrie before doing something of a double-take : the gears could be seen moving in her mind before the feline put a hand up to her mouth to cover an impolite gasp. "You're... Oh! I think I've seen you before! Pardon my i-inquisitiveness my lady, but were you the one who opened for the Crystalmoon Orchestra this past spring? I'd happened to be traveling through there at the time and... well, I might go so far as to say it was the greatest treat of my life." She sidled up to Celrie as if to embrace her in a hug, then stopped herself, self-consciously, and bent down to give the elf's hand a kiss. "I'm not familiar with your exact position my be- er, lady! But I can only hope that your presence here means that the empire is finally going to give this little town of ours an endowment of the arts! I heard rumors that a duchess and her entourage were coming through along with you.. I think I can imagine how a good word in the right ears from her could finally lead to the establishment of a proper amphitheatre at least! These woods have been without the presence of wonderful treats to the eyes and ears like you for too long, I've just been trying to help prepare the way for you... along with the help of a few others like that strange bat girl that came through recently. Anyway! I'll gladly accompany you for any trips you're taking - as a traveling songstress I know the local paths pretty well, and aside from there in the town here, there are another two or three-score folk who live in isolated homesteads, usually hidden ones, scattered around the mountain. If you know the right places it's easy to get lodging for a day or overnight stay anywhere within one or two miles of here!"<br/><br/>As she spoke, the catgirl hesitantly yet excitedly slipped her fingers up onto the visiting "celebrity"'s shoulders. Celrie hadn't expected there would be places like this that she wasn't merely considered a beautiful face and a desirable guest at parties (as for Glana) but the closest thing to a famous entertainer that any of these people had ever seen.<br/><br/>Cross and Kinlia look with interest upon Yasha when the captain makes some of her trademark expressions of rough-around-the-edges philosophy and inquires about the next step. A feline guest (this one fully anthro with a tawny coat rather than a cal'drua), a female in a corset, seemed to have taken a particular interest in Yasha's words and was eyeing her from across the room with interest. Her style wouldn't put her out of place amongst those woodlands bandits they'd fought earlier. She made a little *clic-clic* sound with her tongue and beckoned the squirrel over to her once she was finished speaking with the others.<br/><br/>The scruffy male speaking to them didn't pay her any mind however. For a minute he was completely engrossed in mixing the drinks - clever concoctions that made use of both easily-transported grain alcohol, locally brewed favorites of the cal'drua, and a few exotic garnishes using local herbs, fruits, and berries. They were surprisingly passable, and though less refined than what one might find in a civilized setting they were at least novel.<br/><br/>"Well... an excellent question you have there." he finally replied to Yasha once he was satisfied with the state of the cocktails and began pushing them over, one at a time (and already starting to work on new ones, as well). "This is all rather ancient history, and I'm not sure if I believe it all but I'll go on and give you what the talkative locals gave me. Apparently, many centuries ago there was a reclusive self-made noble from the wildlands called the Blue Rose - his true name is lost to the ages - who reigned from a keep out here. Supposedly he was a master enchanter and an elf of great beauty, and was accepted by the now-rare beings called dryads as their king. Apparently, he did something to really rile up the great noble houses badly... I heard a few different versions but my favorite is that he managed to be accepted as a candidate for marriage to the princesses of three of the great houses, AND to the prince of a fourth whilst posing as a lady. Heh - makes a good story, anyway. The long and short of it was that all four houses destroyed him and his followers in their fury, and did their best to write 'em all out of history entirely. They still feared his power, so once they toppled his keep they abandoned the entire area for hundreds of years til the story was all but forgot."<br/><br/>"Now," he added, leaning on the bar and finally having a drink himself, "I've been to these ruins before. Aside from all the vines overgrowing everything, it's actually quite pretty and pleasant to look at, with some old frescoes and the like and an intact throne room. But I've never tried to explore the lower levels - according to the rumors of one who did and didn't come back out, there's an entire underground hedge labyrinth underneath there kept alive by magical light. But if it's unexplored, and the Blue Rose was forcibly forgotten, it stands to reason some of his holdings and treasures might've survived too, yeah? Anyway, shouldn't be too much to keep you occupied here aside from such explorations. If you all get bored enough, let me know and we can explore there as a group any day you like. I have a decent idea how some of the hidden doors might be opened..."<br/><br/>...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">So, to help with the fact that the game has been moving so slowly, it might be a good idea to do a bit here and there via skype. Feel free to contact me if you have free time over the next couple weeks.</span>