In Search of Sundial [Asminen and DandyLion]
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Asminen on 14-04-2016, 21:23:54</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>In Search of Sundial [Asminen and DandyLion]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Asminen</strong> on <strong>14-04-2016, 21:23:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was an overcast day, like so many other days in the temperate, springtime climate the city of Suno resided in. Earlier in the day, it had been quite cold, and the sky had wet the earth with a sullen drizzle. That drizzle would probably be back, too, whenever it was most inconvenient. There were those in the city that dreamed of summer, but most were too busy to give the weather much heed. For Suno was as prosperous as it was bustling with activity. It was a port city, the capital of a land with rich soil and temperate climate, and the center of trade for the area. No one had much time for anything beyond making themselves a pocket full of coin.<br><br>They say money corrupts. By all rights, Suno should have been a den of iniquity for all the wealth that it brought it. The city, however, seemed to be blessed by the Gods. There was a massive church at its center that worshipped all the deities that weren't outright evil. First among them in the glorious city of Suno was the god of mercantile endeavors, and of social harmony and justice. Those who wanted to prosper prayed to Him, to Ilo. Those who wanted to pursue less honorable means of getting rich fast had to face Ilo's Paladins. That is, if those would-be thieves and swindlers weren't quick and resourceful enough to avoid them. Some were, some weren't.<br><br>Suno was a fairly standard port city. It began at its docks with warehouses, inns, and small houses for what were considered the poor in this area. Then it grew outward, shops popping up in its center and the middle-class building houses to either side of it. The farther out from the docks the buildings got, the more ornate and rich they became until finally the huge church rose to tower above everything else. Next to it grew the House of Merchants, the building that served as the center for government. There was still plenty of space for expansion; even now there were people coming in to settle and build their houses at the edge of town, or converting old houses near the merchant district into new shops. Not that shops were required to be within that bubble at the center of the town. Some were converted houses in convenient places to be visited by those who didn't want to walk far, or built alongside residences at the edge of town. Dotted throughout were standard guard houses that worked with the Paladins of Ilo to keep the city safe and running smoothly.<br><br>Technically, Suno had nobility and several prominent noble families living within to rule the city. They didn't have quite the influence that some of the richer shop owners had, but were still throughly convinced that they, <em>the nobles</em>, ran the city. No self-respecting noble would work in a shop, but many owned or invested in quite a few to fill their family's treasure rooms. Some of the poor resented this elite group of people. Mostly, however, the people of Suno humored them and carried on with their lives.<br><br>The eye of Ilo was directed to the docks on this overcast day. It was near the main road that cut and wound through the city all the way to the Church of the Gods. An average height, very well-dressed man walked down Dock Road, that fed all the deliveries from the ship into the main. His eye was forward, focused on a small ship down moored to the end of a smaller dock. He turned down that dock and kept walking at a quick pace. But before he could get to his apparent destination, a disturbance broke forth and blocked his way. His handsome, naturally tanned face twisted in annoyance. There were what looked like two separate ships of sailors, fighting over... <em>something</em>. He couldn’t tell what. Whatever it was, it looked like it was about to come to violence. The well-dressed man gripped at the rapier at his hip in case the violence spilled toward him. Unfortunately, he needed to get past them.<br><br>“Excuse me. You seem to be blocking my path.” He called out to them in his best commanding noble voice. While he was a noble, he could never manage to match a noble's haughty, commanding tones. His words had merely been enough to turn the attention of every sailor there. And make them angry.<br><br>“You! <em>You</em> are the problem with the city, noble!” One cried out as he pointed an accusing finger at the well-dressed man. “Maybe it's you who we should be fighting!” This was met by general agreement from both sides of the fight between sailors. They began to stalk forward toward him, cracking their knuckles and generally looking threatening.<br><br>Haughty and commanding noble he was not, but neither was he a coward. Running away was not his thing. The well-dressed man drew his blade and dropped into an elegant fighting stance. There were far too many people for him to fight and win, but he hoped his confidence would make them reconsider their actions. No such luck. They simply kept walking towards him with murder in their eyes. It started to drizzle again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: In Search of Sundial [Asminen and DandyLion]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DandyLion</strong> on <strong>22-04-2016, 15:36:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Bright eyes traced the movements of the handsome young noble from under a heavy hood, designed to conceal the features of the bearer. The spectacle that was about to unfold on the docks might have seemed dramatic for any unknowing country-folk, that had decided upon visiting the busy trade city on this overcast spring day. For a native of Suno, however, this was a painfully mundane scene. The different gangs of sailors always found something to fight over. This time, she had noticed, the dispute was spurred by a crate of old spirits, that had flowed in with the murky tide. <br><br>Her eyes was drawn by the well dressed man, as he strolled down the cobbled road. She liked hanging out at the shadows of the docks, because something interesting always happened here, and to the hooded figure observing the ruckus brewing, boredom was the worst feeling she had ever known. And a smart looking noble who came to mingle with the dodgy types of the docks did indeed piqued her interest. She was surprise and quite amused by his confidence, as he called out to the group of brutes blocking his way. She could see his bluff from miles away, and sadly, so could the sailors, now united against this new common enemy. God men were simpletons, she thought, as he drew his rapier. Eyeing a rare opportunity to earn a favor with the upper echelons of Suno, she sprang into action. <br><br>The noble had the calm stance of a skilled fighter, she saw immediately, but they were only the two of them, with no paladins or guards in sight. So she opted for a different approach. Her hooded figure moved wit the speed and precision of a stalking feline, and with only a couple of paces between the nobleman, the sailors and herself, se produced a small, oblong packet from one of her countless inner pockets. In a fluid movement, she placed the small packet in her arm-mounted slingshot, took aim, and fired the paper bomb right in front of the feet of the sailors. It hit the ground with a sharp snap, and exploded into a thick white and foul smelling cloud of fumes. Not a second later, she tackled the dazzled nobleman, pushing him over the edge of a nearby wooden fence. They both landed in a pile of hay, conveniently placed right under the fence. As they impacted, she had already initiated a roll which she elegantly finished as hey hit the haystack, propelling her to her feet. She had held on to the hand in which the nobleman had the rapier to make sure he didn't impale her. She now hauled him to his feet, and dragged him along the waterline for a couple of steps until she suddenly pushed him through a small door, leading into the underbelly of the woodwork that formed most of the docks landing bay. <br><br>Above them the chaos surged, but they were alone and out of sight. She pulled back her heavy hood allowing him to see her for the first time. She had long, thick and utterly golden hair, tightly weaved back in a practical manner. Her eyes were grey, and small freckles dotted her smiling face. <br><br>"Looks like you owe me a favor, Sir.", she said with a playful tone in her voice. "And don't even begin with the 'I had them right were I wanted' crap. You were about to get squashed, and you know it. So what were someone like you even doing in this place? Don't you know the docks are a dangerous place for a boy to be playing around?". She had scorn in her voice, but also what sounded like genuine wonderment. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. <br><br>"Oh, and I'm Rosa by the way. You better remember it, pal!" She grinned at him with unusually pointy and white teeth that caught the flickering rays of light that fell through the planks. She looked obviously pleased with the situation at hand, and terribly amused by the turn of events. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: In Search of Sundial [Asminen and DandyLion]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Asminen</strong> on <strong>30-04-2016, 18:51:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Just as he started to suspect that he had gotten himself into trouble that he would regret for weeks to come, he saw a very small thing shoot past him and to the feet of the ruffians. The well-dressed man began to take a couple of steps back, and the hand not holding his rapier in standard fighting position went to one of the very small vials in his padded pouch... <br><br>But he was unable to complete the action, for the next thing he knew he was being tackled by one of those damned sailors. He couldn't properly tell which one, because that small thing he saw was now clearly some sort of smoke device. The gentleman let out a shout of surprise. He tried to pull himself away even as he felt the two of them fall over the gate and into the hay below. The well-dressed man was a dexterous fellow, but this sailor... or whoever it was... seemed to be just a bit faster. And, he realized suddenly, probably not one of the ones who were trying to rough him up. No drunk man could manage such coordination. With this realization, he let himself be dragged the rest of the way into the building nearby. <br><br>When he finally let go to act as he wished, the well-dressed man took a couple steps away from the cloaked figure. His stance was guarded, his expression cautious. It occurred to him that this was the perfect place and situation to get robbed. There was commotion above that would distract a Paladin for long enough to let a man such as himself lose everything he had with him. The city was generally a safe place, but the well-dressed man was not naïve. Crime still happened.<br><br>Well, at least he was going to get robbed by a pretty girl. Whose name was Rosa. And looked like she didn't want to rob him at all. Huh.<br><br>“Charles Sundial, of Alchemist's Mercy.” The well-dressed man responded. He let his guard down. Mostly. He would be quick to react, however, if she tried to tackle him again. Then he began to try to get past her and back through the door. “And I'm here on important business. There's a shipment of volatile goods that I must oversee. I wouldn't put it past those drunken idiots to mishandle the cargo while trying to transport it. Damn fools don't realize I'm trying to save their lives.” Charles explained in an irritated tone. Then he took a deep breath. “Apologies Rosa. I'm not angry with you; it's been a trying day. Thank you for getting me out of there.” It looked like he was going to say more, and try to leave, but another sound above made him pause.<br><br>“Halt!” The contralto voice called out across the docks with authority that could only be held by a paladin. Just above thief and alchemist, a nearly six foot woman in shining plate armor marched up to the drunken sailors. Long, midnight black hair blew in the sea air, causing the paladin to toss her head to shake the locks that covered her literally heavenly beautiful face. For on her pale features she had the bluish sheen of an aasimar, a human with celestial blood in her ancestry. “What is the problem here?”
			</dd>
		</dl>
		<div id="footer" class="smalltext">
			
			<span class="smalltext" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=credits" title="Simple Machines Forum" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF 2.0.19</a> |
 <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php" title="License" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF © 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org" title="Simple Machines" target="_blank" class="new_win">Simple Machines</a>
			</span>
		</div>