Tavern Tales: Come on in and Have a Drink! Part II

[WillieSea]

Stretching languorously, trying to get the knots out of his aching back, William gets up from his work table in his room. The sweet honey mead Rider paid for did not last long. The scripting tutorial can wait another day. Besides, the forum appears to remain locked, and will require a master thief some amount of time to unlock it.

A sigh escapes his lips as William heads for the tavern meeting room. So many jobs to do and so little time. The years have been good for William, as he ponders his choosen career. He looks quizzical as he ponders Riders last comment about the noble Sir William being a bit of trouble. A rouge through and through, he supposes...

A slight smirk turns into a wide grin. Its time for some company with friends...

[WhoGuru]

WhoGuru smiles at William as he descends the stairs into the tavern and points at an empty chair. "Pull up a seat and have a pint. You can call me Red." Signaling the barkeep to keep them coming, she props her feet on the ledge of the fireplace to warm her toes and idly twists the signet ring on her finger. "So, how goes the business?"

"Well that depends, Red" William laughs and takes the seat, enjoying a grateful sip from the offered drink. "On which business you mean and how dangerous you like to live."

"Ahh. Good answer." She chuckles softly and raises her mug to him. "I withdraw the question. I like my danger from a safe distance thank you. Wonder if Rider and the others will be in soon. This place is entirely too quiet this evening."

"Indeed." William settles back with a weather eye on the door, both for friends and for those things that make life a little too interesting.

[DarkRider]

The Rider strides in through the tavern door. His long coat is spattered with rain; his legs are spattered with mud up to his thighs. He's a sight, and shakes his head at the bemused exp​ressions from the rogues seated at the fire.

"There's more mud on the road than it looks," he explained. The Rider's muscular black steed is known trhoughout the countryside and his words conjure images of the great beast thundering through the mud at breaking speeds; the the chagrin of his rider.

WhoGuru stifles a laugh, but the Rider take notice, rolls his eyes helplessly, and heads to the bar, "A pint, Barkeep, yes please Mate."

"How goes your class, Sir William," he makes conversation to distract from his muddied entrance, "I'm sure the novices will be beating your door in. And Red, how goes your writings?"

[WhoGuru]

"The writings go well! The ideas seem to pour out some days!" She tosses her cloak to Rider, which has been warmed by the fire. "You need to clean some of that grime and swallow a bit more of the mead my friend." With a laugh she pushes a chair out for him. "So, were you hunter or prey? To return with so much of the countryside clung to your person?"

[DarkRider]

"This time...the hunted."

Rider drops into the empty chair, swigs his pint, and sets the mug on a table before trying to pry his boot off, "The Sheriff has closed the roads, he holds them with Legionnaires. The whole county is closed off," he stops, aware that Sir William's eyes have drifted up from his lessons and are fixed on him; Rider nods once knowingly, "They're looking for the assassin Willie Sea."

Red's smile fades and she leans forward in her chair, "Writhing in a net makes me uncomfortable no matter how good the mead is."

"Don't worry, the village nearby was searched two days ago, they won't come through here again," the Rider assured her, he knew this county better than anyone, "And if they do....there's a pass under the stables outside that leads to the old Miller's place beyond the blockade. We won't be trapped here," he cocked his eyebrow and gave her a sly grin.

Sir William's eyes drifted to the window and the stables beyond. He could have use for such a passage.

[WhoGuru]

Red breathes a small sigh of relief and settles back with her mead. "Well then. In that case, do you know if the assassin is all they're looking for?: She smiles. "Though I'm reasonably sure no one got a good look at me. My trade after all is not to be seen."

Rider nodded with a wink. "Rumor is the local Count is on the outs with his wife after the theft of his signet ring was discovered. Seems he had to come clean about how it left his finger in the first place." Red burst into laughter and pounded the table.

"Now that is a reward for a job well done. Barkeep! Another round!" She yells over the steadily growing noise.

"You'll be pleased to know," Rider continues, "That they have no idea who took the ring, though rumors of a master thief are beginning to circulate. Wonder who that could be?"

William too laughs at this and returns his attention to the conversation. "Who indeed. A toast then, to sticky fingers and successful jobs." With a dark smirk, he empties his mug and upends it on the table."

[DarkRider]

"Cheers indeed, to those whose fingers are stickier than others!"

[WillieSea]

Looking out the window and the rain hitting the pane, Sir William decided it was time to become Willie Sea for a while, long enough to stop the persecution of the common people. Some fear would have to be given to the Legion commanders. Perhaps Adamus Phillida, a recently retired Legion commander, would make a good example to the current commanders in the legion of what can happen if things continue. Its never a good idea to make too much of a fuss with an assassin. They do not target the soldiers, they go straight for the leaders.

William focuses back in to the room. Looking at Rider, he states "I have much work to do this night and I must prepare for it. I am not sure how much I can contribute to the growing knowlege in the scripting thread this night. I thank ye for the information."

He then heads for his room, to change into the notorious assassin. Both sought after and feared for his rare skills.

Gathering what is required for the night, he slips out the window of his room and delicately makes his way past the traps he set earlier for anyone foolish enough to try and enter his room via the lone window.

A certain new legion commander would be finding the ring finger of Adamus Phillida in his desk in the morning, and the search of the countryside would end. The legion commander would also learn a valuable lesson about handling assassins, just like the ever quite Cheydinhal Count Andel Indarys learned many years ago.

There was much work to be done this night and much riding hard of a certain mystical black and golden spotted horse, a demon from another dimension who can vanish in a puff of smoke. This only hid the real secrets the assassin had, of his mystical towers from which faster than humanly possible travel was achieved. This whole task would be accomplished in one night. This helped increase the mystic of the assassin known as Willie Sea...

[Vereta]

Vereta crashes into the tavern through a window and lands on the floor with a splat. He stands up and dusts himself off as if nothing happened.

"Hey fellas" he greets with a small salute.

He looked fine besides the open gash on his forehead that was bleeding openly.

"I'll be re-working on my mod starting now!" He tells the occupants of the tavern. "I'll be doing the exterior then move on to scripting the quest so I'll be visiting Professor Sea (or P.S.) here for some advise."

With that he settled down in a chair and set to work. Planning and the like.

[WhoGuru]

Red shakes her head at Vereta's colorful entrance and places a mug of mead at his elbow. "Evening Vereta." She gets only a satisfied grunt in response as Vereta swallows mead with one hand and writes with the other.

Rider laughs cheerfully and then looks around. "I thought William said he was leaving. I don't recall him going back through the door."

Red pauses in correcting Vereta's spelling errors and smiles craftily. "He didn't. I believe he took the window. The door is so obvious you know."

"Wonder what he's up to." Rider mumbles and then reconsiders. "No, I don't." He settles back at the table and waits for what other surprises the night will bring.

[Vereta]

Vereta slapped a bandage onto his forehead after blood dripped onto his paper and ruined it. He grunted in agitation and ordered another drink. He put on a serious face.

It was time to work.

[WillieSea]

A sudden storm raged outside the tavern. A bolt of lightning struck one of the great oak trees and the clap of thunder shook the tavern to its foundation.

Startled, everyone looked up and then out the front windows. In another bolt of lightning, a shadow of a humanoid shape was briefly illuminated against the window panes, only to quickly flicker into darkness once again. After a few minutes, the storm passed and only the snapping and crackling sound of the fireplace could be heard.

Red, realizing that she was holding her breath in anticipation, cautiously breathed again, hoping nobody noticed. She looked at Vereta, who had barely looked up from his work. Rider was nervously taking a long pull on his drink at his table. At any rate, she was going to remain alert for trouble with an eye on the escape route and a hand on her weapon of choice.

After a time, William came downstairs and greeted those present. I have managed to add a bit more to the basic study on scripts. After I get this initial section done, I will post threads on how to code for different actions.

Turning to Rider and sitting down at his table, William asks, "How does one go about making sticky threads?". The barkeep delivers a frothy mug of Root Beer and a rich meal of stew and bread to William. Rider looks quizzically at William's drink and meal, wondering how they made there way to the table when they were not ordered.

William, seeing the puzzled look, answers, "I have previously ordered and paid for my meals for the week. So, about those sticky notes?..."

Rider, taken back a bit by the fore planning of this mysterious individual sitting and eating before him, has trouble finding the words... Instead of answering the question, he asks one back. "Do you know anything about the freak storm that blew through here so quickly, and a dark shadow at the front of the tavern?"

William, about to take a mouth full of stew, puts the spoon back in the bowl, and with a sparkle in his eye and a mischevious grin on his face, replies, "I have no idea what you mean?". He then continues eating and drinking his meal to the silence of Rider and Red. Vereta's scribbling on his notepad and muttered curses are the only sounds to break the silence...

[_echo]

Suddenly, the door busts open! Alas, there stands echo with a great wheel of cheese. Echo emits a loud joyous yell, "Where is a knife? I have some massive cheese to cut!"

[Vereta]

Vereta looks up from his work and out the window, his face twisted in thought.

"Should I go on with Aleswell or should I use another village? It's difficult to build on a corner of a hill and make the village seem enclosed. It's so close to the road it seems like some sort of pit stop for weary travelers not the humble village of a tight community." He says aloud to no one in particular.

He seemed to have startle the other patrons who were tense with anxiousness. He looks at William, Red, and DarkRider sitting together at a table, his brow knitting in confusion.

"Did I miss something?" He asks hesitantly at there stiff forms.

[DarkRider]

"Nothing to be concerned about, Vereta. Why not create your own town wherever you like?"

Finishing his pint, Rider heads to the bar once more, "Another please barkeep," he lays a few coins on the warn wooden bar, "You will find a suitable blade behind the counter, Echo. That had better not be a smelly sort of cheese."

The rogue takes his refilled mug back to the fireplace, "As to your question Sir William, to sticky thy threads, simply click the checkbox that says sticky before your submit the thread!"

Thunder growls ominously outside, but not a cool wind breaks the warmth of the tavern, "Hey Red, how about giving us another song kind Lady?"

[Vereta]

Vereta looks at Echo, even more confused. Echo just stands there with the cheese and a goofy grin on his face, just noticing the obvious distress.

"Huh?" Vereta says intelligently. "Erm... Yeah that's a great idea, DarkRider. I was thinking about that, but wasn't sure that was what I wanted. I guess I won't be working on an expansion of a village, but another one all it's own."

Vereta crumples up the work he had in front of him and starts on a new sheet. His pencil hit the paper and once again he was engrossed in his work.

[WillieSea]

William looks at Vereta with one eyebrow cocked up.

"Aleswell is on a well travelled road with open arms to outsiders." William then mutters "As long as they bring gold with them..."

"Probably not a good site for a tight knit community. If your interested, there are locations that could use a community like that, with plenty of flat land around to build on. One good place is just south of Chorrol, south of the Black road, there is a long thin section of land that is almost totally flat. You could easily make a road going down to it from the main road, and add your own buildings and people."

A grunt from another table brings William's attention back to Echo, who was busy cutting cheese nearby. The odor emenating from that table at first stung the nose and watered the eyes. William quickly put out the flame at his table, fearful of an explosion from the noxious fumes.

Echo, catching the candle going out, looked over at William and stated, "You know, cheese fumes are not explosive!". Echo then cuts some more cheese in earnest...

[Vereta]

Vereta looks up again from his work.

"Ah, awesome. I like Chorrol. I just don't want to make it to close. I want this village kinda' secluded, you know what I mean?" He replies, thankful for Williams suggestion.

He takes his pencil and writes a small note about this land near Chorrol.

[WillieSea]

Coughing, William turns back to Vereta. "Yes, it is a bit close to Chorrol. But I would recommend a location somewhere West of Chorrol, or possibly South West. It would be best to go there yourself and see the lay of the land. When you find a place you like, where there are no caves or dungeons nearby, head over to the Office of Imperial Commerce in the Imperial City Market District and see if the land is for sale."

[Vereta]

Vereta turns to William.

"A 'bit' close?" Vereta asks somewhat suspicious. " Ah, whatever. I'd best have a tamp around Cyrodiil. Gotta' find a place for this village. Oh, I'd appreciate if you guys could supply me with some ideas for a couple o' mini-quest. Writers, anyone? It's gonna' be awesome!"

Vereta beams and pumps a fist into the air before turning to his work and continuing to write.

[_echo]

Echo continues to vigorously cut his cheese, paying no mind the the rat pattering its way to the table. The rat emits a soft squeak alerting Echo. He looks around finally fixing his eyes upon the infestation trying to steal a nibble of his cheese. Echo screams in horror and quickly whips out one of his many knives and stabs the rat in the head. All the while, his other hand never once stuttered from the cheese.

[Vereta]

Vereta's head shoots up, startled by the rat's last squeak. He looked on as Echo tried to pull off the knife implanted in the rat's head and cut the cheese at the same time. It was gross and humorous thing to behold. Vereta turned back to his work and began writing. (He doodled along the sides of the page.)

[DarkRider]

The Rider groans from the dark corner where he sat watching things closely and nursing his ale, "Echo, we didn't have a rat problem until you brougfht the stinking cheese in. Be a Mate and haul that thing to the larder!"

[Vereta]

Vereta chuckles lightly as he worked (doodled) and turned to the bartender waving him over.

"Cheeseburger,please, and a tall glass of Honey Ale." He asks.

He drinks thirstily from the mug and finishes it off with a large sigh of delight. He continues on his work. He had no time to spare.

[WillieSea]

William watched all the commotion in the tavern with one raised eyebrow. After Echo dispatched the foul rat, it was left to lay in a pool of its own blood and gore on the floor. The wood shavings soaked up some of the blood.

Deciding something must be done before the disease carring vermon made somebody sick, William stood up and faced Echos table.

Echo, sensing the disturbance, looked up to see William making hand motions. His eyes widened, realizing that a spell was being conjured in his direction.

Williams eyes blazed a firey red, and in a flash, he threw a fireball in Echos direction.

Echos heart skipped a beat as he saw the blazing ball of hot white death fly towards him. Time seemed to slow down and he was rooted to the spot, not able to move or say anything. The flaming ball seemed to inch towards him, taunting him in his final seconds with its raw power. Suddenly, time seemed to catch up with itself and the fireball blazed past Echo and blasted into the rat carcass.

The whole room, startled, turned to look first at William, who stood there with a malevolent look on his face, a power and a fury etched into his features. Like a shadow crossing a flower, he then returned with a grinning face and sparkling eyes. Then, all eyes turned to where the rat used to be. Only blackened floor boards and smoldering wood chips remained. The rat was gone.

In utter disbelief, everyone turned back to William. "We can't have diseased carcasses laying about now, can we? And its best not to touch them either.", he said, as he shrugged his shoulders and sat back down.

The smell of burnt fur and rat meat with a hint of sulfur and brimstone lingered in the air. Everybody came to the same conclusion, this Willie Sea was not somebody to be taken lightly. Not only an assassin, but apparently well versed in the dark arts of destruction as well. What other skills did this innoculous seeming man have hidden? Only time would tell...