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Callan
11-20-13, 11:07 PM
Closed to Fox Owen Xavier. Just as a note to anyone interested, I'm liquid timing this to be after Callan has acclimated a little bit to Dheathain so that I might better explore his actual arrival in a solo quest.

The Lusty Draconian was Callan Blacksnake's favorite bar in Talmhaidh. They served strong ales that tasted unlike most anything he'd tried before, and fruity liquors that inevitably caused a man to wake up the next morning with no memory of the name of the drink he'd bought two rounds of for every patron the night before. The barkeep was a human – an oddity in Dheathain, even in the coastal port cities – and he had quick wits and quicker hands, especially when it came to pouring drinks and even more so when it came to collecting your coin. Finally, the bar had rooms close at hand, rented out by an elderly, amicable man living in his inn atop the bar.

But the primary reason Callan liked the watering hole was because it was one of the few places in Talmhaidh where he could actually get a drink. The Fae he had encountered didn't drink frequently enough and didn't seem to care about worldly wealth enough to merit opening their own bars, leaving the majority to be ran by the scaly drakelings. In those bars he was typically ignored as long as he didn't bother anybody, but unfortunately that meant that even the bartender wouldn't acknowledge him or serve him. In the few bars reserved for the upper caste draconians, the swordsman from Fallien fared far worse. If he wasn't thrown out immediately by strong arms at the door, he'd have weapons brandished at him by barkeeps, or even be attacked by the patrons. He still bore a small gash on his cheek from one such attack, mercifully uninfected and healing.

Callan had arrived in Talmhaidh about a fortnight ago. The humid land of Dheathain had called his name with its promise of magic and adventure, and he had come with no hard and fast plan in mind. He now intended to journey into the deep jungles in the near future to seek out the Fae living far from the coast. So far, they were the only real lead he had as to where he might go to learn more about his powers. None of the magicians and mediums, witches and warlocks, priests and paladins, or even tricksters and truth-sayers he'd met in Corone knew how Callan was able to mentally move metal objects. Some could perform similar feats, but upon viewing the Fallien's mystical skill they assured him that what he did was quite different from their own magics.

Some had wished to teach him their own tricks of the arcane, and others wanted to study him. Still others spoke of fanciful artifacts or mystical races that might lend him light in his quest to uncover more about his abilities. But the only idea that more than a couple had suggested (independently of each other) was to seek out the Fae of Dheathain. And so he had, but so far he had had no luck. Most of the Fae in Talmhaidh told him they were not terribly skilled with magic, but that their brethren deeper in the rain forest in their cherished city of Donnalaich would likely know more than they.

But a trek into the wilds of Dheathain was dangerous to say the least, especially alone. And so for the past couple weeks Callan had spent most of his time talking with other citizens of Talmhaidh – mostly humans and Fae, for the dragon-men still wanted nothing to do with him – and sought to learn more about the strange land. Survival, geography, customs, even politics and culture. He had also started to stockpile some food that would not quickly go bad, and kept an eye out for anyone wanting to join him in his quest for Donnalaich. In the mean time however, he spent the remainder of his time helping out with odd jobs for coin, and relaxing in The Lusty Draconian, where he sat now.

He'd started leaving his leather jerkin and burlap cloak behind in his rented room soon after arriving, and now wore only his black boots, gray pants, and darker gray shirt. The shirt was currently unbuttoned and hung limp with sweat against his chest, exposing his equally drenched muscles. Only a day after forsaking his jerkin and cloak he'd had his hair cut shorter than usual, but it was moist enough with perspiration that he was still able to push it into a part with his hand. Although he had only his dagger with him in the bar (tucked neatly into his boot, only partially visible), the corded muscles on the hand wrapped around his mug of ale betrayed his frequent use of and ability with weaponry.

Tohm, the barkeep, had asked Callan to help him lug heavy crates of sugar in from the docks in return for a promise of free ale all night, and the Fallien would be damned before not making good use on that oath. Draining the rest of his spicy dark Dheathainian ale, he set his heavy mug down and called out to Tohm for another, his silver eyes' mirth matching his smile.

Fox Owen Xavier
11-24-13, 05:49 PM
Fox stared at the poster with fierce animal-like eyes. His breath hissed out of his sharp teeth resulting in a low growl. He heard strangers talking and pointing to his noticeable fox like appearance with his ears and tail sticking full out but he didn't care. He focused on the mission board where someone had posted a notice about wanting help to track down a group of animal traders. Normally, Fox wouldn't care, but some artist had drawn some animals on the bottom including some foxes.

Letting out another growl, Fox ripped the paper notice off the wooden board to claim it. He might not know the foxes here, but his closest friends back home had always been other kitsune or foxes. Fox just didn't really care for humans. They spent too much time thinking up complex plots to murder, steal, gain power, etc. On the bright side, it was always easy to sell stuff to them with all their wants.

Fox walked down the streets aimlessly trying to think how he could destroy the vermin who dared hurt his cousin animals. After walking for a few minutes, the kitsune finally began to calm down. He knew that anger would just led to mistakes and that wouldn't help him avenge his brethren.

“Well, the best ideas normally come after sleeping on it so I guess I should make some money in the meanwhile,” Fox thought to himself as he set his sights on The Lusty Draconian. The drakelings and Fey didn't seem to care for his potions but the humans here were happy to buy them. Since the barkeeper was a human, this shop had an almost prefect audience for his wares namely, mostly humans.

In preparation, the kitsune hid his tail so people could not grab it and shifted his teeth back to his human form. As for his ears, they helped get him attention and a sense of mystery so he kept them out. After lightly brushing his ears, he walked into the bar.

As usual, the bar was already full. Fox made notes of where his previous customers were sitting as he walked up to Tohm, the barkeeper.

“Hello, do you mind if I sell my wares in your bar today? As usual, I'll give you 20% of the profits,” the kitsune asked politely as he sat down next to a well built stranger.

“Sure thing, but don't cause trouble.”

With the confirmation, Fox took a quick glance around to look for opportunities. As luck would have it, it seemed like the stranger next to him was quite nicely drunk. It seemed like the man was not a native here but that wasn't too uncommon since Talmhaidh had a nice harbor for ships to dock.

“Hello good sir, I'm Fox the magic potion seller,” the kitsune addressed Callan. “I see you are a stranger to this land like myself. Obviously, an adventurous man such as yourself would should know the wonders of magic. I don't suppose you would be interested in a love potion to enchant a beautiful young lady? Or maybe a potion to help you wake up from the effects of alcohol since it seems like might have drank one mug too many.”

Sorry for taking so long to create this post.

Callan
11-27-13, 04:48 PM
All bunnying from here on has been approved and collaborated upon by both parties.
Callan was partway through his sixth mug of the night, and attempting to figure out what ingredients the ale had been flavored with. There was a distinct orange flavor and a faint hint of cinnamon, and it was slightly sweeter than most of the other brews he’d tried so far in Dheathain. It was actually rather reminiscent of his favorite Fallien beer, a wheat-ale called Azure Moon in tradespeak. He was tempted to try another, but refrained since he had promised himself—and made wagers with a couple other patrons—that he would try to work through all fourteen beers Tohm had in supply tonight.

Before he finished the amber brew in his hand, a fellow with fox ears (Callan thought the proper term might be Kitsune but was unsure) sat down next to him and enquired with Tohm if he could sell his alchemical wares. The profit-oriented barkeep obliged the vulpine patron, and after the exchange the latter turned to face Callan.

“Hello, good sir, I’m Fox the magic potion seller,” he said. “I see you are a stranger to this land like myself. Obviously, an adventurous man such as yourself should know the wonders of magic. I don’t suppose you would be interested in a love potion to enchant a beautiful young lady? Or maybe a potion to help you wake up from the effects of alcohol since it seems like you might have drank one mug too many.”

The swordsman smiled as he set his mug down—empty—and nodded to Tohm to try the seventh ale on the list. Directing his attention to the Kitsune, he replied, “I fear you’re a little early to convince me of the potency of your hangover cures, but if you stick around for a bit I doubt you’ll have much trouble. I’m planning to try every brew our beloved bartender has tonight, and Tohm doesn’t bother with small cups so I plan to require his assistance in returning to my lodging tonight.”

Tohm guffawed at this and quipped, “in that case I shouldn’t have much trouble convincing you that these ales aren’t free later tonight,” as he set down the next mug.

“Come now, Tohm,” Callan spoke with feigned offense, “surely you wouldn’t disabuse an innocent lad such as myself of his faith in the world at such a young age?”

“Dheathain ain’t the kind of place for the naive, Snakey. Better to wisen'em now than to bury'em later.”

With a chuckle, Callan nodded in agreement and took a sip of the new beer. This one tasted of burnt barley and far too many hops, and the swordsman lamented his decision not to indulge in another mug of the previous ale. He sighed and turned back to Kitsune.

“Fox, you say? I’m Callan Blacksnake,” he said amiably, extending his hand to shake with the alchemist. “Pleasure. Don't call me Snakey; if he weren't my supply of ale then dear old Tohm would have a dagger in his gullet. In any case, I’ll be here a while longer I’d enjoy a partner in drink or conversation until I’m reading for that magical potion of yours.”

“Sure, I don’t mind talking with a smart looking person like yourself,” Fox replied, likely seeing an opportunity to gain a new customer. “Barkeeper, could you get me a hot water?”

“So tell me, where’d you learn your trade? Family business? One must know of the schooling his hangover cure producer has gone through,” the Fallien joked as Tohm poured a steaming cup of hot water and set it down in front of the kitsune.

“I’m not exactly sure what my family did other than adventuring. Once they taught me to hunt my own food they just disappeared one day, leaving me with just a bit of money for my birthday,” Fox said as he put some herb leaves in his cup of water. “While you might find it a bit cruel, it’s not completely uncommon for it to happen. As for learning to make these wonderful potions, I learned from the best. My old mentor taught me since my parents left me. The old kitsune witch had traveled the world when she was younger and learned many legendary potions. Her training was a bit extreme: one mistake in a potion and I found myself without food for three days.”

“Well I suppose the famine ended up working in your favor if you can turn a profit with your potions. Forgive the impudence, but I’m a few too many mugs in to stop myself.,” Callan said, his words starting to slur slightly. “I think I’ve seen you here a few times before, and every time I mean to ask about those ears of yours. Are you also a Kitsune? I’ve never met one before.”

“I believe I might have seen you around this place before as well. As for these ears, it is certainly because I’m part of the legendary kitsune race. Kitsunes are a magical race that can transform between human form, fox, and many steps in between. I’m currently mostly human but I generally have these foxy ears since they help me hear better,” Fox said as he sipped his now warm tea.

“I see. I seem to be meeting lots of new folk in Dheathain these past couple weeks. Meeting new races is actually part why I came, but I’d rather talk about you,” Callan said, his secretive nature kicking in just in time to stop his loosened tongue from saying too much. “What brought you to this crazy jungle?”

Fox Owen Xavier
12-29-13, 08:41 PM
Sorry for taking so long to respond. Sorry it's a bit shorter but I don't want to bunny your character. If you notice something that would be good to change (either for flow or so you can respond better), please let me know.

“I see. I seem to be meeting lots of new folk in Dheathain these past couple weeks. Meeting new races is actually part why I came, but I’d rather talk about you,” Callan said, his secretive nature kicking in just in time to stop his loosened tongue from saying too much. “What brought you to this crazy jungle?”

Fox could tell the man had a bit too much to drink but somehow he seemed to be able to hold back his talking. “Well, he seems like he'll buy the potion sooner or later, let me just keep him busy until he's ready,” thought the kitsune as he sipped a bit more of tea.

“Well, like a lot of my race, I enjoy adventuring and seeing new things especially herbs, mushrooms, fungus, and other potion ingredients. Just made some fresh new potions from what I found and that's why I am here. Got one right here that should knock you back to wakefulness if you are having a hard time keeping your tongue under control.”

“Opps, did I say that a bit too directly? Must be this stupid anger from seeing that poster that's still in my pocket. Hmm, maybe this stranger could help? … No, it's my problem to deal with, most humans wouldn't understand,” Fox reasoned to himself as he pushed down on the rolled up request poster to make sure it was firmly in his cloak's pocket.

Callan
01-14-14, 10:40 PM
Callan started to roll his eyes when the kitsune began to offer his potion yet again, but stopped before making a full optical revolution. Expecting merely another suggestion for a hangover potion, he'd paused not at the offer of sobriety-in-a-bottle, but rather at Fox's mention of keeping his tongue under control. It was likely the kitsune was simply making a comment on the human's state of drunkenness - he seemed to think the Fallien was far drunker than he really was - but Callan suspected that wasn't the case.

"I suppose I'm used to dealing with humans and the like," the swordsman said as he drained the last of his ale and thumped the glass on the table to get Tohm's attention. "Are all kitsune so observant?" he asked, more muttering to himself than truly inquiring.

He took a sideways glance at Fox, sizing him up in a new light. The Kitsune hadn't looked like a fighter at first glance, so Callan hadn't really paid him that much heed. He sighed. This was a flaw the warrior was working to overcome; while he certainly respected anyone who was great at some craft or another, he had an instinctive benign disregard for those that seemed to prefer to avoid fighting. Competition was in Callan's blood, and he could not deny that he felt that combat was the purest form of contest. Those that thought otherwise tended to get underestimated by the swordsman. Perhaps, he mused, Fox could be of some use in overcoming this breach in logic. Even while in his cups the Fallien held logic to a high standard despite his own occasional lapses in reason.

Fox may have replied to the semi-rhetorical question, but Callan had taken no notice during his seconds of thought. He took a deep gulp of the dark, almost black beer and nearly spat it back out. Reaching a hand to his mouth, he pressed a light fist to his lips as he forced himself to swallow.

"Didn't look like that went down too smoothly. Maybe you've had a bit too much too drink? A combination of two of my potions works wonders for nausea if you're feeling ill," the Kitsune said amiably.

Tohm chuckled and remarked to Fox, "Snakey's only tipsy, potion boy. Lad likes to play at charades now and then - he's certainly not drunk yet, and even more assuredly not a Draconian, though I plan to convince him to act like one when he finishes his tour of my brews." Addressing Callan, he added, "sorry lad, when you said you were trying all of them I couldn't resist keeping some of the scaly folk's Black River. Normally I sell it all for a pretty penny, but I fancied seeing your reaction."

Swallowing hard to try to rid his mouth of the foul taste, he took a few breaths of wondrously fresh air before raising both his middle finger and the glass. Some ten seconds later, after what seemed at least a few minutes of pure torture, Callan set the glass down and glared at Tohm. The barkeep merely shook his head and laughed before leaving to fetch the ninth ale of the night. With any luck it'd be good; Callan liked the number three and its multiples for no real reason: another lapse in his love of logic.

Turning back to the Kitsune, he felt he should return the favor and demonstrate his own powers of observation. "I really do hate that man," he began, jokingly, before continuing more seriously. "In any case, what's in your pocket that's got you on edge?"