[IC] Tavern Tales - If We Must Die, Let The Cosmos Live

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-19 04:05:55

First post for first post shenanigans.

We're using this to roll dice.

THE RULES

In order for me to move the plot, everyone involved must post at least once. You can certainly go more than that, and the post can be pretty much anything. Even roleplaying to yourself, describing how you feel in a certain situation.
If you're stuck, let me know, and I'll give suggestions try and work something out with you.
Don't be a dick.
Don't cheat. Please give me your roll result as you get yours.
Standard roll calls for 3d20. Please provide all three results.

THE CAST (Image)

YOU LEVEL UP WHEN

Getting out of trouble without violence.
SMASH EVIL
Meet interesting people that are not of God, Beast, or Man.
Find ruined, long lost cities.
Discover ancient ultraweapons of the Monster War.
Fight in a very expensive place and BREAK EVERYTHING

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-19 05:15:43

Min, the Ox-Headed, just picked up a reward for finding a necklace that was stolen from an elderly noblewoman. Easy mission, good client, excellent pay: a perfect job. His heart light and his pockets heavy, he decides to hit one of the local taverns before heading home.

loliwarmech · 2014-06-20 01:38:16

Ba sighs over the remains of her meal in a corner of the local tavern. She glances around, notices more than a few cautious - possibly also curious - eyes, and returns her gaze to her table, her appetite for adventure unsated. Perhaps carrying along those large gauntlets might not have been the best of ideas.

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-20 11:05:26

In the dark alleys and corners of the Portaled Metropolis, Er Gui hops, driven by something more than his need to feed on qi from the unsuspecting citizens of Wuji City. What this need is, he cannot say, for it makes little sense to his rotten brain, but still he hops forward, ignoring easy targets to reach whatever his unknown goal is.

Soon, he finds a tavern, brightly lit and brimming with people. Every instinct he has urges him away from this place, yet he finds himself still hopping towards it.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-20 21:19:16

Wuji City is known as the Portaled Metropolis not just because it hosts the largest collection of Kong Gates of every size, but also because every door leads to somewhere else, literally, be it a subspace pocket or a dimensional rift.

Think of Wuji City as a great dome. Roads criss-cross through the dome, and traffic is brisk. But there are no buildings, only free-standing gates, and doors. Each one unique, different. What buildings there are are free-standing blocky pillars, with portals mounted upon them, like windows. Affordable housing.

Some portals are operated by godly science. Others opened with sorcery. And still others are true holes in space and time, dug as trenches or blown open with Apollyon Cannon during the Monster Wars. There are even walking roads with hundreds of gates astride the path, each step shifting you closer to your destination.

Thousands of Dvarapala - Door Gods - patrol the doors, making sure none tamper with the portals. If there is one rule in this lawless city, it's that the portals themselves are sacred.

Wuji City is the center of the Cosmos. It has paths to millions of different places. It has the largest population of any city by a large margin. And yet it is only a hundred square miles large. Every door leads somewhere else.

The tavern - known as 'Beid's Bar' - is an establishment typical of Wuji City. It's door is of the old style, wooden poles with a large calligraphed sign hung at the top. Through the portal, the subspace pocket is divided into two stacking planes, accessed from smaller, man-sized shiftdoors.

In the lower plane, customers eat, drink, gamble, and watch fights. In the higher plane, customers sleep, relax, bathe, and find paid companionship to take back to their bedrooms. The food is decent and the furniture simple, but comfortable. The drink however, is atrocious.

At the moment, Gu Long Wang is in the lower plane, stripped of his armor and to the waist, standing in the ring and fist-fighting a Bat for his supper, desperately regretting that he forgot to add lodging for the night to the stakes.

loliwarmech · 2014-06-21 10:56:44

Ba shifts a bit in her seat, then shuffles and fidgets, huffing a little and deciding to pay more attention to the ring instead. It's hardly an interesting fight though - a strangely pale but well-built, long-haired man against a bat. Maybe she'll just see how quickly this will end.

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-21 20:13:12

The Dvarapala of Beid's Bar look Gui up and down. It's clear to him that they do not like the look of him, but they seem unwilling to stop him from passing into the tavern. They stand aside, and he hops into the lower plane of the bar.

Inside, fighting in the ring against what seemed to be a simple Bat, was the Godling he had felt driven to meet. He felt little need to join the Godling in combat, though, and simply stood in the middle of the bar to witness this combat. After all, if the Godling could not best a Bat in combat, Gui would want little more to do with him.

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-21 20:39:56

Rumors spread from the tavern to the streets, that the prince of Diyu (or at least, someone who looked a lot like him) had somehow ended up in the ring. This wasn't the first rumor that Min had heard about the prince -- they've been circulating constantly since his Rambling began -- but it seemed interesting enough to follow up on. At worst, he'd get a free show for his troubles. He quickly found his way to the bar and unobtrusively found a spot where he could see the fight.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 04:26:33

The Bat is introduced as Bian Fu. It is a bipedal fruit bat twice as large as a ma, with brown fur and long ears. In place of a pair of black eyes, Bian Fu has a single milk-white eye, obviously blind.

The two combatants circle each other, throwing jabs and straights, to no effect. Bian Fu reaches out with his ultrasonic hearing, locating Gu's exact location.

Bian Fu opens his palm, extending his claws, takes a swipe at Gu, who crosses his arms, attempting to pushes up at Bian Fu's wrist, but the claws leave a slight cut on his pale skin.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 04:38:32

Gu lets out a great yell like a dragon's roar, all but shattering Bian Fu's eardrums, who raises his hands to cover his oversized ears.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 04:42:41

Bian Fu lashes out blindly, but the blows fail to connect.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 04:49:50

Gu calmly stretches his fist back, throwing it in Bian Fu's face. The blow connects, and Bian Fu is thrown all the way across the ring.

The bell dings, and the first round is over. The fighters return to their corners, to rest and drink white liquor.

loliwarmech · 2014-06-22 09:28:54

Ba scratches her chin. This Bat certainly is putting up a better fight
than expected, though the pale-skinned man is no slouch either. Glancing
around, she notices a jiangshi and an ox-head, the former of which she
huffs disapprovingly at.

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-22 11:49:14

Min cheered as the bat went flying across the ring. Prince or not, the pale-skin certainly had an arm on him.

With that, he decided to have a bit of fun. "10 gold pieces on the pale-skin!" he yelled. "Anyone want to take me up on it?"

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 12:06:13

A tall, thin humanoid monster stands up, dressed in short-cut black robes, coned hood drawn completely over his head. What skin that is not covered by the robes are wrapped with dirty grey bandages. From two eye-holes cut in the hood, the monster stares with bloodshot red eyes. A Sadisto. At his side is sheathed a heavy chainsaw-cutlass.

"Odds are three to one on your boy, Bullhead." he rasps. "You want that?"

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-22 12:43:40

"No problem, my pointy-headed friend!" Min picked out the coin from his pocket and handed it to the Sadisto with a flourish.

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-22 16:34:28

Gui's face twisted into a rictus caricature of a smile. Perhaps this Godling was worth it after all.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-22 20:20:06

The Sadisto takes the coin, and leaves, scowling.

The bell rings a second time for the second round, as the two combatants take to the ring.

loliwarmech · 2014-06-22 22:53:09

Ba continues to be silent, her attention now turned towards the pale
man. He stands out among the other folk in the tavern, and seems to
carry himself with the dignity and pride of a nobleman, even in combat.
She feels as if there will be adventure to be had soon, though why
exactly she cannot say.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-23 05:36:06

The two combatants continue circling each other, continuing to trade jabs.

Gu catches Bian Fu with a straight to the eye, stunning the bat. The god follows it up with a rising uppercut to the jaw, ghostly flame billowing in the shape of a roaring dragon.

Enraged, Bian Fu unlatches his lower jaw and screams, bursting Gu's eardrums, unsettling the godling's balance.

Trying to get his bearings, Gu crouches down, his calves and knees opening in mechanical apertures, and unleashes the Great Divine Wind that drives his jetpack, hurling Bian Fu out of the ring.

Bian Fu jumps to his feet, unfurls his wings, and glides back into the ring. But his flight is interrupted by Gu's fist to his ribs, breaking a bone.

The bat flaps up in the air, attempting to land a flying side-kick. He misses by a mile as the Bone Dragon King sidesteps away.

Gu responds with a jumping dropkick, striking the bat with both feet and felling him, just as the bell rings the round to a close.

The referee counts down Bian Fu's inability to rise. One. Two. Three.

The referee declares Gu Long Wang the winner, to rapturous applause. Tavern patrons start crowding around, giving congratulations and offering to buy drinks. Healers rush to tend to Bian Fu.

"Hell of a thing." says the bookie Sadisto to another. "I would have thought for sure Bian Fu would take this match."

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-23 17:13:01

Once the match was over, Gui began to hop towards the godling, joining the crowd of patrons that began to form around him. Some few members of the crowd recoiled from him, making it easier to navigate the crowd than it otherwise may have been. Still, however, he was not able to reach the godling.

Annoyed, Gui hopped as high as he could, over the heads of the patrons, and began to use them as skipping stones, finally landing in front of the godling. He took a deep breath and with a wheezy voice said, "Welcome, godling."

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-23 19:06:14

Gu looks over and sees the hopping corpse. He raises his drink, trying not to look unsettled.

"Ho, stranger. Sit with me, and drink. What can I do for you?"

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-23 20:04:52

"I have sensed your coming," Gui spoke through dessicated windpipes that had not been used in some time, carefully moving to sit on the seat that was offered. "I would like to know what has brought a godling away from his city."

From the bar, he grabbed a glass orb of distilled qi and slowly absorbed from it. It was not his preferred method to feed, but it would not do to pounce on a victim in the middle of such a busy bar, full of Gods and Beasts.

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-23 20:09:35

Min moved closer to the two as the crowd of admirers started thinning out, some still rubbing their heads from the jiangshi's hops. He couldn't hear everything, but "godling" suggested that, yes, this was the Prince of Diyu. Might as well see if he can get a word in edgewise. Always good to have friends in the local ruling family.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-23 20:18:43

"I'm on my Rambling." said Gu to the Jiangshi. "An adventure, to forge me into a full-grown man."

"Oh, it's Min! Greetings, Min! What brings you so far away from home?"

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-23 21:20:08

Min's ears perked up. He didn't expect to be recognized. He came before the prince and did a small bow.

"My liege," he said (with an unusual amount of respect for him), "I'm simply here on business, as usual. I'm...pleasantly surprised that you recognize me. It's been so long since--"

When did he meet the Prince of Diyu? Was it at a party and he just drank too much to remember it? Or did the Prince only know him from his reputation? Min wasn't used to being recognized by friendly faces. Recognition usually meant debtors or avengers, people looking for compensation for certain...actions taken while on a job.

"So," he said a smile, trying to move the conversation away from his ignorance, "who's our decomposing acrobat?"

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-23 22:11:19

"Since we met after my first dinosaur hunt. Ended up on your side of the city. Sold you a good pair of tusks."

"I honestly have no idea. He didn't introduce himself. And you are...?"

loliwarmech · 2014-06-23 22:58:27

Aha! So he is indeed royalty. Giving herself a quick dusting-off, Ba
gets up and walks towards the winner, huge gauntlets hanging off her
shoulder supports as if they were extra limbs. She gets herself there
with a bit of shouldering through the crowd. "Congratulations on the
win, sir," she says, trying not to give the jiangshi the time of day.

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-23 23:22:37

"I am called 'Er Gui', godling," the jiangshi said to the apparent prince and the Ox-Head, ignoring the dirty looks he was receiving from the Shi who had walked up to congratulate the godling, who was perhaps more popular than he would have expected. Then again, Beasts were notoriously sycophantic to the Gods. Gui thought he might have found it despicable if it weren't so pathetic.

"An adventure, is it?" he continued. "What manner of adventure might this be? A quest to slay a beast? A search for hidden knowledge? A means to annihilate some foul Demon? What grand journey do you plan to go on to become an adult, godling?"

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 00:13:59

"Thank you, ma'am." says Gu as he raises another cup in salute. "Please, drink with me. Are you not one of the the Shi of Jiapo, the Stone Lions?"

"Interested, are you?" Gu asks, turning to Er Gui.

"Well, if you would all have me, I have three roads to choose from. The first is to enter into the Galactic Games at Pearlsea, a competition to recognize and reward notable novice adventurers." he says as he places down a pamphlet advertising the very ame.

"The second is that I have a missive from the mortal nation of Wy-La, asking for the Dual Dominion of Diyu to help them retain their independence from the potential alliance of the neighboring states of Chair Palavel and Penglai."

"The third is another message from the bastion of Grey Keep, requesting volunteers in defense of the fortress against the Monster Well."

"What adventure shall we take?"

loliwarmech · 2014-06-24 01:04:57

"That I am, sir," Ba replies, taking a little bow. "The first option seems best. By the by, how should I address you?" She addresses ox-head and the pale man, giving Er Gui a half-hearted "Nice to meet you, too".

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 01:12:34

"Gu is fine. I am a king in title, but I have no throne. And besides, out here, I am a hero the same as you."

loliwarmech · 2014-06-24 01:47:57

"I see - I am Ba. Pleased to be of acquaintance." She resists the urge to roll her shoulders - carrying this huge equipment around is sometimes a bit of an annoyance.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 01:50:11

"Set your load down, friend! Drink with me, and drink heartily, for tomorrow we fly to adventure!"

loliwarmech · 2014-06-24 07:42:14

"Ah, I am not to leave my gauntlets unattended outside of home. Who knows if someone might use them for evil?" Ba sips on some ginger ale, feeling a little less weary.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 07:46:37

"As you wish. I just think it's going to be uncomfortable."

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-24 11:08:11

Min leaned on the table, fairly deep in thought (at least, as far as he's concerned).

He generally had a rule against getting involved in adventures. To be fair, they usually weren't directly detrimental to him. Usually, the warriors would take the brunt of any conflict and he'd just keep himself out of trouble and collect his paycheck. Easy work, good traveling companions, interesting bits of treasure -- practically a paid vacation. But, inevitably, it'd be less profitable than his day job by a fair margin. Anybody can be the thief for an adventuring party. Tracking skills like his are unique, and therefore more expensive.

Still, it is an adventure with the Prince of Diyu. And it's been a while since he's taken a proper vacation.

"Just take us to wherever the gold shines, Prince."

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 12:11:19

"Well, I believe that only the Galactic Games has an actual cash prize. The others...nothing is guaranteed."

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-24 13:37:45

"Well, our path is clear then."

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-24 20:36:15

"I do not much care where we go," Gui said. "If these compatriots of yours have chosen to participate in the Galactic Games, then who am I to argue?"

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-24 23:06:41

"It is settled, then! To Pearlsea we will go! Dry the cup, my compatriots!" says Gu, raising his full cup.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-25 03:42:30

You all wake up in various contorted positions the next morning, in the town square. Off in the distance, you hear the sounds of shouting and the crunch-crunch-crunch of running.

Gu went to sleep hugging a rocking horse. Ba and Min find themselves with handsome men and women on either arm. Er Gui was crucified, badly.

You all did something stupid last night, and now lots of people want your blood.

What do you do?

loliwarmech · 2014-06-25 04:07:31

"I... oh, by whiskers, what have I done..." Ba clutches her throbbing head, suddenly acutely aware of the ladies who are still out of it and rather happily latched onto her arms. She hurriedly wriggles out of their grip, blushing madly, and immediately equips her huge mechanical gauntlets. After some fumbling and a pssssch from the internals, they are on. Ba takes the time to prop up all the unconscious folks against benches and whatever is appropriate, and being not much of a runner, she decides to stand her ground... a little nervously.

"Guys, get up... I think we're in, uh, trouble."

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-25 04:30:46

Instinctively, Min shrugged off his assorted sleeping partners and went through his post-drunken-amnesia check. Limited injuries. No tattoos. Clothes still mostly on. Pockets still mostly filled (three coins and five ammunition lost). Hook sword still within arm's reach. Dragon pistol still in holster (though it looks like it had been fired a couple times). Far from the worst party aftermath that he's been a part of. Shame about the headache though.

"Oh, it's probably just an angry mob." he muttered as he lurched towards the town fountain. "Troublesome, yes, but we can make a run for it. Mobs can't do quick." He drank a bit of water from the fountain before splashing the rest over his face. "Grab the prince and the hopper and let's get out of here."

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-25 04:33:29

Gu's head jerked up. "Don't call me a prince!" he shouted, before letting his head fall back into the rocking horse.

Then his eyes opened, and he knew where he was. "Oh. Uh. Right. Let's go." Gu rises, patting the dust off his raiment.

loliwarmech · 2014-06-25 04:48:59

Ba huffs, after quickly checking all her things are in order. "I'm not touching the... zombie. One of you do that."

Yarrun XIX · 2014-06-25 05:01:17

Min scowled at Ba before prying Gui from the cross.

"Hey, acrobat! We don't have time for you to be lying around!"

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-25 20:39:08

Gui was not used to being unconscious. It was not something he did very often. He was, in particular, not used to waking up feeling...hung-over? It had been some time since this body would've felt that. What was that qi even from that could've done this?

Curtly, he nodded at the Ox-Head as it pried him from the shoddy cross someone had nailed him to. "Rest, Beast. I'm awake now," he said. "Where's the fire, anyway?" Then he heard the sounds of the approaching mob.

"Ah. Perhaps we should get going, then?"

CaptivePhantom · 2014-06-25 22:50:14

Gui looked around for a moment. In the distance, he could see what looks like every denizen of Wuji City coming to him. He knew his Aura could likely keep some of them away, but he doubted it would affect all of the mob, and with that many people, someone would certainly know how to permanently kill him. Running seemed like the best option.

It seemed unlikely that people would be coming at him from all directions. He raised one arm and with a rigid hand pointed in the direction opposite of where the mob was coming from, towards the east. "This way!" he shouted, before beginning to hop towards one of the parts of town littered with portals, where he knew a Gate to Pearlsea to be.

One of the widest and most well-kept stone roads in town, with massive torii, gopuram, and arches on either side of it, such that no one could leave the path other than to go through a gate. As one reached the far end of the road, towards the very edges of Wuji City, the gates started to become more haphazardly arranged, and some did not have any sort of structure to mark their place, merely existing as brutal rips in space.

While the majority of the road was well-kept by the Door Gods, the large amount of Gates on the road meant it was one of the most well-traveled roads in the city, and while it did not seem that there were any who wanted to kill him in that direction, many possible obstacles lie between him and the Gate to Pearlsea. Disgruntled Door Gods--Door Gods were always disgruntled--would certainly line the road, as well as stalls and carts set up by greedy people preying on the needs of travelers. Further, he did not recall if this particular Gate led to a very safe part of Pearlsea. Still, it seemed like a much better option than attempting to go through the mob to reach a nicer part of that town, and he could probably survive whatever troubles could plague them on the other side of this gate, anyway.

One-Winged Eagle · 2014-06-25 23:50:00

You race through the streets of Wuji, trying to get to the Pearlsea Gate. People are screaming obscenities at you. The luggage of porters and the wares of merchants are thrown to the ground by your passing. The mob trundles along, inching ever-closer.

But in your path is a very large cart, loaded with commemorative pottery figurines, remembering the Recreance, the last day of the Monster War in these parts. What do you do?

loliwarmech · 2014-06-26 00:38:37

Ba runs as fast as her legs can carry her, muttering her own little obscenities under her breath, driven by shame and a dash of fear. She's managing to keep up with Gui, Min and Gu so far, in spite of the extra weight of her equipment.

Ahead, a cart is (in)conveniently in the way - she lets out a yell, rushes ahead and shoves her massive gauntlets under it. With a mighty (albeit frustrated-sounding) roar, she scoops up and tosses the cart behind her, causing it to fly into the air and crash in a spectacular mess of wood, clay and glass.

[IC] Tavern Tales - If We Must Die, Let The Cosmos Live

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