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Vancho1 · 04-14-2020, 03:40 AM

The Restoration of Erihal

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A wise man once said, “A fair peace treaty leaves both sides unhappy.” This was true for the treaty that ended the sixty-year war between the Empire and the League. Both sides were spent and broken; the imperial coffers empty, the League on the verge of collapse. But peace was signed, and both sides walked away feeling like they had lost.

The Sublime Throne was deep in debt to its courtiers and satraps, and asked a heavy price from the League in exchange for peace – cash reparations, to be paid to the Imperial treasury. This would ensure that the satraps stayed in line, for if they made too many moves against the Imperial Line they would not see the money they lent returned. But in exchange, the Empire retreated, abandoned all disputed lands, and withdrew into internal politics.

The League of course was also nearly bankrupted, and they could ill-afford to pay reparations for long. One thing stood in their favor:

The land of Erihal was the first to fall to the advancing Imperial army. Its people resisted bravely, but in the attacks and counter-attacks of the war they were trampled in the struggle. And then, calamity. Nobody is sure what happened or who is to blame, but the greatest city of Erihal, the beautiful Arisha, was wiped off the map in an instant. Thousands dead, and its splendor reduced to rubble. Soon after, the other cities fell one by one, some to mundane means, others to the same terrible fire that consumed Arisha. Each side blamed the other – the Empire claimed it was a weapon that the League deployed in order to scorch the earth, while the League blamed the Imperial workshops for the destruction. Regardless, Erihal was ravaged, its cities destroyed and its people scattered to the wind. No part of the land was left untouched, and when the warring states finally retreated behind their borders, Erihal was left to the wilds.

In the peace, the League secured the exclusive right to resettle Erihal, and they were desperate to turn this in their favor. Each nation hopes that the riches and land of Erihal will help them pay the reparations and make a profit at the same time. A general amnesty has been declared for settlers, as well as generous land grants and settlement rights. Those who resettle the ruined land have their work cut out for them, but also new freedoms and opportunities to make new lives for themselves.

Cultures:

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Imperial – the Empire is a vast and bureaucratic entity ruled by the Imperial Line from the City of Glass, so-called for its beautiful stained-glass windows and glass-studded streets. It has expanded and conquered many cultures, and is generally tolerant of them so long as they pay taxes and homage to the Great Empire. The core Imperial culture itself is one of extreme filial piety and ancestor-worship. The family line is all, and a good head-of-family hopes one day to join the ranks of their exalted ancestors. The most noble, wise, and powerful of ancestors are deified as Heroes and worshipped throughout the realm, their cults having notable influence over imperial politics. The Imperial Line derives legitimacy through the Sacred Flame of the First Emperor, a holy site for the entire nation. It is said that the strength of the Sacred Flame reflects the First Emperor’s opinion of the current line. In the few times the Flame has been extinguished, the Empire entered a state of turmoil and civil war, with a new dynasty arising to relight the flame and claim the throne. It is rumored that the flame burns low for the current Line, a bad sign. Some Imperial veterans, rather than return to their homelands, have decided to stay behind in the League and join the resettlement rather than face the coming chaos at home.

Fenic – The people of Fen have always been raiders and traders, living off of the land routes between the Empire and the League, defending and plundering the caravans in turn. They are nominally a vassal of the Empire, but have always shown a great deal of independence. However, since the fall of Erihal, Fen has become impoverished and many suspect that they will soon request a greater deal of Imperial guidance and be integrated as a regular province. The Fenic people hope for a restoration of Erihal and a return to the way things were, and will aid the resettlement as best they can in order to further that goal.

Erihalese Refugee - Though much of Erihal was destroyed, some people managed to flee the conflict into the lands of the League before the great catastrophe that annihilated its major cities. The descendants of these refugees barely remember their homeland, but are the poster-children of the resettlement. Erihal was a polytheistic society that flourished due to their rich farmlands. They exported many cash crops and were a powerhouse of both land and sea trade. They were cosmopolitans and loved music, art, and culture. The world is poorer for their loss.

Signup:
Name: Who are you?
Description: How old are you? What do you look like? What is your personality?
Skills: What do you bring to the Resettlement?
Culture/Homeland: Where do you hail from, and what is your culture? See the example cultures above for guidance
History: Who were you before this?
Reason for joining the Resettlement: Why did you sign on?

Q&A:

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Nations of the League:

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MQuinny1234 · 04-25-2020, 11:25 PM

Name: Jow McJobbernowl

Description: 26. Tall, tanned, brunette, chisseled as shit and dumb as bricks. Jow is a scrawly talker, with an easy smirk and steady brown-eyed gaze. A bit of stubble over his face, kept barely at bay by casual shaves. A face that's taken a few blows in it's time but weathered them well. Jow is quick to act rather than think things through, and believes it's better to follow a decision to it's end and the choices made in the moment when your life is on the line are the ones that you learn the most from.

Skills: Jow is handy with firearms and pistols, good with horses and animals and tracking and surviving out in the untamed lands, a head for directions, a knack at patching up a wounded folk with both herbs and some healing hands he has a skill for, throwing hands and stomaching punches when needed and a good gut instinct he relies on to keep him outta trouble and who's worth trucking with or not.

Culture/Homeland: Jow is from the fenic badlands, a member of the Owl tribe of travellers that collected and those abandoned by other tribes to increase their numbers, with the logic that everyone's got a use if yah can just help them find it. They have a light tie to natural magic, but leave it mostly to a smaller percentage of their tribes to truck with that kinda thing and just keep the rest of them on the straight and narrow, and how to be respectful like to the land. They try to collect what they can from the land and wander around to trade between people and cultures.

History: Jow himself joined the tribe with his ma and pa when as a wee tot, his parents having had a disagreement with their past fellows in blood members to the Owl clan. He grew up pretty happy, but butted heads a lot with outsiders looking down on them, always quick to back up his words with violence. He's mellowed out a wee bit now, after he travelled with a rougher crowd for a bit outside his tribe, but he returned a little wiser about things and with a sharper edge and collection of skills he'd honed and learnt. Now he's looking for a way to help repay the tribe for taking in him and his parents, and to make sure they can survive the changing times that are a'coming.

Reason for joining the Resettlement: Jow has collected a branch of the tribe to head out and see if he can set up a new home for his adopted extended family, and cut out some clout and power for them and a new way to gather new members for the Owl tribe. For now they're looking for a chance to make a name for themselves and make their services as guards, trackers and traders known.

Theme: https://youtu.be/1McPiczNkGg

SupahKiven · 04-25-2020, 11:56 PM

Name: Hypatia Gaustelle

Description: Hypatia is in her mid 20s, and is built like a brick shithouse. Tall and muscular, Hypatia's rugged appearance is quick to betray her occupation. Her skin is dark, both from a naturally dark complexion and exposure to the sun, and she has long brown hair with a tinge of red, typically pulled back in a ponytail or braid of sorts. In terms of personality, Hypatia is as blunt as she looks. She doesn't like to mince words, and prefers to let her actions speak for her. Despite her cold nature, she dislikes being left to her own devices or being put out of her comfort zone, due to the straightforward nature of her upbringing. Hypatia struggles to think for herself at times. And her inner conflict between wanting to understand Erihal and wanting to build her home into something worth praising eats away at her, making her fear thinking too deeply.

Skills: Raised on a farm, Hypatia is skilled with most things agrarian. She knows crops, first and foremost: what kind of conditions and needs typical cash crops have, as well as how to take care of them and harvest them when the time comes. She also is skilled with more 'menial' work: maintaining and repairing tools and clothing, cooking basic meals out of typical ingredients, and minor pastoral work. She's also just buff as hell, and is more than able to help with shit that just needs a little muscle.

Culture/Homeland: Hypatia hails from Mynstera, a moderately sized state not extremely far away from the former border between Erihal and the League. Mynstera is filled with farmland, and serves to provide a good portion of produce to the League as a whole. During the war, Mynstera found itself stretched thin. With Erihalese refugees from one side and the wartime demands from the League from the other, Mynstera was forced into a precarious position. Its produce and manpower was moved out, while more and more people ravaged by the war came in. It was then that Mynstera's culture shifted, adapting to the sudden influx of people. Erihalese refugees mingled with Mynsteran citizens, and their culture swirled together, being neither Erihalese nor League based. The culture found its focus on farming, as it was common ground, and bloomed out from there. For now, as a whole, Mynstera is still finding itself, but it's main cultural focuses lay with hard work and flexible, flowing support webs for the towns of people who no longer know where they belong.

History: Daughter of an Erihalese refugee and a displaced Mynsteran farmer, Hypatia has always known life in the field. She had an affinity for raising plants, which only served to benefit her. She probably would have ended up out there either way. Hypatia's early life was not particularly exciting or interesting. She spent much of her time at her parents' sides, either helping around the house or playing out in the fields of the farm acquired a short while before her birth. Her mother, who hailed from Erihal often told her stories of the rolling farmland and the vibrant art and the beautiful music and the ocean and the sea and everything in between. And Hypatia clung to these stories, even as she grew old enough to work in the fields and head into town on her own for supplies and make the observation that nobody seemed happy except for when they were telling stories of a country wiped from the land.

In time, Hypatia grew older still. The stories of beautiful, wonderful Erihal became tinted gray as Hypatia continued to see that nobody seemed to be happy anymore. Stories of the beautiful, dead country were common things for Hypatia to listen to, and she began to wonder if anybody had ever been okay with being here at all. Even those not hailing from Erihal, like her father, sung this country's praises. But how and why was a country so majestic brought to its knees in the first place? And what was it like now? And why was she the only one that seemed content with the idea of building off of what they had now?

These feelings brewed in Hypatia for years, until fate intervened for her. News was brought into town, of the chance for resettlement of Erihal, for the need for people like them to make things livable in the long run. And for once, Hypatia was glad for the stories and words of those who wanted nothing more than to bring a dead country back to life. It meant that nobody, not even her parents, questioned her motives when she said she wanted to help.

Reason for joining the Resettlement: Her whole life, Hypatia has been sung the praises of Erihal and its successes. She struggles to reconcile the image portrayed to her with the general satisfaction she has now. Is such a fallen country really better than building what they have now? Hypatia wants to head to the ruins of Erihal, see the results of the war for herself, and decide for herself whether Erihal deserves to regain its praises, or whether her home should be built into something praiseworthy instead.

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Demonsul · 04-26-2020, 12:25 AM

Name: Duril Agrenalder

Description: Middle-aged, balding and slightly pot-bellied, Duril is not what you'd call a looker by any stretch of the imagination. He wears small circular spectacles at all times, and can barely see without them.

Skills: Duril knows a fair bit about medicine and mechanics from his education, as well as a good deal of knowledge about the former cities of Erihal from his decade on a wartime research team. These are far more practical skills than his main focus; magical research. Erihal had the world's greatest knowledge of magic, and its loss was a blow to the world. Some say its capital was even destroyed with magic. Duril wants to recover those lost secrets, learn and record the lost arcane arts of Erihal, and find out the truth.

Culture/Homeland: Duril comes from Kelthurios, a smaller state of the League. It consists of a single large city placed amidst some mountains supported by verdant agrarian valleys and small townships. Kelthurios is hardly an economic or military heavy-hitter within the League. However, it is famed for its mountaintop observatories, as well as the scholarly libraries and educational institutions that grew around them. About a hundred years ago, this amalgamated into the Kelthurios University, an organization dedicated to expanding, spreading and preserving the knowledge base of all mankind. The city has a hardworking communal culture, though the long years of the war and the duty that was placed on its shoulders to copy imperial technology and send soldiers to the battlefield has worn away some of the kinder and more tolerant parts of the city's cultural fabric. The University tried to resist having its character changed by the war, but as the years of the conflict dragged on, it took on an aggressive air, trying to seize and compile the most useful knowledge from the world over to aid the League.

History: Duril is a scholar of magic first and foremost, though his education in Kelthurios was polytechnic, as is usually the case for high-achieving Kelthurian alums. He was spared military service due to his chronic short-sightedness, and thus did not serve directly in the Sixty-Year War. Instead, after graduating, he was put onto a lesser-staffed research team dedicated to trying to understand what had caused the Desolation of Arisha. Due to not having served closer to the fighting, he was viewed with a degree of shame - not so far as to be ostracized, but enough that he never had many friends outside of his research buddies. Ten years of research turned up little but false leads, funding shortages and wasted time, what with Arisha being well out of reach for practical study. Over that time, the mission gradually shifted from specifically focusing on Arisha, to investigating any signs of supernatural prowess and destruction being employed by the accursed Imperials.

With the war now over, the urgency went out of his mission, as it wasn't like the Imperials were going to recreate the effect and wipe out more cities any time soon. Duril was moved off of the team, and was instead put on his current mission; knowledge recovery, and the reclamation of whatever secrets can be reclaimed. With his years of in-depth study of texts and maps referencing Erihal's cities, he's well-suited to go and explore the sites in person, despite his lack of physical fitness.

Reason for joining the Resettlement: Erihal knew more about magic than any other state of the league. Admittedly, that isn't thought to be too much, but Duril isn't about to let that knowledge go to waste. He's been backed by Kelthurios University, who provided some financial support to the expedition in exchange for his research being a part of the mission.

Protoman · 04-26-2020, 12:40 AM

Name: Kamile Kazor!
Description: 22!
Skills: A youthful trader! She's good at judging the worth of an item at a glance, diplomacy, and knows trade routes real well. She also knows the workings of a ship fairly well, knows how to ride a horse, knows how to read the winds, and knows her way around a sword and a spear (though she's certainly no veteran in any of these things).
Culture/Homeland: Mistcrest, a tiny port town in the league which exists under the banner of the Thrannite Trade League, a union of cities which govern much of the sea-trade of the region. Mistcrest itself is known mostly as a stopping spot for ships to restock, and a place to pick up unprocessed wool.
History: Kamile was born the only child of a shipwright mother and shopkeep father in the sleepy town of Mistcrest. Her childhood was spent listening to sailor's tales and staring out at the horizon, dreaming of the great big beyond. For years, she yearned to be like the wind: untamed and unbound, able to drift as she pleased and see the world.

Of course, that's not something a child can just do. And so she waited, and waited, and waited. As she grew older, her father let her help with the shop. She enjoyed a good deal of agency in her deal-making, and while she haggled prices up for those she knew could afford it, she took much more delight in letting it drop for those who couldn't. Seeing people's needs met in a fair and equitable manner was something she found a good deal of pleasure in, and her heart sang with every smiling face that came through her door.

Once she came of age, she was ready to set out! Or rather, she would have been, but her parents (being a fair bit more world weary than their headstrong daughter) asked her to wait for a decent opportunity - a lone merchant in a strange world would not get far. She accepted their pleas, but swore to jump at the first chance she got: the resettlement of Erihal! Now it's time for her to show the world just what she can do, and to see as much of it as she can!

Reason for joining the Resettlement: To see the world and to help those in need of a good deal!

Theme: https://youtu.be/mpgpr2mww24

CSJ · 04-27-2020, 09:29 PM

Name: Yahc Dr 'Jack' Kenal Brenbrest

Description: Entering his mid 30s, Dr J K Brenbrest is a rather lithe and bookish fellow and generally seen ensconced in a pile of theses, skulking about in various academic establishments or (most rarely) actually conducting fieldwork in his area of reputed expertise. Loves dressing up whenever he has an excuse but tends to be unkempt otherwise.

Skills: Apart from handiness with his air rifle and a vague ability to navigate day-to-day activities, Jack possesses Doctorates in 'Natural Philosophy' and 'Archaeology', though he refers to his informal pursuit of 'Parascientific Studies' more frequently. He can read and write in some of the languages of Erihal but with limited proficiency. While not physically gifted, he is agile and perceptive enough to generally avoid trouble before it can trouble him.

He also owns a well-trained white wolfdog called Glaski that is far cuter (and arguably more useful) than he is.

Culture/Homeland: While nominally Erihalese, there is a rather Imperial character about him and he tends to be rather patronising of his 'kin'. Some of his ancestors migrated to the larger cities in the Empire territory before the cataclysm happened and used their family wealth to fund (and run) an island colony for refugee families in the Refic Ocean. The Dinmori Isle Reservation had mixed results and Jack's parents moved back to the mainland before he was born, though he has since visited relatives there which helped inspire his interest and pursuit of the non-mundane.

History: Spending most of his life in the Empire, Jack's childhood was mostly uneventful apart from the boarding school, bullying and boredom that ensued. He performed academically enough to receive a scholarship and embark on a life of theorems, facts and reviewing research applications. Jack's fancier qualifications have been mostly wasted since he's employed mostly as a lecturer on mundane biology. His interests in the Unnatural and the Unknown has seen him travel across the known world in his down-time, though with more disappointment than discovery thus far.

Reason for joining the Resettlement: Eager to explore the 'ancient savagery' of his forebears, excavate abandoned sites and investigate the various theories surrounding the Erihalese Collapse, Dr Brenbrest managed to talk his way onto a boat bound for the League and into an expedition looking for a guide and expert on Erihalese ruins - presumably for looting purposes. While he does have some useful traits for both roles, he's struggling to conceal that he's just a massive nerd and way over his head.

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Pharmacy · 04-28-2020, 02:54 AM

Name: Leah Bigmane Panthera

Description: Late 30's-early 40's. She/he pronouns. Leah’s eyes are gold and Her hair is bushy and long, giving her a sun-like aura to her countenance. Personality-wise, she is sunny as she appears, which is a direct opposite of what Mau are assumed to be. She wears pragmatically, favoring linens and leathers.

Skills: Charisma – Her biggest, best quality. Leah just gives off a Friend energy and its extremely difficult to genuinely hate her. She also knows what words to say and it always seems to be the right ones.

Naturalist – Leah studies plants and animals. Animals are okay (she likes to raise small animals) but Leah really loves plants. She is sad she cannot eat a good majority of plants (fun fact: chocolate is poisonous to Mau).

Moderately Athletic – Leah is a total nerd but it is always surprising when she can do backflips and outrun a bull.

Culture/Homeland: Leah is a League citizen. She is also a giant cat person.

Mau are a species of humanoids with various degrees of feline features. Mau used to be from Mau-Aaru region, the river delta that connects the Lutis River to the Bakin Seas. Most (well-off) Mau fled the region to the League during the war – as the delta was economically valuable (fertile grounds, good natural gate). Now, that region is absolutely wrecked. If there is any Mau still remaining there, they are scattered remnants rather than true settlements.

Mau value independence, trust, and a masterful control over emotions, which granted them an uncalled-for reputation of aloofness and perceived maliciousness. While much Mau culture has been lost in the war and the assimilation into the League, water motifs are still predominant in their surviving folklore/myths. They also love various shades of blue and green.

History: Leah was born to moderately successful scholars in Lutispolis, the (former) most populous city in the Mau-Aaru region, as the Erihal was entrenched in war.

When the war consumed Mau-Aaru, her parents fled to Mer-Dazur, a harbor city in the League, next to the Rafic Sea.

From her early life, her parents still instilled Leah with a love of knowledge. The love for knowledge was basically how they fostered hope. Things can be broken or destroyed. However, with knowledge, you can bring things back again. They also told stories about their former homeland, but never much because of the traumatic memories. This only served to instill Leah with a healthy curiosity.

Leah followed her parent's footsteps and finished her education at the prestigious Kelthurios University.

When the war ended and the League opened Erihal to resettlement, Leah grasped at that opportunity (it also helped that she disliked her job as an assistant to some big-name League scholar). Sure, Erihal was all ash and salt. Leah had no illusions. Life in the ruined country was going to be harsh and she might miss the comforts of society. However, she has no regrets because --

Reason for joining the Resettlement: –she felt a moral obligation to do so. Many nights, she wondered about what happened to those left behind, whether out of stubbornness or bad luck. What happened to the Mau? What happened to the other Erihalese lost in the open?

ProfessorLizzard · 05-02-2020, 10:54 AM

Name: Klyalson Gyerbert

Description: 40 years old. A short man with a really awful beard, and a furtive expression. Thin, but has strong legs for running away. Always ready for the next big thing, and always ready for anyone suddenly swooping in an demand their money back submit baseless complaints. If any of his ventures fail, it is due to outside Acts Of God, and not at all due to his own shortcomings. His clothes are rather drab and grey because it is easier to run away this way he is a man of the people.

Skills: The builder won't feed themselves until we have farms set up! Someone needs to supply them delicious food, at a low, affordable price.

Culture/Homeland: From the southern shores the league, in the dogedom of Klorty. Klorty is mainly known for being a breadbasket of fish, and pasta that stays technically edible for a long time. Their exports also include precious teal marble, and strange bones which might be the renmants of sea dragons. The national instrument is the Mournful Flute, known for its deep sound, but the Sailor's Bagpipe is also popular nowadays, as it is said that it wards of sea monsters. Costumed festivals are also very popular, to announce the coming of winter. Everyone wears grey, black and white costumes. The Sea Doge rules the country, elected from the most prominent sea captains, and rules for ten years, before retiring. There is magic in the sea, and there are research ships anchoring above big magical hot spots, trying to somehow extract magic from the seabed.

History: Gyerbert, a way too ambitious person, in an attempt to try and one up his brother's business, bought a fish shop. He bought the finest fish from the shipwrights, and dyed them in bright colours, selling them as luxurious fish. When that failed due people realizing the dye was more expensive than the fish, he changed his business selling copper, thinking he got a good deal over his supplier (he didn't, the copper was low quality). He also tried out this "extract magic from the ocean" business, but all he got was mud. Then he tried his hand at offering trips to Magical Paradise Islands, but sadly the sets and costumes were too shabby, so most people refused to pay. With such sadness, he turned to his last resort: sell noodles based on his mother's noodle recipe. It was cheap. It was average. But... it was a hit. For the first time, he was getting profit, AND respect! Clearly he should have settled in. But no. He planned to upscale his operations... and feed the rebuilding...

Reason for joining the Resettlement: A new opportunity for an unjustly maligned, recently redeemed legitimate businessman!

Vancho1 · 05-02-2020, 06:56 PM

Get your characters in! Signups close MONDAY FRIDAY

Vancho1 · 05-09-2020, 03:28 PM

All right! Signups are closed! While I work on some things behind the scenes, all players should discuss where in Erihal they'd like the caravan to go. This will affect where in the League you leave from, as well as ~secrets~

Vancho1 · 05-11-2020, 03:56 PM

Part One:

“And they set off for the blood-soaked land that waited for them. And they went without fear, for they had hope in their hearts…”

The seven arrived, all from different parts of the League (and some even from beyond), converging on one of the centers of the resettlement – Sylenna, Lyssea’s largest port on the Badin Sea. The city’s cobblestoned streets were bustling with activity, with banners up all over celebrating the hard-fought victory over the Empire. And the resettlement was on everyone’s lips. Merchants hawked supplies to would-be settlers, criers offered good pay and land in exchange for indentures to those too poor to pay their way out into the wilds, and mercenaries offered their services as protection.

They did not know each other, and yet somehow they found themselves standing together in front of a hastily set-up desk in the Royal Armory, staring at a small painted sign that said “Albert Redwyne, Resettlement Commissioner”. A rotund man with a big and bushy mustache sat behind the desk, pulling a sheet from a stack of papers and writing carefully.

“Registering a caravan? I’ll need your names, professions, and settlement destination so I can write up your claim. And a leader, of course.”

He squinted at the group in the dimly-lit room, counting them on his fingers.

“And hrm, seven’s not enough for a proper caravan. Well, you can always enlist more, there’s no shortage of layabouts near the supply warehouses. Too lazy to form a caravan themselves, hmph! Just looking to latch onto the success of others.”

The Commissioner pulled another paper from his stack, squinted at it, and signed and sealed it.

“You’re a lucky bunch, the Queen’s offering inducements for new settlers. Supplies, paid for by the crown. This will get you what you need at the warehouses when you’re done here. Armory's stuffed full of all sorts of goods.”

MQuinny1234 · 05-12-2020, 02:25 AM

"Hrrrrrrrgh-ptuh!" Came the sound of Jow McJobbernowl clearing his throat before stepping forward and snatching the paper from the Commissioner's hand with a wink. "Thanks kindly sir." He drawled, looking it over slowly, and giving a lazy thumbs-up to the rest of the gathered throng to show he was taking care of this yeps, no worries. "I'll lead this lot to the armoury and gather these answers for you sweetly aye? You got your letters to deal with and not needing a band of vagabonds and explorers taking up space in your fine quarters mmhmm, let Jow McJobbernowl take care of this lot." He snatched up a pen too for good measure, twirling it about his fingers and slamming the paper down on the desk with his hand, so it was facing everyone else as he knelt down on their side of the work surface.

"You just mind your own worries sir, I'll just lay claim to this little patch of wood for a toot aight thanks gov Aight who's first come on quickly lickity splick with your names and jobs yep?" He asked, filling in his own name and role of explorer & hunter & troubleshooter in enthusiastic but maybe not the cleanest scrawly squiggly handwriting and ready to note down the rest too.

Demonsul · 05-12-2020, 03:44 AM

As Jow grabbed the paper and started doing horrible things to that poor pen, Duril winced and turned to the commissioner. "Duril Agrenalder," he said, then started and abruptly bobbed his head in wobbly respect. "You recieved the advance letter from Kelthurios, yes? The University's funding for this expedition? I just want to make sure that was all recieved and properly accounted for?" He wrung his hands.

MQuinny1234 · 05-12-2020, 03:56 AM

"That with an W in it?" Muttered Jow, writing down the name and squinting at it. "Nah, that looks wrong." Squibbling out Agwrenalder.

He shot Duril a look, then wrote 'Proffeessor' down next to the name.

Pharmacy · 05-12-2020, 06:27 AM

A burly, lion-like humanoid comes in. "'Ello there!" She spoke, a posh and chipper accent. "Name's Leah Bigmane Panthera! I'm a botanist, zoologist, and all around naturalist!"

Protoman · 05-12-2020, 08:48 AM

A bright-eyed, dark-skinned, sunny-haired young woman steps up to the plate, pushing her way past the BORING OLD PROFESSOR (but maybe like, gentle-like, don't wanna bruise the old man or anything) up next to this weird lion lady!

"Kamile Kazor, merchant extraordinaire, at your service! Show me some stars that need reading and I'll give you a story so nice it rocks you to sleep! Show me some goods and I'll have a fair price in ten seconds flat! Show me a trail, and I'll be down it! If you need goods exchanged equitably, I'm your girl!"

She stands there, fists lumped on her hips, grinning wide. Hell yeah. She's got this.

MQuinny1234 · 05-12-2020, 09:54 AM

Jow nodded cheerfully to himself at LeeA Bigmane Panthera, good name, easy to write down. Bowtanist and Zooolodgeist were trickier but he gave them an ambitious attempt. Kamile Kazor took some hesitation, as he replaced the Cs with Ks. Merchant was good, and explorer too. "Good, merchants, need that we do. Someone'll to handle the money and cargo and funds. Plant and animal buff'll be helpful, know where to settle, what to eat." He continued mumbling, thinking about roles.

ProfessorLizzard · 05-12-2020, 10:48 AM

A despondent fellow raised his hand "Klyalson Gyerbert, here" he said with apprehension, with impending dread with regards to the fate of the letter GY at the hands of this burly man. "You probably have not heard of me" he asks, in a strange, hopeful way. "My job will be setting up supply routes, I would say, until we can support ourselves? I hope you will enjoy my nutritious, delightful, long lasting, and above all, edible noodles."

SupahKiven · 05-12-2020, 02:33 PM

Hypatia spends a moment in the back of the group, just looking over the motley crew assembled before her. These were the kind of people that were sending themselves out on a trip like this? Good fuck, she stuck out like a sore thumb. She took a moment to compose herself, swallowing thickly, before plodding up to the desk, a scowl painting her face.

"Name's Hypatia Gaustelle." Hypatia said, choosing still to remain in the back of the group. "'m a farmer. That's all."

CSJ · 05-12-2020, 02:38 PM

"Dr J.K Brenbrest, scientist, archaeologist and Erihalese guide, at your service!" spoke the rather out-of-place looking lanky fellow at the back with a crevat poking ceremoniously out of his waistcoat.

"I don't suppose we have some means of deciding the leader of this expedition? A game of boules? Chess? Marksmanship?"

A wolf of a dog next to him panted loudly, occasionally sniffing the air and looking around curiously, mainly in Klyalson's direction.

MQuinny1234 · 05-12-2020, 03:29 PM

The pen stopped scratching. Jow put the end of it in his mouth, and chewed, a flicker of consternation in his eyes, but he kept his gaze focused on the sheet.

Slowly, very slowly, he spelling out the name 'K y al son... G ya r bert', leaving half spaces between some of the letters in case he needed to fix that. Like, close enough together that maybe he could cram some more letters in if needed. Noodles were another mystery, so he just wrote down 'food guy'.

A bead of sweat ran down his brow as he wrote out 'Highpaytia Gaussteel', quickly picking up speed with 'farmer', that was an easy one.

Last one, alright. 'Doctor JayKey Breanbreast'. The pen hovered above the paper, tapped a few dots out, then wrote down 'Guide/Scholar'. That'd do.

"Alright, that's done neatly up." He said, standing up and looking about at the people anew, then immediately kneeling down again to pet the ohsuchagodboy doggiedoggiebigpuppy, yesyouareyesyouare and standing again.

"Well who's got some experience leading people then? And who gives a shit about getting some more of the credit then? Take it you're up for it Doc if you're asking, and you kid, Kamile?, it'd help get your name out there for business, I'd give it a go if we be needing one, but so long as we treat each other right and make and follow decisions correctly in the heat of it, anyone can do it, yeah?"

Vancho1 · 05-12-2020, 03:36 PM

The commissioner was quite taken aback by the grubby-looking nomad grabbing the papers from his hands. He recoiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe his forhead. Addressing Duril, he said,

"Ah, letter, letter, let me see, must be somewhere around here..."

And rummaged some more on his desk. Finding it, he held it up triumphantly before pulling back, eyeing Jow and making sure to keep it out of his reach.

"Mister... Agrenalder, yes. Says here that, oh dear, banking, provide resources and money, hm hm."

He wipes his forehead again.

"Unfortunately, coin is rather short in the city's banks. Blasted imperials taking all our silver. Well, we'll show them when we resettle, right? Regardless, I can't exactly give you any cash, so what I'll do is write a promissory note from the city treasury and the University can pay us back."

Redwyne seemed to have a paper for everything, because before Duril knew it, he'd been handed a tightly written rectangle of paper promising the bearer a large sum, in the name of the Sylennan Royal Treasury.

"That should get you any 'specialist equipment', as the letter promises. Oh, and if you need extra goods from the storehouses, please let the quartermaster know and we'll take it from your university funding."

Satisfied that he'd handled that matter, he turned to the rest of the motley vagabonds.

"Ah, good, thank you for the introductions, but once you choose a leader I'll need that back," he says, glaring at Jow. "Need a record on paper to register your claim so that you don't clash inadvertedly with other settlers."

Demonsul · 05-12-2020, 03:45 PM

After being shoved away from the Commissioner by Kamile, Duril took a second to lean against the wall and straighten his spectacles. "Excuse me- Uh, if you don't mind-" he said, repeatedly, being drowed out by the role call. As he was handed the slip of paper, he looked a little downcast, frowning to himself and hunching as he turned it over in his hands.

Though suddenly, looking over the group, he perked up. "Another man of knowledge?" he said, finding himself and approaching the good doctor. Though for some reason Brenbrest carried himself like a reprehensible Imperial, he was still the only other scholarly fellow here, and that was far safer ground for poor Duril than all these rough-and-tumble types. "Did I hear that right? Doctor Brenbrest?" He held out a hand to shake. "Ah, Duril Agrenalder, from Kelthurios. Might I ask where you studied?"

Protoman · 05-12-2020, 07:29 PM

Kamile’s cheeks puff up indignantly at Jow’s nickname for her.

“I’m twenty two, I’ll have you know! Call me a kid at your own hazard - I will unleash the full power of mercantile force onto you! Never again will you buy some eggs without haggling for an hour over the fair price, mister! I may not be a big tall gunslinger, but don’t underestimate your local traders and shopkeeps!”

CSJ · 05-12-2020, 11:38 PM

Jack shook the man's hand politely, though he was rather hesitant to address the inquiry. "Oh, I've studied in a number of places. Even been on a few expeditions across the seas! I do like to be out and about sometimes. It must be the Erihalese in me! Why, my mother used to comment on how I was the spitting image of my late father, who she tragically lost contact with as she fled the destruction two score ago, with me in her arms! What a time that must have been, I say! I do wonder what it will be like to be 'home', after all these years."

Glaski meanwhile, continued to sniff at Kyalson, having presumably caught some sort of scent.