Playing in the Sandbox

The land of Chiheisen is a land symbolized by extreme heat, ever-present conflict, and endless danger, but most of all, sand. Just tons and tons of it, like some sandbox of the gods that stretches all the way to the horizon.

In the city of Kabikyo, nestled at the convergence of three rivers, ruled by Daimyo Gyan Togaru (a dragonborn of black and sand-colored scale with almost as many battles under his belt as years of life), it is almost possible to forget this looking up as the cherry blossom petals waft down on the breeze blowing past the towering wooden castle up on the hill near the river Inochi. For today is the autumnal festival, everywhere one looks there is festivity or activity of one sort or another. In the streets packs of children play with and chase around their half-trained pet raptors of all variation and color, while entertainers of all sorts from dancers, fire jugglers, to illusionist ply their trade to music played on all sorts of strings and drums, and people enjoy all sorts of food, local and foreign, or drink sake on their porches, steps, and even in competitions in the bars.

And that's just the tip of the ice-berg (not that anyone here would know one if it walked up and hit them over the head like an assassin finding his target in a dark alley). Foreign merchants are selling their wares, while local ones being the wiser have closed up shop to enjoy the festivities and not be a target for the havoc of thieves, rampaging children, and their half-trained pet raptors who instead seek entertainment elsewhere, competing playfully for the nourishment of a meal too big for all of them found in an unexpected place. A man asking for help finding his daughter is nearly drowned out by the loud calling out for any brave souls to enter and test their skills for prestige and rewards as the various martial arts schools of the city have formed a competition, meanwhile merchants and explorers both seek brave souls to join them in their travels in the coming days, and a hundred other distractions and activities abound.

Cyrtanthus loved times like this, where she could just cut loose and HAVE FUN! With her fire magic and not worry about money troubles for the day. So the little pixie was just having the time of her life while doing a lovely little fire dance/juggling tricks that where sure to wow and amaze the crowds, the little fey does what she can to make sure to NOT harm anyone with her fire, but still she's not perfict with them, so anyone not totally careful could get minor burns if they don't keep theri distance.

Thriss descended down the stairs from the living quarters above his shop. He was intent on opening the shop due to the autumn festival drawing in many people from out of town. And new people means better business. Thriss blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes but while the sleep disappeared, something else appeared. A figure stepped through the shadows in the shaded store.

'A burglar.' Thriss thought as he lowered himself against the stairs to keep out of sight. Whoever it was, he or she would rue the day they stepped into his store during closing time. Thriss was about to jump down from the stairs when the light suddenly was flicked on and the shadow revealed himself.

"Uncle Istvan?"

Istvan, or Uncle Istvan as he is know around this parts, was the previous owner of the store, Thriss' friend and more importantly, his mentor in the way of artifice.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out there enjoying the festival?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Uncle Istvan said as he picked up a small statue from the counter. "You've been cooped here for far too long with only your books and your artifacts. How about you go out and enjoy yourself?"

Thriss started to stutter. "B-but the store..."

Uncle Istvan smiled in the way an elderly grandfather smiled to his favorite grandchild. "I'll watch over the store today. Go on, you know you earned some time off."

Seeing how the decision was made for him and, honestly, he should relax once in a while, Thriss grabbed his bag from behind the counter and walked towards the front door.

"Well, bye I guess. I'll see if I can bring something back for you."

"Don't forget to have fun. And here," said Uncle Istvan as he threw the statue to Thriss, "take it with you. You never know when a bit of luck might come in handy."

Thriss grabbed the statue, placed it carefully in his bag and simply nodded. He walked outside and, nearly getting blinded by the sun, looked around to see where the festivities were. It wasn't before long until he stumbled onto a market place filled with all kinds of people. Some he recognized as costumers from the shop but most were strangers to the eye. Alas, his thoughts were interrupted by a slight rumbling coming from his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since midnight and while he didn't need much, he still had to eat something. Spotting something that looked like a food vendor across the market place, Thriss started to make his way over there, barely avoiding getting singed by a pixie juggling fire...

(OOC: Normally I'd just wait for somebody else to post... But the more I think I about it... With Thriss being a Thri-Kreen and all, makes me feel that I should post sooner rather then later.)

Nearly singeing somebody was one of the many dancing signs that Cyrta looks out for to tell herself when she's been dancing a bit to long... But that combinded with the fact that she nearly had harmed a Thri-Kreen of all things, made the little pixie quickly end her dance by firing up her three juggling fireballs up high into the air and explode like fireworks... But more artful and a bit more FIRE in the explosion. After all of that, the pixie flew off to apogize to the artificer asap.

Alma serenely strode through the crowd. If he were here, her father would have probably remarked about the need for them to remain separate from the common folk, but she would have ignored him anyway. She watched the performers as she passed by, smiled at the children enjoying their young lives, and genuinely enjoyed the good mood of the celebration.

As she neared a performer, a fire-wielding pixie, she perked up at the scent of festival food wafting nearby. The delicious smells mixed and permeated her senses, making her mouth water (quite the reaction from a Watersoul), and she decided it was time for a snack. She followed her nose to the heavenly scent's source, a popular market stall brimming with customers. She took her place in line, hoping to sample whatever it was that had drawn so many customers. While waiting, she let her hood down, allowing the sun to warm her skin.

It was such a nice day.

---

Skaimos packed the last of his bags, then hoisted them onto his back. He took another look at his clothes: a bit rougher than he was used to, but apparently durable for long journeys into the desert. He walked to the doorway of his house, where his father and mother were waiting for him.

"And so the prodigal son leaves to find his fortune." Kairos laughed. "So, Skaimos-kun, are you prepared for what awaits you out there in the wilds?"

"No, but I'm going anyway," Skaimos replied with a grin. "Thank you for allowing me to follow through with this, Father-san. I know you want me to follow in the family business, but I'd like to see what I can do on my own first."

"It is the nature of the young to go out and explore, and it is not my place to stop you. I myself built up my business with my own two hands. Perhaps in a year or so, you might be able to buy me out." Kairos laughed. "But allow me to be serious for a moment, Skaimos-kun. I have only a few small requests of you. One, that you do your best to bring honor to the Terai name. Try to maintain upright character in all your actions...within reason, of course." Kairos winked. "Two, stay away from the slave trade. There may be profit in it, yes, but there are some things that you are better off not involving yourself with. Third, do your best to avoid excessive debt. It can be a chain heavier than any iron. Fourth, treat your comrades with respect. I know that with you, there is making friends and... making friends, but believe me when I tell you that in most things, the authentic product is more valuable than an artificial copy. Finally...be sure to visit your poor old parents from time to time, yes?"

"I shall do my best, Father-san." Skaimos bowed, then turned to his mother. "...Goodbye, Mother-san. Don't worry about me, I can survive on my own."

"Survival is not what I'm worried about, Skaimos-kun," Delenn said with a sad smile. "I know you have the intelligence and drive to do whatever you want in life. But if you are willing to hear requests, I have a few of my own. One, do not neglect the helpless. You may have your...opinions about who is more valuable than whom, but in the harshness of the desert, even a small bit of shade may be a blessing. Two, try to avoid viewing people as tools. While you may be tempted to set "plans" in motion, be mindful of the lives and livelihoods that you may touch with your decisions. Finally, let not revenge drive your actions. There may be those who wrong you, but wronging them in return does not restore balance; it only tears the gash deeper."

"...I will try, Mother-san." Skaimos gave both his parents a big hug. "Well, I must be off. Those riches won't get themselves. Farewell!" He started to head down into the autumn festival, looking back one last time to see his parents waving back at him. Kairos had a proud grin, while Delenn's smile still had a touch of sadness to it.
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Skaimos walked through the stalls with a large grin on his face. This festival was perfect for him. All these merchants from so many varied places all throughout Chiheisen, gathered in one place. This would make research much easier for him. He wondered if there were any merchants bored enough to engage him in conversation without requiring him to buy something first.

He glanced over as a fire-wielding pixie almost singed a Thrii-Kreen and flew over to apologize. He then turned his attention back to the stalls. The marketplace was almost his dream in miniature: being able to know what each place felt was valuable and what was cheap, and use that knowledge to make a profit. In fact...

An idea crept into his head. He had a good deal of money that his father had given him for "start-up capital or souvenirs", but perhaps he could make some money right now. Suppose he tried bartering with goods instead of haggling over price. Some fresh fish may be bought for cheap, but to a merchant from Goutanbaru or Lokishi, it would seem to be worth much more. Granted, there was a problem with proximity; at any time, a merchant could realize he could just leave his own stall and buy it at a nearby one for less than what Skaimos would barter for it. But if the merchants were busy enough, and he played his cards right, he might be able to make a few coins. Besides, it would be good practice, and a fun way to spend the afternoon.

He hurried along through the different merchants, trying to find out what their cities valued (for long-term trading), and what the merchants themselves valued (for the afternoon "game").

---

OOC: Demonu, I thought in your backstory, you said Thrii-Kreen don't sleep. Oh well.

edit: Rolling for Streetwise...2+5(trained)+3(Chr)=10. Meh.

"OH.... I'msoveryveryveryveryveryveryveryvery.... Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry... <Ue-Dono!>* Pleaseforgiveme..." Cyrtanthus the Pixie said extreamly sorry, and on relex spoke to The Thri-Kreen as if he was a member of the Ack'cha Family.

(OOC: Posting because I felt like getting this out before heading to bed of my Pixie greeting Thirss... *-spoken in Thri-Kreen, after all given the Pixie's backstory it'd make sense for her to both be able to speak Thri-Kreen to some very limited degree, and of course she can fully understand that langure 100%. Also Royal = Noble with the honorfic's right? Edit: Ah, thanks for the OOC help Rumsas. :3 )

Skaimos finds out a bunch of trading values.....that he is damn sure are all a pack of lies, overcharging, and otherwise attempts to mislead him. He figures out that the other merchants figured out what he was up to by the questions he asked and his manner, so at least he wasn't fooled by the misinformation but, he didn't really gain any usable knowledge.

((I'll give some notes on how to use the honorifics in the setting in the OOC thread.))

---

Skaimos sighed in exasperation. He realized his manner had been too obvious, and that merchants would be unlikely to give valuable trading information to some greenhorn off the street. But a minotaur telling him that his kind valued igneous rock (which he'd be glad to sell to him cheap, one merchant to another)? That was just insulting his intelligence. Still, at least he hadn't been suckered into anything.

He picked up an alluring scent while he was heading back the way he came. His stomach growled; he figured that it was time for lunch. He saw a line standing in front of one stall in particular. The line covered the whole gambit: a few Thri-Kreen, a minotaur, a Watersoul, some dragonborn, and even a drow. Skaimos went to the back of the line and waited for his chance to buy whatever the food merchant was selling.

---

Arcantos enters the first round of the tournament and almost immediately a little changeling girl, who couldn't be more than 12, joined him in the arena. She brushed a petal off of the shoulder of her aldehyde-tanned leather (white) armor and unstrapped a flamberge from her back. She said nothing, just staring at Arcantos, waiting for him to make the first move.

It was hard for Arcantos to glean much of anything of her combat style as she was just standing there. She was standing correctly as far as he could tell, not that little girls with huge swords was something he had a lot of experience with. While she did look tougher than a girl her age, she still didn't look like she had the muscles to wield a weapon of that size, on the other hand, she clearly was and with not a hint of effort. He also managed to spot a slight shimmer in the air around her. ((Arcana: 11.)) It was clearly a magical effect of some kind but, further details eluded him.

Realizing they were both waiting on the other, the girl got impatient and suddenly threw her sword at him. It was a good thing he hadn't blinked as Arcantos barely dodged out of the way in time to avoid being skewered, only getting a painful slice across the ribs.

The girl saw what Arcantos was up to and smirked. She made a circular motion with her hand and the blade sprung up into the air and seemed to explode in a flash of light and noise, temporarily blinding and deafening Arcantos as well as pushing him a few feet away, almost knocking him off his feet.

((I was going to mention if you talked to the NPCs, the magic they're using is just to heal wounds after the fights, not prevent damage. The blinded/deafened effect is save ends. For those that don't know what this means, it means at the end of your turn you make a (usually) unmodified d20 roll and if you roll 10 or higher the effect ends, otherwise it persists.))

"Yeah, soooo cowardly to use magic that blinds people trying to throw my weapon out of the arena huh?" The girl scoffs before intentionally slamming her blade, now in her hands again, down onto Arcantos' swords with such force that he's forced down onto his knees lest the blade bite into his shoulder, while green flame crawls down off the blade and onto his arms.

((You actually saved last turn, I'll just take that roll as your attack roll since you didn't actually make one.))

The lightning surged up the swords and...seemed to hit an invisible barrier. Still, it was enough to distract the girl and her sword went spinning out of her hands. She simply raised an eyebrown and moved to strike Arcantos in the head with the pommel of the sword she was no longer holding...and then suddenly, to Arcantos' dismay, she was.

Thriss wandered over to some merchants who, judging by their shouting, appeared to be selling to most delicious treats and delicacies ever brought before the costumers' eyes. Having no knowledge about said 'snacks' other than what he had eaten at Uncle Istvan's place, Thriss nonetheless seemed greatly interested in what laid on the table.

'Never hurts to try, would it?'

Grabbing a couple of coins from his bag, Thriss counted out the amount to be given to the merchant before receiving something akin to a pastry back. He was about to take a bite out of it when he got momentarily distracted by the distinctive sound of wings flapping near his ear. Normally, Thriss would just wave his arm to make the insect or whatever it was take flight but as he raised his arm, he could make out another sound ringing through the buzzing. It surprised him to hear that said sound were the words "very" and "sorry" being repeated over and over again.

Curiosity got the better of him and Thriss turned his head. There, next to him floating on eye-level, was a tiny little winged creature waving her arms about and spouting what appeared to be an apology.

'A pixie?'

Pixies weren't that uncommon but Thriss never encountered much of them in his line of work. Seeing one up close running her mouth off to him was something of a new experience. Thriss looked at the pixie, then at his pastry and let his own merchant skills take over.

"Did you want this?"

The girl stepped back and rolled her eyes. "Whined like true Shifter dross. You possess magic yourself and you still think it's an 'unfair' weapon to use? Ridiculous. In a real battle that thinking will get you killed." Then she swung her sword around her in an arc and a blast of frost followed in its wake, pushing Arcantos back. ((Slowed until the end of your next turn. Which just means you can't move far, not that your attacks are less effective, though it does put you out of melee range of her.))

Cyrta realizing that the Thri-Kreen seems to be totally unaware of being nearly harmed or did not care that such an event had happened makes the Pixie's wings stop flapping for a second having her fall about nearly an inch before her wings starting to flap again on reflex. "Oh... Um... No... I'm fine..." Cyrta said fidgeting in the air not sure what to say or do right now, her mind just going a bit blank after her panic had left her. "Thank you for the offer?"

The girl scoffed derisively and replied, "It's not my fault you're so weak that everything I do 'neutralizes' your feeble attempts." as she swung her blade around her body, she caught the lightning on her blade and seemed to hold it as she strode forward and swung the blade back around underneath Arcantos' guard, slamming him in the side with the flat of her blade and blasting him with his own lightning at the same time, throwing him so far that he fell half out of the arena. As Arcantos tried to get up he felt intense shooting pain and was pretty sure he had a couple broken ribs.