07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

The goings on of courts
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Wyvern
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07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Wyvern »

Alys leads Jaeger out from Ht'gon's Pattern room, pausing a moment in the fort to beckon over a slightly nervous looking kobold*. "Kanget,** I have an errand for you. Jaeger Reisszahn, here," she gestures with the bloody hand that had been on the kitsune's shoulder a moment before, "should have a suite somewhere in Ht'gon. Find it, and then bring a few clean outfits to the hot springs for him to choose from - nothing too formal; clothing suitable for day to day use."

The kobold bobs her head with a "Yes, Lady Alystrakos," and dashes off.

The rest of the trip to the hot springs passes without any notable event; the path leads through only a small portion of the fort before descending into public tunnels... oddly***, nobody questions an Amberite† escorting a bloody not-quite-human through the halls of Ht'gon. Jaeger, if he's feeling particularly paranoid, may note that there seem to be more people pressed against the far side of the corridor and watching him go by the further they get - it provides much the same feel as of a successful hunter heading through a town to collect a bounty on, say, an owlbear skull - with the townsfolk congregating to watch as rumors spread.

The springs themselves are, fortunately, much less crowded; people can take a minute out of their day to watch a (still only rumored) new Amberite go past, but rather fewer can justify the time required for an unplanned soak, especially when said Amberite might not ever enter the public baths at all.

An attendant (another kobold, perhaps a relative of Kanget sent ahead in anticipation of your arrival?) asks, "Shall I direct you to a private bath?", and Alys looks at Jaeger, clearly expecting for him to answer.

_____
* Of the 'little lizard-folk' variety; this one has a has an almost dog-like head, with a bit of a fluffy brown mane and a ruff of fur along the top of her tail; most of the rest of her form is covered in either iridescent black scales or a grey-and-red servant's uniform.
** Alys makes a habit of addressing servants by name.
*** Okay, not oddly at all.
† Or two or three - as noted elsewhere, Lyra and/or Quin may be along for this.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Joshua »

Quin will observe, and wants to ask a question, but can save it for the bath. He doesn't seem to give off any kind of vibe, and it is possible you didn't notice him following.. .or at least, didn't realize he was following you specifically until he stops when you do.
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

"This place is great," Lyra comments, looking somewhat longingly herself at the hot springs.
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BringMeThatHorizon
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by BringMeThatHorizon »

"No," Jaeger eventually manages an answer to the question. He'd been taking the place in as they walked, checking the staff and patrons as they walked and assessing the general sense of weirdness. Really the whole thing had been a solid eight on his weird shit-o-meter from the moment he entered that cave, but this place was a solid 9 with all the nonhuman species just going right around like it was nothing. "Public bath suits me just fine, the chatter would be better for me. Silence tends to make me...uneasy."

That said, Jaeger quickly unhinges the armor around his chest, shoulders, arms, and legs with an impressive speed and dexterity- even for an Amberite. In less than a few seconds each piece was in his arms and carefully set aside somewhere, leaving him in a hooded jacket, a loose tunic, and a pair of remarkably baggy pants with a cloth drape and belts for his scabbards and equipment just hanging off him. His form was, for lack of a better word, svelte. It would be clear immediately that he padded the armor to make himself seem more proportional and human in size and stature. With nothing but loose clothes covering him now, there are traces of things on his skin for the careful eye. Black lines peek just above his shoulder blades and right bicep, thin scars show on his chest along with more black just above his right breast. If one were to make the educated guess,it could be that scars from battles and a wealth of tattoos run along his form. But, the question then is- why?

"Who's a guy have to pay off to get something to drink around here? I'd kill for something to unwind with." He says in a much, much less tense and terse tone than any he's spoke in since arriving.
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
Wyvern
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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A different attendant (Is that a goblin?) carts Jaeger's armor off into a side room, presumably for cleaning, while the kobold directs the party towards the public showers*, a set of towels** already in hand.

Alys contemplates the showers, and then considers the blood on her hand from where she put it on Jaeger's shoulder, and concentrates for a moment. There's a flare of light and heat from her hand, and then she's brushing ashes off into a trash bin, as if cleaning via self-immolation were perfectly ordinary and not worth so much as a comment. Indeed, she eschews the showers entirely, efficiently stripping her outfit and wrapping the proffered towel around her body; anyone paying attention will note that a number of small items are transferred to concealed pockets in that towel.***
BringMeThatHorizon wrote:"Who's a guy have to pay off to get something to drink around here? I'd kill for something to unwind with."
The kobold speaks up again, "Such extremes won't be necessary, sir†; we can bring dwarven mead, or goblin brew - even the kind that explodes when shaken if that's what you want - or there's this delicious mushroom ale we've -"

Alys cuts the kobold off, "Have a bottle brought from my personal reserve††, Jing. Third shelf, one of the ones labeled 'Seventh Sunlight Special'."†††

Jing nods, and steps away from the group for a few moments - apparently delegating that task to someone else, as he's back in a matter of seconds.

_____
* A traditional Japanese Onsen requires - as a matter of safety as well as custom - for bathers to be completely clean when they enter the actual hot springs. Magical filters and the presence of numerous conflicting cultures render such practices erratic at best... but it's still polite.
** Towels are for issues of modesty when one is not actually in the water; bathing suits are also available, as are actual shower stalls with doors - though the majority of them are open. I'm going to go ahead and guess that Quin doesn't bother with a towel... nor with disrobing, keeping his jester's outfit on even when showering or bathing; he's offered a towel anyway. Lyra seems like she'd prefer a bathing suit; if so, the kobold has one in her size already on hand. Jaeger is presumably offered a towel.
*** Or, well, anyone with warfare above chaos rank. It's also worth noting that towels (or bathing suits) proffered to other PCs are similarly equipped; even those who don't carry concealed weaponry everywhere will probably still want to keep their trump decks on hand.
† Wait, did that kobold just take Jaeger's sarcastic comment literally? It certainly seems so...
†† Those who've read the descriptions of Alys' quarters may remember that she keeps most of the rooms locked and inaccessible to staff. A number of things, however, are stored in the more accessible servant's staging room - including non-perishable foodstuffs as well as a variety of spare clothes and weapons.
††† It takes a lot of alcohol to get someone with even just amber rank endurance drunk - and Alys knows that Jaeger has more than "mere" amber rank, based on the simple fact that he just walked the Pattern and hasn't collapsed yet. Given his apparent difficulty with adjusting to his new status, she's pre-emptively substituting a drink that's rather more potent than mere alcohol would be.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Joshua »

Quin definitely showers in his jester's outfit. One of those dead-serious montages where he's following along and dressed ridiculously. As previously noted (In a previous game), Quin's outfit sheds water like sharkskin and is completely dry the moment he steps away from the shower. The dumpy middle-aged man will smile at Jaeger.
"You wanted answers, and I'm still the official welcome committee for new Amberites. Alys and Lyra are good repositories of knowledge as well. And both are members of your Court. I'm also well versed in the use of Trump. Oh yes..." he will produce a soggy silk bag* and offer it to Jaeger.
___________
*: Why is the bag in his pocket wet if his pocket isn't? And yes, it contains a trump deck. Said trump deck is dry.
**: I like this use of color for statements. Let's see how it plays out.
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BringMeThatHorizon
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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For his own, Jaeger indulges eagerly in the shower and washing rituals native to his own (admittedly former) culture. He cleans the blood and excess off his skin and hair in relative privacy and exits the shower in the towel he was given. It is at this exact moment that the meaning of the lines and scars would become evident to any who had been watching him up to this point. Standing without covering, Jaeger is nearly a different figure entirely. The wild black lines are marks of elaborate tattoo work that appears to have started as small designs here and there, only to be elaborated on in the intervening years*. A stylized crow wing over his right bicep, a heart obscured in shadow over his right breast, a pair of stylized blades draw down the sides of his abs, a monster's skull with several tally marks**, and many other symbolic designs adorn his flesh. Moreover, light webs of scars dance along his body- markings of failures and risks taken over the course of a life in shadows.

"What's happened to my body? I feel lighter, faster, strong, but there's more- isn't there?" He asks, headed from the showers to the baths. He takes the deck when offered to him and, like the others, quickly squirrels it away into the towel for safety. He's seen the cards and can remember them offhand, having them now is half a liability and half an opportunity. He's not sure which angle of the situation is more frustrating. There's a definite calm to him now that he's clean and ready to take a soak, his entire posture is worlds different down to the way his footing is centered. He's no longer ready to spring off at a moment's notice, but rather has a relaxed sense of purpose to his footsteps. He doesn't know where exactly he's going after this point, but he finally has had some time to- well, find his bearings at the least.

"Something empowered my weapon with a magic I've never seen before, and likewise I'm assuming it's done the same for me. I can feel things that I wasn't able to before, I have a sense of something ebbing a flowing around me." He looks over to Quin, testing the waters with a further question. "Is this what magic feels like? Am I some kind of mage, now? That's exactly what I need right now***."

___________
*: What began as a wing with a single feather, and is still visible as such, was added on to with each successive rank among his guild- things of that sort.
**: There are too many marks to suggest single kills, perhaps they speak of sets of five or ten slain by the rogue in question? Or are signs of missions completed?
***: The amount of exasperation and sarcasm dripping from this statement is staggering.
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Joshua »

"Mage? Only by the most liberal of definitions. You can simply... walk to anywhere you want. In a literal and figurative sense." Quin will answer. "As for the lightness, you are... for lack of a better world. Real. More Real than you've ever been before. It makes a difference. Also, if you had latent magic, it may have been supercharged. the sense you have is that flow of reality. That light tweak is how you walk from one to another."
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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"Well, I'll be damned. That was both the least helpful explanation I've gotten in a good long while and probably the most confusing way of saying it I could have heard." Jaeger groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead and process the mess he'd just heard.

"Lyra, Alys- either of you wanna take a crack at explaining what he just said? I have a feeling I'll need the layman's version."
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Lyra will join the others in disrobing, her metal armor simply flowing over her form to coalesce into an ornate black and silver circlet. She covers herself with a towel but heads to the baths rather than a shower stall. Unclothed, It's easy to see a silver pendant depicting a sword in front of a crescent moon about her neck. Descending into the warm waters, she leaves her towel behind and listens to the conversation while relaxing.

"Well for starters, you're not a mage in whatever sense you're used to. When you walked on that pattern, like Quin said, it changed you. You can think of it as if a spell was cast on you that made you much more powerful. Of course that's not actually what it did but you get the idea. It's more that you've gained access to a different sort of power and that access has improved your abilities in all areas. In a way it's like what it feels like to weild magic, though this power is much more potent and versatile. Maybe think of it a bit like rather than casting a spell to achieve a particular effect, you manipulate the raw energy that the spell would draw on and use it to your will. Again, that's not actually what you're doing but I think it's closer to the explanation you're looking for. That's the 'flow of reality' Quin mentioned.

As for what this place is, Amber is the master mold. It's the template all other words are derived from. Picture this place at the center of everything. The worlds that are closest to here are the most similar. The further out you travel, the more things change. Some worlds are highly magical while others may rely on mechanical devices. Some may be ruled by humans while others by dragons or talking animals. If you practice, you can learn to visit these other words, though there can danger involved if you're not careful."


"So...are those guild tattoos? Some sort of group of monster hunters?"
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