Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons

Subject: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Mon Apr 06, 2020 2:07 pm

Maris was staring ahead of himself as they traveled along the Silverymoon Pass to reach their destination. His eyes remained unblinking as he thought about how crazy all of this was going to end up. The last time he had encountered a dragon was back in a dungeon that they had barely escaped from. And the last dragon that he did encounter was none other than a red dragon, the same kind they were now pursuing. He did not like going up against that red dragon in the past, but only because he had barely made it out alive. It was horrible and the memory of it was just as bad, and now he was about to relive it? If his previous party members had seen him now, they'd all probably think he was insane.

Was he insane? Or was it Vashd that was insane? Maybe he didn't realize just how dangerous those beasts were? A frown had now plastered itself across his face, his mind still deep in thought. If the man was just as crazy as he was thinking he was, then why the hell did he come along with? He, himself, had to be as insane, right? Or maybe it was because he felt some wrong he needed to right? Images of Addy flashed before his eyes and they welled up briefly before he shook his head. It was all too frustrating for him, but it was also necessary for him to get his own gold to spend. Maris wanted to get out in the world again, though this was not how he had planned it.

He had wanted to go out in the world to rid himself of the thoughts of his dead wife. Going up against something that they had encountered together was not helping get rid of those memories. It was only going to help him dwell on those and that was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Maris let out a huff of air and fiddled with the golden ring on his finger again. Doing so was helping settle down his emotions somewhat, but not exactly getting rid of them. His blue eyes glanced down at the ring, unkempt, black hair cascading over his shoulder to hide his face. Another exasperated sigh left his lips and then he reached down into his pocket.

The moon elf pulled out what looked like a tie of some sort and preceded to bundle up all of his hair into one hand. With the other hand, he twisted the tie around the strands so that they were held into place. A few chunks of hair that were too short to be held in fell down to frame his face. His gaze returned to what was in front of him then over to look at Vashd beside him. "You're insane, you know," he pointed out just to break the silence that was now impeding them. "Do you know how dangerous red dragons are? I nearly lost my life to one a few months ago. Everyone in my previous adventuring group almost lost their lives; it wasn't fun and it wasn't funny."

There was still a frown on his face and he looked ahead of himself to the path before them. "I personally think we'll be grave markers on the dragon's roost, but that's just me."

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Mon Apr 06, 2020 5:29 pm

Vashd trudged along, a strut very noticeable in his stride as he seemed to walk without a care. He was watching the man beside him though, but not saying a word. He had seen those eyes before, and he didn't much care for touchy feely speeches to make someone feel better. He looked up at the mountains, scanning for the Red Dragon that the caravan had stated had terrorized them and killed half of their members. He noticed a small path that was worn but not the main path leading further up one. The terrain looked right, he thought. He glanced back at Maris and noticed him fiddling with a ring and grumbled to himself. He could only assume what trauma the man had been through, and thought that perhaps he should give the elf a few kind words, but that wasn't him. He hadn't been raised to be kind, he had been raised to kill.

As Maris spoke, he listened intently, smiling at being called insane. He had heard that before on the battle field with his last group when he took on a behemoth of a monster by himself. He was used to danger, and reasoned that it was not going to he as hard as that fight was. Besides, all he needed was one good hit, and he could have the dragon's head.

As Maris spoke however, he was more excited and curious than deterred. "Almost died, you don't say... Never seen one in person before but I heard they have hoards. Hoards are full of money and I need some fast money. They can't be that scary," he mused. " Which one are the reds again? I know they like mountains and killing people, but that's about all I know. Killing one is just good money, quick money and a good way to fill up our bags with treasure. That's the extent of my knowledge of dragons."

He pulled out the gift that the caravan had given them and handed one of the small vials to Maris. "The caravan leader said this will make us immune to its frightful presence effect for 5 minutes. After we see him, we should probably chug it."

As he spoke, from a bit higher on the mountain, loud booming voices rang out in draconic. It caught Vashd off guard for a moment, then he smiled. "Looks like we might get to kill two of them at once. Our lucky day, huh?"

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:56 pm

"It's feels like forever ago now," he answered Vashd, once more playing with the ring on his finger. His ears flicked as memories of Addy flashed before his eyes, her smile filling his thoughts. "I honestly don't know much about red dragons either; that was the first time I encountered one. You need to realize, I was sent down into a dungeon with very little information about it. Actually, I was sent down into it alone as far as I knew until the other members of the party showed up. For all knew beforehand, I figured they were sending me down to my death and I was okay with that." Why had he been all right with that? Was it because before Addy, he had nothing else to live for?

"Being in a group with other adventurers had more downfalls than I was ready for." That was something hard to admit for some reason, but he managed to say it. It was his own mistake for falling for someone he knew was bound to die in a place like that. Never fall in love believing a lie that everyone will make it out alive in the end. He grimaced with how excited Vashd sounded saying all those things about red dragons. "Money is money in the end, it's value is meaningless when all you want is your life." Maris supposed that was where they would differ from each other; Vashd appeared to be a more greedy person than him anyway.

The monk grunted when the assassin handed over a vial to him and told him what it was for. He didn't think he would need it, but took it from him anyway and put it in his pouch. His eyes glanced up to the sky when Vashd pointed out that there may be more than one. Maris only shook his head as he listened to the voices that boomed over the sky. One was clearly more violent and raging than the other one happened to be. The other one was persistent and seemingly filled with fear at the same time. That was the voice that had him reaching in his pouch and pulling out the table, hauling it over his shoulder.

"Puny. Pathetic. I am from a far superior pedigree than you, Whelp," he made out what the raging voice was saying. "Scurry back to your weak family, Runt!" Maris' ears twitched at the words.

"These are our mountains to rule! Find your own!" he heard the fearful voice call out. "I won't let you get away with taking that which is ours!" He picked up his pace a little bit.

"That does not sound like we will be killing two of them," Maris relied to Vashd. "It sounds more like we will be trying to get back that which does not belong." He was now fluidly moving at a much quicker pace, his feet as though they were not touching the ground. Perhaps that was his more valiant side, one that wasn't afraid of what was ahead of them. His valiant side wanted to see to it that whatever was going on would be dealt with swiftly and with little bloodshed. Why was it that when he heard a wounded voice, he wanted nothing more than to make sure they were all right?

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Tue Apr 07, 2020 10:36 pm

Vashd heard the dragons speak and sighed. Looked like it would be just one after all. As Maris pulled out his table he raised an eyebrow and sighed. He knew that face. "Oh but I am the insane one..." he muttered under his breath. He rolled his eyes as he moved to keep pace with Maris. Hearing Maris say what he did next though made him chuckle. "You realize you are saying we should help a dragon that may... MAY want to eat you? And you think I am crazy? You are now running at what you were dreading all for the sake of someone who isn't you. That is the opposite of a good idea buddy." Vashd didn't try and hide the inflection of sarcasm in his voice. "But, someone needs help, let's throw our life away, because money isn't worth dying but saving a dragon that wants to eat you is."

He chuckled as they rounded the ledge with the dragon in view and he downed the potion. The one furthest from them appeared to be blue in color and the red dragon, turned and gave them a devilish look. 'Turn around now or you will become a snack too, puny humans," the dragon spoke in draconic with a snarl. Vashed spun his Scythe, using his left hand as the center of balance to swing it around with a fluid motion, whirling forward. "10 seconds, let's do this!"

Initiatives:
24 Maris
10 w/dex Vashd
10 w/lower dex Red Dragon

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:05 pm

The moon elf glanced back at Vashd, hearing him mutter something under his breath, but not exactly what. He rolled his eyes and looked back ahead, training his eyes on the path before them. Vashd continued to ramble on about his attitude toward all of this, Maris just ignored it. It was something that he was used to drowning out anyway, the priest he had previously been with did it a lot. They were always to contradictory in a way, saying one thing and then doing another. Maris let out a huff of frustrated air, but preceded to ignore what the assassin was saying. His whole intent of heading up to the mountaintop likely wasn't for helping either dragon out.

"Do you always talk this much or is it just your way of coping with being scared?" Maris called back.

Eventually, they had reached the top of the mountain, and the dragon's booming voice echoed above. He skidded to a halt in front of the red dragon, tilting his head back slightly to look up at him. Grimacing, the monk popped the top of the vial he had been given and drank the potion as well. Maris tossed the vial aside and wiped the remnants of the liquid from his lips. "Your kind has always been so annoying," the moon elf replied in draconic. "On and on about how you're so fucking great... If you're as great as you make yourself out to be, show it to us!" His blue eyes glanced over at Vashd briefly, then he lifted the table off his shoulder

A shiver ran down his spine and Maris shook his head to rid him of the feeling. He unclasped the flask at his hip and downed the alcohol that was inside of it. Hopefully that would get rid of whatever the hell was making him so twitchy. Maris pushed off from one foot and lifted the table up to take a swing at the dragon. As he was about to whip the table into the dragon, a visage of Addy stood before him, forcing him to stop. The monk shut his eyes and slammed the table into the ground, putting him at a standing halt. Again, he shook his head, twitched his ears, and looked back at the enemy in front.

"You need to get this to stop," he muttered to himself, picking the table up once more to take a hit at the red dragon with it. Now wasn't the time to deal with an existential crisis or even a midlife crisis for that matter. Why were images of Addy showing up now of all times; couldn't they show up some other time? He was in the middle of battle, it wasn't like he didn't want to see her face, he just didn't want to see it at this moment. Maris grunted and tried taking a swing at the dragon, but a piercing pain radiated through his hands. This caused him to drop the table for a second time, almost throwing himself into a fit of rage over it. "You are not helping yourself; this is only going to cause issues later on," he whispered to himself.

The moon elf closed his eyes for a second and took in a deep breath to help himself calm down. Perhaps this time, Addy would leave him the fuck alone and he'd be able to do what he was meant to be doing. His hand grasped one leg of the table and he picked it up, but then he sighed and set it back down. He wasn't really interested in killing the dragon or having to deal with possibly dying. Instead, he climbed up onto the table and sat down on it, taking his flask off his hip. Maris took a swig from it, then set it down next to him, starting to feel a little buzzed. "What is the whole point to all of this?" he questioned, "why is it necessary that you steal things?"

He huffed and continued on, "y-you know, I remem...ber as a little boy, my parents telling me of... of... of how our ancestors used to rule together. What happened to that? What made all of that change so suddenly to whatever th-the fuck this shit all is?" Maris was starting to ramble now as he took another swig from his flask. "You drrragons just think you're all so fucking superior to e-e-everyone else. What does that benefit you? You know, it'd be much more beneficial if you made alliances with other races. You'd get things a lot easier and quicker that way... or at least, that's what I think."

10
2
4

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:07 pm

Vashd: 8- hit dealing 3d6+16 damage 19 total after DR (29)
12-missed
19-crit threaten, 20 for confirmation, x5 multiplier, 15d6+80 damage 114 total after DR(124)
7-Miss
Dragon has 200 more hp remaining
Dragon: Bite-19 hit 2d8+8 (12 damage)
Wing/Wing- 13/9 Miss Miss
Claw/Claw- 8/12 Miss Miss
Tail- 18 Hit 2d8+8 (22 damage)
Vashed took 34 damage
Maris: Rambling Man
Vashd: dropped patience
15, 7 to confirm the critical: 18d6+96
9 Hit for 3d8+16
17, 11 confirm the critical 18d6+96 Total damage: 294 total after DR (324 total)
last swing not needed
Social with Blue Dragon

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:18 pm

Vashd took a step forward and began wit his first strike, which elegantly found its mark smoothly on the dragon's leg. "10, 9", he bellowed as the dragon's mouth came down and bit his leg. Vashd growled at the pain as the blue dragon roared, causing the dragon to let go of Vashd's leg. "8," The blue dragon roaring was distracting to the dragon, he missed slightly as his claws and wings did not hit their mark while he roared at the other dragon. "You have already lost, keep out of it."7," Vashd narrowly missed his second swing as he took a moment to aim to his chest. "6... 5," His third swing found the dragon square in the chest. A perfect blow. Vashd grinned as a look of fear came across the dragon's face. "Shut up elf," the dragon retorted, "You all shall be my dinner to dine upon tonight!" His tail hit Vashd true, knocking the man back slightly as Vashd smirked. "4!" Vashd's last swing missed, but he had found the weak spot. "Got ya," he whispered under his breath. "Maris, get your act together! This isn't the type of dragon that would rule along side someone, can't you see that?"

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:42 pm

Maris laughed aloud at Vashd's response to him, shrugging his shoulders in reply. "To be fair," he stated rather loudly, an indication that he was definitely inebriated. "I can't seeee shit in front of me; it's all red and beautiful, and just a complete disaster." He hiccuped and took a swig from his flask rather sloppily, spilling a bit of the alcohol. The moon elf tilted back and flopped down on the table, staring up at the sky. "This rrrred dragon piece of sh-shit can go to the Nine Hells for all I care... I'vvve never liked his kind. A disastrous breed if you will, greedy and out for themselves... prrrobably some sort of failed experiment of a mage's."

The male let out a long and exasperated sigh, letting the flask fall from his hand. "You know, I really miss her," he blubbered, ignoring what Vashd had said to him. "She was the most beautiful thing in the entire world... in my entire world, and now she's gone. She was just taken from me like some deity decided to just fuck everything over for me. I'm not even sure what to do with myself anymore; all I do is drink and bury myself in broads. There's nothing better in this world, nothing else to live for and I'm completely okay with dying. Have you ever had that feeling? Probably not... you're too fucking cruel and unloving."

He rolled his head to the side and looked, or at least tried to look, in the general direction of the blue dragon. "Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm fairly certain that you do," Maris stated, sitting back up. The monk slid off the table, staggering a bit as he did so, approached the blue dragon. "You... you are really pretty, by the way. I love your scales; they're so shiny..."

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:11 pm

"NOW! 3!" Vashd stopped fighting so defensively and slashed at the dragon's head as it turned with a glare with the intent to kill Maris. "FAILED EXERI-," the dragon roared, then growled with pain as the scythe bit deep into the back of his neck. "2!" Vashed yelled as he ripped it out then hit again in the same spot, this time the strike did not go as far as he wanted, so he took a wider stance and, using his hand closer to the blade as the falcrum, flipped to hit the underside of the red dragon's neck, severing the head off in its entirety as the momentum of the dragon's head flung it towards Maris. "1... oops..."

The dragon's body collapsed, twitching from the body's shock. "Maris! Watch out! And leave the damn blue dragon alone! They don't need a horny elf after them they need bandaged up! Or to eat you, I still say it's gonna eat you!" He rolled his eyes as he placed the haft of his scythe on his shoulder and started walking towards the blue dragon. Having seen this inhuman man just slay the tyrant that had all but killed her, the blue dragon grumbled a light chuckle. "So I got to watch him die before I suffer the same fate. So be it," the blue dragon said in a low gruble as she pointed her nose to the sky exposing her neck. "Just... don't violate my body afterwards please..."

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:26 pm

His head snapped in the direction of Vashd's voice, noticing a red blob coming toward him. He grimaced and easily sidestepped the massive dragon's head, then reached his arm out. The monk caught the red dragon's head with ease and turned to look at it. Maris rolled his eyes and tossed the head straight back at Vashd, a smile appearing on his lips. "Heeeeey, look out Vashd!" the moon elf called back, "I wouldn't want you to get hit by it! I hope you can dodge that! I mean, it was fairly easy for me to dodge, but I don't know about you!" Once the head went flying, the drunken man busted out in laughter before giving his attention back to the blue dragon.

"Why would we want to kill you?" Maris inquired, "that necessarily wasn't the reason why I came up here. I just want a dragon's hoard and I very clearly got what I wanted, but if you're willing to offer more for your life... I'd gladly take that as well. Was there anything else that you wanted to offer us? I mean, it's very clear here that that man over there is more than willing to slaughter you."

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:39 pm

Vashd lazily reached out a hand at the incoming dragonhead and palmed it to a stop. "Ha ha..." He let out a sigh. Clearly Maris was going through some stuff, but the eyeroll he gave him was deserved. He listened as Maris. "Stop telling lies. If it knows I can kill it and it is willing to be of assistance to point us in the direction of the red dragon's hoard... I would be more than happy enough to let it live. I came here for red dragons... Fire dragons... not.. a frost dragon?"

A low grumble came from the remaining dragon. "She... I am a she not an 'It'. I also have a proper name. It's Desert Rose. They are my favorite crystal from the desert. I would be more than happy enough to point you in the direction of the red dragon's hoard. Once I am feeling a bit better, I would be willing to fly you there... I would be honored to give you a parting gift, however I would want to do something more personal than just give you something from my hoard. After we part ways, I will meet you on this mountain again in two weeks time. Does that appease the elf? Maris, is it? And Vashd, Slayer of Dragons?"

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:53 pm

Maris' face flushed red, not realizing that the blue dragon was taking him up on an offer he never gave. He supposed it wasn't actually an offer of his if she was giving to him as a gift. "Uh, I mean... well... yeah," the moon elf stuttered out, clearing his throat afterward. "That appeases me quite well! I will make sure to meet up with you again in two weeks' time." The moon elf puffed out his chest a little, feeling a bit accomplished with what he did. "I'd be more than willing to help you out, but I don't have anything for wound healing." Looking back at Vashd he'd ask, "do you have anything on hand for healing?"

His eyes narrowed briefly as he thought for a moment, eyeing Vashd as he did so. "And don't even say anything about me being a monk and how I should know how to heal. There's no reason for me to carry around that shit when I can heal my own wounds." It was getting a little tiring dealing with Vashd's sarcasm, but he was starting to get used to it.

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 7:04 pm

Vashd sighed and closed his eyes, smacking his forehead and running his hand down his face. He definitely needed to get Maris to a point where he would be useful. Like this, he was just a drunken mess. He shook his head and sighed again, "I am an assassin. I kill things, not heal them. Are you ok to move about by yourself or do we need to aid you?' he questioned Desert Rose as he finished coming to her side.

"I will be fine. I just need to give myself a few moments to allow the wounds to stop bleeding and then we can go. I confess that I have no way of killing you. You so easily took down a dragon in 10 seconds that I had no chance against and have spent the better half of an hour trying to inflict 'some' damage upon without success. That is a feat for a mere mortal. Grant me a few hours to heal, my hoard is but a mile from here, I would graciously host you while I relax for a while. Would you grace me with an escort home?"

Vashd shrugged, looking back at the red dragon's corpse. "I am sure he is not going anywhere... Sure, what do you say Maris?"

Subject: Re: Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons Wed Apr 08, 2020 7:11 pm

Maris sighed and fiddled his thumbs, clearly very distracted by the strange appendages. He did manage to hear and make out what Vashd was saying and only shrugged his shoulders in response. It didn't matter too much to him what they were planning to do, just as long as it didn't involve fighting. "I'm fine with whatever," he replied, "probably would be best if we had time to rest. Also, I'm really fucking lazy right now and riding on a dragon would be soooo much easier than walking." Well, it was more of the fact that he wasn't sure that he could walk straight anymore. Actually, wasn't sure of anything about himself anymore, everything was very... fuzzy.

theme song

The Beginning of the End

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ