Monsters and Men; The Remake

The Introduction

The fires of the city flare up as night descends. Novigrad has stood for hundreds of years, and there is no doubt it will continue to stand long after its citizens degrade into bones and dust. Soldiers patrol the walls and streets, instilling a forced calm, under which belies the tension of a population on edge. Winter has come early this year, causing large losses for farmers and merchants alike. The frozen temperatures are believed to have created higher casualties then the previous skirmishes for territory between the Skellige pirates and the denizens of Novigrad. There is a significant lack of food, causing a rations system to be instilled. This has only added to the turmoil of the townspeople, who find themselves unable to leave for fear of the winter storms that can commence at a moment’s notice, or the bandits who roam the roads in large numbers, facing the same struggle.

Without the Redanian king to send supplies, with Skellige effectively blockading the port, and no end in sight, it is on this night that adventurers stumble into town ahead of yet another blizzard, seeking shelter and warmth. Why they are here, who they are and where they came from doesn’t matter. It is the unifying reason of home that brought them here, and the reward. The nobles of Novigrad are offering a substantial reward for any who can force the Skellige pirates to leave and open the city’s ports once more in hopes of enticing traders to bring much needed supplies to the starving town.

It is here where you start, where your choices can dictate life and death, and there is no wrong decision. Welcome to Monsters and Men.

Rules
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1. No Godmodding will be tolerated on any level. You will be warned if this occurs.

2. Related to this rule, do not kill or harm or move someone’s character without permission. When doing so, post in the OOC of your post that you do indeed have permission.

3. There is a warning system. Three strikes and you’re out for good. Breaking any of the rules will cause you to get a warning.

4. I am expecting posts to be around 200 words, give or take. Just try not to post single sentences.

5. You will be expected to post once a week as each character. I understand life gets in the way, but if you have to be gone for long periods let me know. On the flip side, if you have been waiting a long time, message me and we’ll find a solution.

6. Related to this rule, if you don't post for two weeks as any character and I don't hear from you, I will remove one of your characters from the roleplay until there is more consistency in posting. If it has been a month and there is no response, all characters will be removed until further notice.

7. You can have two characters at the start. After a month, if you have been consistently posting, you will be allowed to add more based on my judgement.

8. Keep everything by the ToS. No sex scenes, keep the swearing moderated, and gore descriptions need to have a warning and/or be spoilered. That being said, this is a mature roleplay. Do not join if you are easily triggered by any of the situations listed above.

9. Keep the drama to the roleplay. If you have issues with another player, bring them up to me, or simply don’t interact with each other. Arguments outside of the roleplay will not be tolerated and anyone involved will receive a warning.

10. Most importantly of all, this roleplay is meant to be realistic. If you engage in a sword fight, expect to be injured. If you try to assassinate a king, expect to die as a result. Your characters will not heal in one time skip, and you will not be able to magically fix all wounds.

11. In regards to teleporting, your character needs to spend one post meditating in order to set up the portal. After a few days (in real time), you can post that you traveled into the portal.
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The Races
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Mages
Sorcerers or Sorceresses that have been trained to control the four elements. They age slower than normal humans and can transport themselves long distances in the blink of an eye. They are also infertile. Druids are mages that live with nature. You can choose to be proficient in one element.

Witcher
Humans that have been taken and extensively trained, physically and mentally conditioned to become monster slayers. They are able to use a special brand of magic, concoct potions that are poisonous to anyone else, and have increased physical speed, strength, reflexes and endurance.

Witchers have amber eyes with cat pupils that allow them to see in the dark, increased resistance to all disease and poisons, increased life spans, and they are infertile.

They carry two swords, a steel for men and beasts, and a silver for monsters.

Witcher and Human magic:

Aard- telekinetic burst of energy

Axxi-momentary mind control, causing the enemy to become dazed

Igni-a burst of fire erupts from your palm.

Quen- a magical shield that protects the caster for a few minutes

Yrden-creates a magical, stationary circle that slows down enemies that enter


Humans
The main inhabitants of this RP. Humans are able to take care of monsters on their own, but only with the appropriate tools. They are unable to use magic except for the six signs, but can brew potions and hold various occupations.


Werewolves
A typed of Cursed being, werewolves were humans that have been infected with lupus lycanthropus. They can transform at will, but anything clothing worn during this process will be unusable afterwards, and the victim will be naked when returned to human form. During the werewolf stage, the victim is unable to recall personal memories or thoughts and becomes an animal, mentally. They are extremely aggressive to any who don’t carry the curse, and when they wake from their time as a wolf, they don’t recall much of their experience. Those infected with lupus lycanthropus tend to either remove themselves from society, or remain in a pack among like-minded individuals. They are weak to silver and are unable to swim in deep water. With super strength and speed, werewolves are a force to be feared.


Vampires
A type of Cursed being, vampires were once humans that have been transformed into immortal creatures by a sire. They congregate in family groups, usually centered around a head vampire that leads the community. They are weaker in sunlight, and as a result often remain out of sight until the sun sets. They are also weak to fire, and instead rely on their enhanced sight to see in the dark. Their form of food solely consists of the blood of a living creature, which helps them retain their human form. However, when faced with battle, vampires turn into their true form, a giant bat with sharp claws and super strength/speed. They can speak in this form, but doing so fluently is hard for the vampire. Being bitten by a vampire doesn’t mean the disease is automatically transmitted, there is a subsequent ritual to be performed in order to create the fledgling vampire.

If you would like to create a character that is not of the races listed above, shoot me a message before creating a profile. I rarely say no to creativity.


Character Profile
After you create your profile, please post it in the OOC. I will tag you in an acceptance post when you can begin replying in this thread.
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Picture : must be 300 x 300

You were named? ( character’s name)

You have been alive for? (character’s age)

You were born as a...(character’s race)

You chose to be... (character’s job)

You were gifted with...(style of magic, type of curse, or the two skills available to humans)

You fear...(two fears)

You love...(two things your character enjoys)

You may have heard of them....(characters yours might know)

Who will you fight for? (Nilfgaardian, Redanians, Skellige, or neutral)

What is your history? (Bio, limit to two paragraphs please)

What are your weapons of choice? (one primary, one secondary)

Who is your puppeteer? (your name)

 

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday​

January February March April May June July August September October November December ​

Clear Cloudy Foggy
Early Morning Late Morning Early Afternoon Late Afternoon Evening Midnight
Sun Rain Snow Thunderstorm Blizzard Low Winds High Winds
Freezing Cold Warm Hot​

 

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Alyse Starborn walked through the streets of Novigrad with her head held high, her eyes on a swivel. Most of the passerby might have assumed she was a man, and she was fine with that. Being a woman and having an actual opinion often caused arguments, and those arguments would lead to dark alleys and her clothes stained with blood and having to explain to Teliana why once again she needed to burn another dress and...so much hassle. So Alyse didn't mind that the streets she walked down to get to the tavern where she worked were empty; she didn't mind that there was no one's eyes to be drawn to her. She was tired of counting on her fingers all the husbands, brothers, and sons that she had killed, tired of seeing their faces when she would try to sleep at night. Her life had been at stake, and in a war where it was them or her, she would pick herself. Every. Single Time. But that mentality didn't stop the guilt, didn't stop their eyes from glaring at her accusingly every time she shut her own. The simple solution would have been to skip sleep, to work doubles at the tavern, to drink herself to death. But she could only choose one of those options without putting everyone around her at risk. And Alyse had enough blood on her hands.

Pulling the hood of her cloak down, Alyse let her blonde hair cascade around her shoulders as she looked up at the cloudy grey sky, watching the gentle snow fall. There had been rumors of another storm, which meant that business would probably not be booming. Who would want to risk frostbite and losing their way to the local bar all for food and drink they could barely afford? Alyse was still surprised by the numbers that turned out, but it wasn't as high volume as had been the summer, or the short fall. If they could all survive until spring, gods willing, perhaps there would be better days. If this winter didn't kill every single one of them first. There had been whispers of magical powers being at work, trying to force the realms into submission in order to have an easier time conquering them. Whoever would want to commit that much energy for such a cause, Alyse couldn't begin to say. No one, in her time, had conquered the proud city of Novigrad, and she hoped that the day wouldn't come when someone would try. Because in order to protect Teliana, in order to save Dayla, she would let the monster in her head come out to play. And she would pity the poor souls who got in her way.

Opening the door to the tavern, Alyse shut it behind her, closing out the dark thoughts and the cold all in one as she slowly unwrapped her scarf and undid her cloak, hanging them in their customary place by the door. Once that was done, she looked around for Dayla, wondering if the elf who had hired her was in yet. This didn't have anything to do with whether Alyse was hungry or not, which it just so happened she was. Just a pure coincidence.

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Teliana frowned as she looked over her work. Burning away the snow had been simple, enjoyable even. Picturing where everything would go once she was finished was no task either. But placing the actual panes of glass, trying to instill magic into them in order to protect them from breaking or damage was a pain in her ass. The greenhouse had been a long term goal, a flicker of a thought that had sparked into a hope, which had blazed into an actual project. At this point though, Teliana Jereign didn't think that her hope would become a reality. The glass panes were incredibly expensive, even in Novigrad. They were delicate besides being hard to make, and shipping them here had been a nightmare all on its own. All the same, if she could just make this work, it would help her and Alyse survive the winter, and perhaps some of their friends as well. If she had any friends. They had Dayla to thank for getting Alyse a job, sure. Come to think of it, that might be the only acquaintance she had made, through Alyse.

Frowning at her current project, Teliana tried to look at it from a different angle. If she used stones as support...She tried once more to visualize the green house gardens in Toussaint. She remembered wanting to burn it all, but those were her younger days. She also remembered the man who had showed them to her..unbidden, a small smile curved her lips. He had been fun, but it was doubtful that he was still alive. He had been a human, something more mortal than herself. Humans didn't tend to live more than sixty years, and that had been....yeah, he was dead.

Uttering an exasperated laugh at herself, she got to her feet and dusted herself off, glaring up at the sky as another snowflake landed on her head, chilling her. For a moment it seemed as though the sky was filled with smoke, and screaming voices filled her ears. She shook her head, clearing the memory from her mind before turning to go back into the small cottage she owned with Alyse. She would have preferred to live outside the walls of the city, where nothing surrounded them but green, but this made more sense, for now, at least. Resting her hands on the table in the kitchen, Teliana pondered her plan for the greenhouse. It might be better to see if she could find a way to get into the local architect's office, perhaps get an idea. With her face...Teliana smiled, and grabbed her cloak from the hook on the door. Even though she hated the snow, at least if she could get an idea how to work this out it would make the winter a little easier to bear.

 

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"Thank you! Thank you!" The bard exclaimed, and bowed with a flourish. He waited another second for applause, but received none. With a disappointed sigh, he walked over to the bar and took a seat. The tavern had but a few patrons, all of whom looked working-class types who brooded over their drinks. The bard understood that the winter had screwed them over, but it was still rude to deny gratitude to a musician. "Another if you would, Miss Bartender!" He called out to the middle aged woman who ran the tarvern. She scowled at him.
"Are you going to pay for these, Mister Antoinarre?" she asked balefully, Lysander gave her a look of mock indignation.
"I'm a travelling minstrel! And as per the universal relationship between taverns and bards, I need not pay for rest or refreshment!" He said incredulously
"That's only if you bring in paying customers" She retorted, as she passed him a pint of ale
"Well it's not my fault if this city can't appreciate good music" He grumbled, taking a swig. He didn't much like ale, but he did very much enjoy alcohol.
"This winter's been hard for us, I can't let you have everything for free anymore" She said, pointing an angry finger at him. Lysander sighed, and leaned back against the bar, staring up at the ceiling.
"No, you know who is most troubled by this confounded season? Musicians! The worrisome people of this city no longer want to listen to my sweet melodies, much less pay for the privilege! However will I earn my coin to survive? I am undoubtedly the most skilled person in this room, and yet ironically, the poorest" Lysander lamented to the barkeeper with false sorrow.
"Don't you have some home to get to?" she said, rolling her eyes at the bard's monologue
"Alas! But if only! The path I choose to travel means I have forsaken my home. And yet, at the same time, the world is my home! To quote Solisiphus the Scholar: 'I make my rest where'er the wand'ring winds hath taken me by sunset', and it is by that ideology that I have come to this forlorn city"
"Well tell the 'Wandering Winds' To bring a better musician next time" the bartender growled, not swayed at all by the bard's literary quotes. Lysander stood up indignantly
"Well! I see I am no longer welcome here! Gone are the days when I would fill this tavern with laughter and song, it seems my path leads me to new places. Good day to you Miss bartender" He said, as he swiveled on his heel and strode outside into the cold streets. As he the brisk winds hit him Lysander shivered, and clutched his cloak closer to his chest. Nevertheless, he was feeling cheerful, because he'd managed to distract the woman from making him pay.

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two months ago

The air had a chill to it, and the crew of pirates knew that winter would come with a greater sting. Their longship was docked at an old jetty, and the crew were loading the ship with crates. The clouds in the sky roiled, but no rain fell. Every so often the pirates would look up, it was the sort of weather which could go either way, but if it did become a storm, it would be a destructive one.
"Captain! There's someone over there" a crewman yelled, pointing to a nearby hill where a large man stood. The silhouetted figure began to walk towards them.
"Who is he?" The captain asked, peering over. As the man came closer the pirates noted the hefty battleaxe at his back, and his muscled figure.
"Greetings" The man spoke in a deep, grumbling voice. The words were quiet, yet carried far. "My name is Thorvald, and I shall be taking control of this ship for an indeterminate length of time" he said. The captain looked at him for a moment, then chuckled
"And what makes you think you can do that?" the Skelligan pirate said, as he strode towards the figure attempting to look intimidating. The captain was a large man, but this newcomer still towered over him. "Who sent you? What's stopping me from killing you here and now?" The stranger was unperturbed by the pirate's threats, and simply looked up to the sky for a moment, a ponderous expression on his angular face. "Hey, are you listening? I don't like being ignored"
"Neither do I" The stranger spoke. His voice soft, yet threatening. As he looked back down at the captain his eyes began to glow white, and his fingers crackled with energy. "I am going to repeat myself once; my name is Thorvald, and I shall be taking control of this ship for an indeterminate length of time" The captain stepped back shocked, and weighed his options, Unfortunately, he was not a very smart pirate. The pirates watching saw their captain unsheath his sword, before a bright light accompanied by a deafening crack filled their vision. As if the gods themselves had a particular vendetta, the clouds had suddenly lit up and struck the captain with a jagged streak of pure energy. The man staggered back, tendrils of smoke curling off his body, his hair charred and crisp, his clothing singed, his chainmail glowing with heat. The man's hand had been severely burned due to the super heated metal of the sword he had been clutching, which now lay on the ground. Thorvald, with a gloved hand, picked up the red-hot blade. The captain was about to stumble backwards, but Thorvald caught him by the arm. With a swift strike he chopped the man's hand off, the wound instantly cauterised, and then let go. "I don't like it when people threaten me. But I'm a merciful man, so I'll let you remain on the crew" he said to pirate who now lay groaning on the floor. The mage strode to the ship, and climbed aboard unceremoniously. As the crew busied themselves getting the ship ready, he looked to the sea, towards the Northern Kingdoms. He had work to do.

Now

The ship creaked. The air was cold, and the only heat in the small cabin came from the few candles Thorvald had lit to give him reading light. On his desk lay several open books; a bestiary on monsters of the sea, and some books on ancient artifacts. But Thorvald wasn't paying attention to them right now, instead he was focusing on the stone in his hands. Roughly the size of a pebble, it was mostly black, but had veins of a crystalline blue material running through it, like a piece of ore. The most interesting part was the ancient rune carved into one side. A knock sounded on the door
"Enter" Thorvald barked. A crewman opened the door and peered within, letting in cold winds which extinguished one of the candles. Thorvald didn't mind.
"My lord, we've arrived at Novigrad" he stated. Thorvald nodded and waved for the man to leave him, which he did immediately. The Skellige blockade of the city was extremely convenient, as their ship would go unnoticed among the many other pirates. Thorvald stood, still holding the strange stone, and placed the books back on his shelf. From somewhere below him came a deep moaning noise. Thorvald let a smile come to his lips. After months of preparation his plan was finally coming to fruition, and his favourite part was just beginning. There was only one floor on the longship, the only thing below Thorvald was wood, and miles of deep, black, cold ocean.

 

Derrick had well and truly lost track of time out there. He had been travelling the wilderness for some time, so long in fact that he had forgotten where he was going exactly or why. He was sure that he was travelling with someone before, but there seemed to be no sign of any such companion. Perhaps the thought of another person was him mistaking a vivid dream for reality, but it was unusual for him to be so deluded. He had resolved earlier that week, that he needed to return to the city. He needed to get back to people. He had wound his way back towards Novigrad, passing through villages and solving their monster problems as he went. An endrega nest here, a pack of ghouls in the graveyard there, the standard Witcher's fare. He'd wound up with a tidy pouch of silver in the end. And now, here he was. Derrick smiled as he passed through the gates of the city of Novigrad, leading his horse through the streets.

It was cold out and snowing, much to his surprise. Winter was here already, he lost track of time so easily out on the Path. Things were grim in the city. Nobody looked particularly happy as he rode through the streets, but it came as no surprise. He had picked up a bit of news as he rode through the countryside around Novigrad. The city was being blockaded by pirates from Skellige, cutting off trade from the sea, where as he understood the most profitable trade came from. He decided that the best course of action would be to head towards the nearest tavern and get some drink down him, maybe see if anything interesting was going on. Perhaps there would be a need for a Witcher in the city. Considering the state of affairs, it wouldn't be out of the question for a Zeugl to have taken up residence in the sewers.

Derrick spotted a tavern as he scanned the buildings along the street and rode for it. As he drew closer, a familiar figure strode out dramatically, then apparently noticed the weather and covered himself with his cloak. Derrick dismounted and waved.
"Hey, Lysander!" He called. It was a remarkable coincidence, but not an unwelcome one. He remembered meeting the bard when he'd just set out and almost got himself eaten by a Basilisk. The Witcher assumed that he'd grown wiser since then. "Thrown out of another tavern?" But not that much wiser. ​

 

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Lysander turned with a start as a familiar voice called his name “Derrick!” He smiled broadly as the witcher approached "Thrown out of a tavern? Of course not! Fools get thrown out of taverns, wise men throw themselves out" Lysander leaned in closer to the witcher with a roguish smirk "And they get away with not paying" Lysander chuckled. The young bard was incredibly happy to see Derrick again, and not just because the witcher was a good friend who'd saved his life on more than one occasion. Derrick usually had money, and Lysander had none. Lysander had never told the witcher the circumstances of why he'd left Toussaint, despite their travels together “On the one hand, it is delightful to see a friendly face around here. On the other, what are you doing in such a wretched city, my friend?” He exclaimed, looking around at the softly falling snow, and the drab, depressed faces “If the Northern Kingdoms were a theatre, Novigrad would be doing an absolutely stellar performance of Gwendoline, from The Mists of Ard Skellig” he turned back to Derrick with a smirk “That is to say, it’s getting f*cked by pirates”

 

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Alyse didn't respond to Dayla's nod, but instead headed towards the back of the inn where she could smell the food of choice for the evening. Ignoring that, she grabbed a hunk of bread from the table and tore into it with her teeth. Manners were for gentry, and people with homes and family. And people that cared. Walking back into the main room, Alyse's eyes slid over Dayla paying attention to one of her customers. The man was hunched over what was probably alcohol, with Dayla giving one of her concerned looks. Alyse mentally shrugged, tearing another bite off the loaf before eyeing the rest of the customers for any sign of trouble. The only one that struck her as odd was the gentleman in the corner, keeping his head lowered. A little too inconspicuous. Another shrug, this one physical as she took a seat at the bar, chowing on the bread in her hands.

"Dayla it's cold out." She said plaintively, her mouth full as she rested her cheek on the counter, chewing slowly. "Make it stop." The last part bordered on a whine as she thought about walking home in the dark and the cold. "Ana wanted me to ask if I could get paid in vegetables again. She knows fruit is hard to find but if her project works out we won't be short. And she said to say please." Alyse stared at Dayla with eyes that made it clear she was being forced into this. She wasn't completely ignorant to the other guests in the room, or what they were doing, but her ears were perked for any sign of trouble. She didn't need the mace at her side, as pretty and shiny as it was, but it did help to keep people from getting the wrong idea. Assuming they could see it before she tore their face off. She would have mentioned that Ana could charm the fireplace to burn without wood for a week in return, but Dayla's tavern had hosted all kinds, and Alyse didn't want to tip off a witcher or a witch hunter about her ancestress' whereabouts. It never hurt to be too careful.

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Teliana walked along the frozen cobblestones, her mind once more clouded by the past. By the smoke that choked out the lungs of those who weren't magically immune, of the fire that burned the flesh of those who could not stand it. And it hadn't just been the men. Women, children, even the elderly had been preyed upon in the madness of battle. In those battles, she had always felt a comradery with the mages at her side, with the powers that combined to fight for what they believed in, what they thought was right. They hadn't thought about the cost of such action until afterwards. Until they had seen the blood running in the streets with their own eyes. Teliana reached out instinctively to grab the hand of someone who should have been there, who was always there, just like the breath in her lungs.

Her hand only grasped air, and when she turned to look, the hazy streets of bodies and violent screams faded, leaving only the gently fallen snow, and the figure of a man approaching her. Teliana raised her eyebrow as he drew closer, the feeling of loss fading in the face of curiosity. One of her eyebrows rose as she realized this wasn't, in fact, just any stranger. This was a witcher. Strange that one of them would come to Novigrad at this time of year, but perhaps the wandering folk found themselves in odd places every now and again.

"Indeed, it is. But we seem to find ourselves at a circumstance of extremes. Thus I'm trying to ensure at least mine and my charge's survival." Ana glanced back at the small pile of glass and stones with a shrug. "Or I would, if I had any architectual sense at all. Not one of my gifts, I'm afraid. But what brings a witcher to our port city? I haven't heard of any monsters plaguing the streets since the snows set in." Other than the occasional drowner dragging off a child, or a noonwraith haunting one of the outer villages. But no one had the coin to pay for such a thing as monster killing, not now. Not unless it had to do with one of the noble families.

"Winter isn't an ideal time for travel, either." She pointed out, clasping her hands underneath her cloak. Most witchers didn't have a problem with sorceresses, they tended to avoid each other, like wolf packs. But it never hurt to be careful, especially when one cleave from the silver sword on his back could cause serious problems for her and her magic.

 

Early Afternoon, at this time there was a handful of things that Lumen would be doing. Sometimes he would be resting or lounging about, other times would have doing some form of training in an effort to either maintain or further sharpen his skills. Today what he was doing was more in line with the former, more specifically resting. It had only been a few days since he had arrived in Novigrad with not much that he needed to do for the time being.

That was the case until he had started to hear rumors about a tavern located in the slums. At first he paid it no mind, brushing it off as just a one off thing that the people here spoke about. His hearing about them was still infrequent, but he certainly still heard about it from time to time. It was starting to sound like someplace worth checking out and thus here we are now. Lumen had traversed his way both into and through the slums while his eyes kept a look out for the tavern.

When his eyes did find it, he both walked up to it and entered. Lumen didn't say much when he did walk in. He just walked up to the bar and took himself a seat there. He took note of the few amount of people that were around, doing so in a way that wouldn't attract too much attention to himself. They're weren't many, similar to the amount of people that he had overheard talking about it and certainly made since in that regard.

 

Derrick smirked with the bard as he recited his short adventure in the tavern and that he managed to avoid paying for anything. It was an art that Derrick very much appreciated, being a Witcher. Money was something in short supply in his trade, and he managed to save it up by managing to not pay at all. His coin would see him through for a while usually, but in the city it was a lot harder to argue for being let off payment for services rendered. After all, work was scarcer for the most part. The Witcher chuckled at the latter part of Lysander's speech.
"Well, for one I'm staying out of the whole getting 'f*cked by pirates' business, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem." He replied, then gestured to the falling snow. "It's getting cold and I didn't have the will nor chance to get back home for the winter. Snow is going to be coming down hard around the pass through the mountains and even for a Witcher that's a risk to take." He decided not to elaborate further on the particular details of why he couldn't go back. He didn't need a bard knowing that he got lost in the woods in a strange reverie. Knowing Lysander he'd make it into some sort of improvised ditty.
"Know any good places to stay around here?" Derrick asked, patting his horse. "As much as I like her, I'd really rather stable her somewhere and not have to lead her around town. After that, we can sit down at a table in some place and you can warm up." ​

 

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"I've encountered that problem as well my friend, I attempted to hire a carriage out of this place, but in this weather the cost is higher than I can possibly afford!" Lysander stated with exasperation, he was exaggerating slightly, the expense wasn't too high, but Lysander was so poor that he still couldn't afford it. "When it comes to lodgings, well, I just dramatically exited the establishment I planned to spend the night at, they wouldn't accept music as payment" The bard explained with a sigh. It was sad times when a bard couldn't stay for free at a city inn "Nevertheless I know of some other inns, but I've no doubt this sorry state of affairs is affecting them too" Lysander said, hand on his chin as he considered the options "There's one run by some beautiful women, one of whom is an actual elf!" He said with a wink to Derrick "It's not too expensive either! And if the fair maidens won't let me play for my lodgings, I assume you have money for two rooms?" Lysander said casually, subtly suggesting that he was almost completely broke. Once again, Lysander was happy that Derrick had come to his aid, for perhaps the third time. He had no shame leaning on the witcher for financial support, although he'd never admit it. The truth was whatever he said it was.

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The mist slowly curled across the bay, weaving its way around the Skelligan ships which sat, anchored far enough away to be barely visible from the shore. Yet the effects of their blockade could be clearly felt. The remains of trade ships lay washed up on the rocks, their produce ransacked by the pirates, their people drowned, executed or enslaved. Thorvald didn't care about the ships, or the people of the city, he had a job to do, and this blockade was convenient. It would make the nobles afraid, and desperate enough to hire a specialist, such as a witcher, for any threats they couldn't deal with.
Out of the corner of his eye, Thorvald saw a dark shape move below the water. The deep moan sounded again, this time louder, and blared across the water.
"Behave" The mage barked, and clutched the stone with the rune on it. The dark shape retreated deeper into the water soundlessly. Thorvald sighed. It was getting restless. It was almost time for the plan to begin, but Thorvald liked to savour the moment before something like this began. It felt like the air was electric with anticipation. After a few more moments, the large man looked out over side of the ship, and began to concentrate on the stone.

 

"An elf huh? Running a bar in the city no less? And beautiful? Well by all means Lysander, lead the way." Derrick grinned. He was surprised. Few elves chose to take up such a direct role in society as he understood it. They often worked of course, but to step out and own a business surprised him a little. He felt that, especially these days, elves tended to keep their heads down to keep the mobs from bearing down on them. "And I'll pay for a night for you if you can't get something for free. But I can't keep it up indefinitely. Now that I'm in the city, I'm less likely to find work so I've got to live off what I've got." He hoped that even if something did come up, that his equipment didn't get too damaged. He couldn't afford to repair it too often. It was the armour he was most worried about. Between the breastplate, pauldrons, vambraces and gauntlets he had a lot of steel to pay to repair if things went south. ​

 

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After Dayla was finished paying attention to her customer, which, to be fair, he was paying for Alyse's wage too, she turned to the blonde girl with a sigh and a somewhat exasperated tone. It didn't really bother Alyse, since her words awarded her a bowl of soup and her request fulfilled. She would have preferred cold hard cash to buy more than just food with, but it was Teliana's house, and Teliana made the rules. Alyse had enough respect for the woman that she would follow that. After all, it was because of Teliana that Alyse didn't have to house herself with dirty people, or in the forest. Alyse barely had enough time to inhale the tantalizing scent of the food in front of her before two things happened; a new customer came in, and the one who had been giving her the eye came up and stood next to her at the bar.

Alyse eyed over the newcomer first, and felt her stomach twist. The strange, cat eyed stare, the double swords at his back. This one was clearly a witcher. Almost out of instinct, Alyse's gaze flipped to the side, her head tumbling through ideas, each one worse than the previous. Running would only make her look guilty, and leaving Dayla in the care of such a character might make her own conscience guiltier still. She took a deep breath to calm her thrumming nerves even as her mind was screaming that the silver that could end her life was right there, when, "Careful though. Would be a shame if you choked to death because you forgot to chew. Saw it happen once. Probably the strangest thing to happen during a full moon."

Her heart almost stopped, probably would have if she wasn't as young as she was. This had to be a trap. Had to be. There was no way anyone other than a witcher lover would try to be so glib. A werewolf definitely wouldn't chance fate. Alyse hadn't ever heard of one besting a witcher at all, and she didn't think that if she exploded into a ball of fur and anger that Dayla would side with her. Taking another deep breath, Alyse held the soup up to her lips and let the outside world fade for a few moments as she drained the bowl dry, letting the burn in her throat ground her and keep panic from overtaking. Panic would lead to stupid decisions, and at this moment one wrong move could end her existence. Alyse liked food, alcohol, and sex too much for that.

Setting the bowl back down on the counter, she turned to the young man who was watching her, letting one eyebrow raise even as the other hand went to her waist, resting just above the handle of her mace. "I'm pretty experienced at not choking on anything I put in my mouth. Your concern is ever so touching, though. So much so, in fact that I would offer you a thank you. If I cared. Which I don't. Now is there something you need? Or..." She let her sentence drift off, letting herself seep with confidence. She could do this. She could survive this strange little hiccup of circumstance.

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Teliana crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she listened to Aaron. She and Alyse looked so similar when they took on this pose, they could have been sisters. "A witcher who doesn't worry about money? I wonder what I could have done to deserve such a boon." She ended her sentence with a small smile, though she still kept a wary eye on the witcher. And you keep in touch with your family...how odd. "Actually, that is typically what most witchers do, I would think. Come the snows, they vanish with all the other hibernating creatures. But I've always thought of your kind as cats...you come and you go as you all please." Especially the leaving part. Regardless, she gestured at the messy pile. "The stones are supposed to support the glass panes so they can form walls and ceilings, and connect to the house. The glass captures the heat from the sun so you can grow plants inside the glass house all year, even in the winter. Trying to create a better source of food in case this winter never ends." She said the last part as a joke, though some of her wondered if it wasn't a little true.

"If it doesn't work, just on to the next idea." She said with a shrug. "Although, if you were to find out a way to make it work, I suppose I could pay you with a meal." She offered in spite of herself. She would have to get the food from Alyse, but it could be done. And then the witcher wouldn't surprise her with an unsavory offer, and she wouldn't feel the need to ask if he had a place to stay. There were plenty that would open their door to a monster hunter in return for their services. She wasn't one of them.

 

It was a cold afternoon as the old witcher finally arrived in Nowigrad, the snowy roads had made travel slower. Winter seemed to have come early this year and caught everyone off guard, including himself. The cold had destroyed crops and was well on it's way to go start a famine in the North. The cold did have it's advantages though, corpses would freeze before rotting meaning they wouldn't attract corpse eaters and while not exactly good for his business it was a positive change for people. Normally he'd hold out the winter with the other witchers, but having spent so much time training one again he had risked travelling the mountain pass, as the snow had caught everyone off guard he doubted others would risk the pass and therefor he would have ended up alone in the Kaer. And if he had to choose between alone in the Kaer or alone on the Path, he'd rather be on the Path. He had arrived at the Tretogor gate and put his horse Hawk in the stable.

Walking through the snowy streets of Nowigrad he considered for a moment to just travel on towards the south, to Toussaint perhaps or Mettina to wait out the winter in a warmer land, perhaps with more work for him too. He overheard some people mention the blockade, after some inquiries he learned it were ships that were doing the blockading and not something like a Kayran. That was work for the Hierarch or the King of Redania, not a witcher. He went back on his way checking notice boards along the way, nigh on all of it was useless. Announcement from the Hierarch, a citizen looking to trade some of their stuff, some new miracle potion for sale on the market. The witcher just went on his way to one of the city's many taverns. As he entered the tavern he noted it wasn't as busy for obvious reasons, but in this small crowd he saw the cat eyes of another witcher. Veceslav went up to the bar. "I would like some Mead from Mahakam." the witcher said to the barkeep. The witcher remained aware of his surroundings as he waited for his drink, some people really didn't like it when a witcher walked into their favourite drinking hole.​

 

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"To quote Rennez; 'I have never encountered an elf whose beauty did not rival the morning sun'" Lysander stated merrily, as he started to lead Derrick towards the tavern. "Then again it's unwise to trust everything Rennez says, as he once wrote that ingesting a lock of a dwarf's beard hair grants increased virility" Together they wandered the streets of Novigrad, as Lysander quipped to Derrick about various pieces of relevant literature. Suddenly, as they turned a corner, Lysander spotted a pair of cat-like eyes. These eyes did not belong to a cat "Hey Derrick, I spy with my little eye something that begins with W" He said, motioning towards the young man who bore the marks of a witcher. The boy was quite attractive, Lysander had to admit. "Friend of yours?" He asked Derrick in reference to the younger witcher. Talking to the boy was a young woman, also quite attractive. Lysander straightened his cravat and stood up straight. From the looks of it, this was turning into his lucky day.

 

"I wonder where people get all of these strange ideas from. As a Witcher, you realise that it's not just Rennez who's full of sh*t, it's most others." Derrick replied in agreement. He didn't really know anything else that Lysander talked about. He wasn't a big reader. He could read of course - That was something that he had learned under Veceslav so he understand the manuals that real experts had written on monsters. It wasn't long before they ran soon into a familiar figure. Derrick's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Aaron? What are you doing here?" It was rare to see another Witcher around in general, let alone happen to run into one in the city while he was here. Novigrad was big enough that if you knew someone you weren't likely to meet them unless you arranged something beforehand. After he was done being surprised at seeing his junior, he noticed his fellow Witcher's companion.
"And who is this?" He asked. The woman that accompanied Aaron was nothing short of beautiful, and the vibration of his medallion led him to believe that she was probably a sorceress. The near perfect features indicated it strongly. Internally, his mood picked up quite significantly. He had no idea how old she was but that did not matter in the slightest, because she did not look whatever age that might have been.

Unless she was a werewolf or higher vampire. But he was sure that Aaron, while young, had probably noticed his medallion vibrating and done at least some work to figure out who he was talking to. Surely he had paid attention to the old crow's lessons.

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