First Harpy

[Iansa]

Iansa

The bar was loud and Iansa cringed as the first screech of laugher hit her ears. It was not the first time she had been at the Harpy Inn, but the first time she was determined to stay for a while. The place was filled with music and voices and laughter, it had to have good stories inside. She tried to creep along the edges, in the shadows, but the room was so crowded she found herself having to step forwards into the firelight a few times. The fire crackled almost menacingly as she stepped forwards, spitting embers into the room. Every time the fire tried to catch outside of the pit someone would quickly stamp it out or brush their cloaks free form the danger. The chorus of voices overlapped each other, the mix of deep grumbling laughter and more feminine squeaks. Glass clinked against glass and wood moaned beneath the weight of the visitors. The few tables had been pressed together to form large circles of people. Iansa found herself watching a woman with blond hair piled and disheveled dancing around with a tray of empty glasses in her hands. She was giggling and fluttering her eyelashes at the people as she passed. Her movements were graceful, in a way different to that of a shadow and Iansa attempted to copy the pose. Chest and head raised, a glance over the shoulder.

"What can I get you, gorgeous?" The voice made her jump, she had barely noticed the male that she had caught eyes with behind the small bar. Brown eyes studied her with a charming grin and she turned to meet his gaze. He was tall, despite leaning against the bar towards her. The bar itself had a few bottled lined against the wall and a large cask sitting slightly to the side. She had not even noticed that she had siddled herself to the bar. The question seemed simple enough but she had been unprepared for any questions. The bottles were made of green glass, and the labels were mostly old and peeling with complex writing that she could not quite make out in the flickering light of the fire. She pointed towards one at random. The barkeep looked at it for a moment, pulling it from the others.

"Whiskey. Good choice, a little strong but I like a woman with strong tastes" He winked at her and she hesitated. The actions were strange, behaviours she had never observed directed at her. She glanced at the woman again, attempting to mimic her behaviour once more. A twirl of a piece of her hair and a small smile. Was this normal? Was this appropriate? She was uncertain but the bartender seemed distracted as he placed a glass against the bar. It was smaller than many of the other glasses she saw, and not as clean as she had expected. The bottle poured with a dark liquid and she found the smile turned towards her again as long tanned fingers pushed the glass elegantly towards her. She picked it up, a sharp nod towards the bartender before turning back towards the fire. Her back pressed against the wood of the bar. She sniffed the glass. The liquid smelt somehow dry and sharp against her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose for a moment, swirling it in the glass. She attempted to take a sip, fighting against the strange smell and consuming more than intended. It burnt the back of her throat and she flinched. Was this how it was supposed to taste? She glanced around. Most other people had larger glasses which held a foam substance on top of it. They were downing large quantities of the drink whereas she barely felt as if she wanted to dare another sip.

[Iansa]

Iansa

A brief sprout of silence fell in one corner of the room and Iansa started at it. A male with mid length blond hair was setting up a chair to stand on, lute in hand. The people around him started to pay attention, shushing down and staring with eager anticipation. Iansa considered the scene for a moment before placing her glass on the bar and stepping towards the musician. He did not hold the same charisma that the barman had, or the subtle flirting of the barmaid, but still he held enough attention that a cheer went out as he started to strum the instrument. The music was soft and sweet, a sharp contrast from the continued noise of those not paying attention to the new addition. The crowd, and Iansa listened to the sweet music, in almost silence. A few chatters of appreciation rippled through the crowd and Iansa found herself watching the few that dared words between the performance.

"You’re a hack!" A cold voice called, cutting over everything else. The music stopped suddenly and everyone found themselves focusing on the source of the voice. A female. Dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail. "Real bards don’t need such nonsense assistance!" The woman growled in annoyance. Iansa stared at her, attempting to decipher the words or the intend. The musician chuckled.

"The people like what the people like, my dear."

"Your kind are ruining barding for the rest of us! Why can’t you learn to stay in line?" Iansa considered the words, they looked to be both human. Was they some racial differences she was unaware of? Closer inspection of the individuals in question revealed nothing. There hair and completion were different but that spoke little of racial differences. The pair shouting at each other continued, drawing more of a crowd then either of them before. The woman stepping closers, and being allowed a parting in the crowd. Some of the crowd started to yell and the woman threw a fist at the man in rage. It hit him square in the jaw, leaving a slight graze from the force. Iansa smirked. Violence had no language restrictions and it was a much simpler way to resolve disputes. The strongest was always right, even when they were wrong.

"Hey! Get off him!" A random voice called from the group, stumbling forwards and attempting to hit the woman in return. The shot missed, hitting another audience member. The crowd turned into chase, a flurry of fists and sounding. Some people shuffled sidewards, in an attempt to draw themselves out of the fray and into safety. Iansa on the other hand stepped forwards, flexing the muscles in her hand. They was nothing like the exhilaration of a fight. Someone attempted a swing at her, the alcohol flowing through their veins caused it to fall short of her chest. Iansa cocked her head at the stranger. They were a scrawny male, red faced and blurry eyes barely focusing.

[Iansa]

Iansa

The stranger took another half hearted swing at her, his fist only gently tapping against her arm. She raised an eyebrow and sighed. Typical weak male. She grabbed him arm, nearly pulling the drunkard over with the movement. She pulled back the long sleeves on his shirt and examined the dirt on his skin for a moment. Her other arm raised and she dug her nails into the now exposed flesh before pushing him to the side in disappointment. He stumbled, collapsing into someone else. A brief shriek as he clutched at the small red dots forming on his arm and a glare at her direction which she barely acknowledged. Iansa stepped forwards once more, her eyes fixing onto another potential target, hopefully a more worthy fight. The smell of alcohol was stronger now, cups and mugs having been knocked over in the fray. She could vaguely hear some people trying to carouse the edges of the fight to break apart. Her attention was diverted however by an individual collapsed over another, punching wildly at the huddled figure. The figure beneath was smaller, although still adult. She could hear his whines of pain as the taller male piled into him. His fists were raised in a feeble attempt at a block. His face had grown a purple mark on one cheek and the other featured a cut that seemed to grow with the occasional hit. Iansa headed towards the pair, raising her clawed hand to punch into the taller male. He was skinny but fast, with hair which was barely more than stubble. At some point in the tussle his shirt had been ripped and soaked in alcohol. Iansa swiped at his arm, her nails raking uncomfortably against his flesh. She hissed at the unexpected pain of the motion. The form she helds claws were less sharp and resistant then she was accustomed to in her true form. Nevertheless the male responded to the attempted with a surprised yelp, diving away from the small figure in an attempt to escape. He glanced at Iansa, seemingly surprised by the lack of follow through before moving towards her, determination and rage in his alcohol clouded eyes. Iansa was not used to the feeling of fear, especially not from someone inferior to her, but her body acted on instincts, backing away from the oncoming mass and into the crowd of others. She dodged what she could, taking the occasional blow to her side or arms. The sudden panic of her situation pulling her out into the onlooking crowd and away from the fighting. Once her composure had been returned she cursed in her own language, a few puzzled looks were directed her way but she ignored them. It was just a male? They was no way he could have bested her at combat but somehow she still felt the need to flee. She was not used to someone challenging her back, her brothers would cower to her force and accept the scratches she marked into their skin with only a small complain. This was different, this person was willing to fight back. That scared her. The figured appeared from the increasingly smaller chaos, scanning the crowd and Iansa ducked away, finding her way to the door quickly and escaping from the noise of the bar. The air outside was cold. It hit her suddenly. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in an attempt remove some of the panic that had built inside her stomach.


"You helped me" She jumped at the voice, it sounded nervous. The smaller male stood not far from her. Iansa had lost track of him in her panic. The cut was leaking slightly and his left eye was half shut.

"Don’t think I care” Iansa growled in annoyance before turning her back to the man. She could feel faint bruises starting to form on her arms. She took a step or two before turning back. The man was still watching her from the doorway. He held himself small, wrapped his limbs into his body as if to take up less space. "Get yours health” Iansa called with a sigh before continuing into the streets.

[Strange]

Thread Review

Iansa

Iansa

Skill Points: +10 (cannot be used for magic)
Magic XP: None.

Renown: +5 for being a Naerikk in a tavern brawl.

Injuries/Overstepping: Minor bruising.
Wealth Points: None.
Loot: None.

Skill Knowledge:

• Sociology: People form groups based on non-racial traits
• Combat Unarmed (Unspecified): Non-shadow form nails are not claws.
• Combat Unarmed (Unspecified): Punching can cause bleeding
• Intimidation: People charging at you is terrifying.
• Seduction: Twirling your hair.
• Deception: Flirting to get a free drink.

Non-Skill Knowledge:

• none requested.

Notes: Please remember to update your wealth ledger with the new Wealth System, and don't forget to include threads in your skill point ledger.

This was a fun bar room brawl thread. That it started with bards arguing against each other was a fun twist. Iansa seems very new to the whole tavern scene too, but she learns quick and her claws are kinda scary!

On a small technical note, the last post could have done with a paragraph break to make for easier reading.

Great job and enjoy your rewards!

PM me if you have any questions, issues or concerns.

Total Word Count: 1830 words.

Review Request Link: viewtopic.php?p=118809#p118809
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