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| Kitty Adventures in the City of Death | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 22 2018, 11:02 AM (1,814 Views) | |
| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 11:02 AM Post #1 |
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Azul, the City of Death. Named so for what the Kalasans found beyond those white walls when they took the city from the Witch-King. The only monument still standing to the glory of Ashrakal is a single black tower at the southern end of the peninsula, a dark edifice to the vile sorcerer's staggering arrogance. When pirates from their titular isles to the east came to sack the city and with Caecras reinforcements weeks away, the pirates all mysteriously died in a single night and the Black Hand assassins guild, long thought only to be a rumor was confirmed to be the city's protectors. With the failure of Caecras to protect them, when the eight other cities that would become the Confederacy of Nine came knocking, looking for Azul and its Black Hand protectors to join them, Azul said yes. The Emperor was helpless to reclaim the Confederacy, fear of the Black Hand had spread to every soldier and so he simply cut his losses and hoped to reclaim them in trade. Since the time of the Confederacy, Azul has remained a terrifying but independent neighbour, keeping themselves out of officially supporting a side in any of the petty conflicts that sometimes rip through the Confederacy. Though that is not to say that they don't take the occasional assassination contract... Of these things, you know little. Your mother, a fellow shapeshifter that could walk in the guise of woman or cat, encouraged you to live the simple life of the feline companion. Humans could be very generous and if they weren't, well, there were always rats to catch down by the docks. One day a young fisherman had thrown you some of his catch, a tiny fish that he could not sell and every day since you came by his mooring to see what delights he would throw you. Over time, you simply followed him home, he rewarded your rat killing abilities with fish varied in size and flavour and with a nice place to lay in the sun during the day when he was at sea. Millions was the mans name, a name brimming with hope for a prosperous future, but he was happy with his boat, his fishing nets and his shack and its feline protector. The door to the little shack opens and you awaken to find the sun has long moved off from your perch. The smell of fish further lures you awake and Millions calls your name, "Mica, here kitty-kitty." Two fish the young man bears, a large one he will surely cook for himself and a smaller one he brings for you, "dinner time, Mica." Edited by Zeratulcraft, Mar 22 2018, 11:26 AM.
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 12:53 PM Post #2 |
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Empress
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Graciously, as cats do, I rise from my perch and quickly pad over to my human companion. The solitude of the day has its perks - I can nap for as long as I like and wander where I please - but the company of the night, when Millions has come home with his fish, is more than welcome. I twist around his legs, happily purring to welcome him home. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 12:58 PM Post #3 |
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Setting down his catch he bends to scratch the top of you head. His fingers are rough and fragrant with the poorly washed off remains of fish guts. Millions idly chats to you, of course not expecting any response as he goes about preparing your evening meal. "So kitty what did you get up to today?" Other questions follow and he talks about his day, his little boat doesn't afford him much ability to compete with many other fishermen, "but I got enough for the week to cover rent and keep my dinghy moored where I like it, so we can't complain can we, Mica?" Your fish is deboned, scaled and set upon a small dish for you. Millions sets about gutting his own fish next. |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:05 PM Post #4 |
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It is a little frustrating, sometimes, that - though I possess the ability - I cannot respond to his chatter with anything but the sounds of an ordinary cat. Still, there is some fun to be had in the game of finding appropriate cat responses to his words. I happily twist around his legs one last time as he sets down the small dish with my even smaller fish in it, and then set about eating my meal - purring as loud as I can all the while to signal my approval. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 01:15 PM Post #5 |
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The night passes as it usually does, Millions staying up for a short while after dark, enjoying the cooking fire he has lit while he idly chatters to you about the things he saw on the sea that day. He complements you on how well you're keeping the place even though you're pretty sure he does at least half of the things he's attributing to you. Millions eventually sprawls out on his cot and the fire grows dim as it rapidly burns out. You wake briefly as you always do when Millions heads out, the darkness of the night giving way to the gray light and finally the majesty of dawn. Rats are common this close to the docks and you perform your duties admirably, a fierce lioness in tiny form. He returns once more in the evening, brimming with excitement. "I did it, Mica, I found our ticket." Instead of fish, he places a dog sized golden statuette upon the table. It appears to be of a hooded man in prayer, but a mass of golden tentacles replaces its face. "I think it's real gold," Millions whispers excitedly, "it's so heavy." |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:21 PM Post #6 |
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My eyes widen - as much as cats eyes do - as he sets the figure on the table with a hefty thunk. My thoughts turn to the various unsavoury characters that populate the docks and the fact that Millions seems to have carried this statuette all the way back here uncovered. I worry about who else might covet this thing, unpleasant though it is, and let out a low yowl - meant to warn him of these worries. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 01:22 PM Post #7 |
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"Mica," Millions sighs, "I know it's not fish. But it's... you gotta think of it as future fish. Maybe chicken and beef too, bet you've never had those." He looks around wistfully, "and a real house. More than one room." |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:26 PM Post #8 |
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I let out a huff of air - I don't see anything wrong with our shack, it keeps most of the rain out and its close to the ocean, where fish come from. It has a sunny spot and a place to curl up at Millions feet - Still, it is a life he seems to want and so I give the statuette a warning glare and decide to stay up all night to guard him.
Edited by Emmerah, Mar 22 2018, 01:26 PM.
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 01:28 PM Post #9 |
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"Looks a bit religious, don't it?" Millions eyes the statue closer, "bit of a grim lookin' thing." He shrugs, "still, someone will buy it. The thing's damn near solid gold I say." He tips it over casually and catches it in his left hand. |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:35 PM Post #10 |
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I keep my sight focused on the statuette, tail twitching in irritation. I pad forward to sniff it and find it smells strongly of the ocean. This makes sense, I suppose, since he brought it back instead of fish. Having had enough of the statuette, I leap off the table and rub up against his legs - as I usually do when he comes home - purring to welcome his return. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 01:43 PM Post #11 |
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You go about your usual night routine, though this time free of fish. Millions finds a potato for himself and after cutting off the rotten bits finds a few mouthfuls worth to eat in some form of watery potato soup. Setting his bowl on the floor, he's left some of the broth for you. He hides the statuette under his cot, putting his other shirt over it in a small effort to conceal it and heads to bed. He tosses and turns much of the night, some unknown anxiety giving him trouble. Thankfully, no one breaks in. Millions rises later in the morning than normal, a tribute to his poor sleep worn also on his face as dark circles have appeared under his eyes. He brings out his bounty from beneath his cot and sets it once more on the table, eyeing it closely. He turns it over and over, perhaps seeking out markings. He shakes his head and sets it back on the cot, "yeah, temples first I reckon. Can't hurt to be a man of god." He stands, puts on the shirt that had previously been concealing the statue and wraps it in his dirtier shirt. "See you later, Mica, wish me luck." |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:48 PM Post #12 |
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I let out a loud meow and twist around his legs - warning him that he has to come home safe. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 01:53 PM Post #13 |
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He smiles at you as he leaves. "Guard the house for me." Millions does not return that evening. |
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| Emmerah | Mar 22 2018, 01:54 PM Post #14 |
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The night continues to pass and I get ever more worried for my provider of fish. I decide to start looking for him. I leave the house and race to the nearest temple I can think of. |
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| Zeratulcraft | Mar 22 2018, 02:04 PM Post #15 |
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From your time as a wandering cat, you remember a gloomy group of men that had a large building near where the humans buried their dead. Father Death was their god, you believe. You leave the docklands to the east and come to a wide road that ran north to south, forming the border between the docks and Midland. The road is lined with grim stone statues, each appearing as a hooded and robed skeletal figure bearing an iron lantern in its outstretched hand. The lanterns glow with a green light that casts wicked shadows over their bone faces. Unlike the rest of the city, Midland had resisted the upwards overcrowding present in the rest of the city. Fine houses lay behind tall hedges or beyond iron fences topped with spikes, revealing ornate gardens and huge mansions beyond. As you travel south, you rise higher and higher until you can look back and see the docks and possibly your little shack. At the open gate of one mansion, an old woman has fallen to her knees and she sobs as she claws at her clothing. The graveyard and the priests of Father Death are only a little further south. |
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