|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 12, 2007 21:28:58 GMT -5
((OOC: This takes place once breakfast is concluded, likely at least a day or two into your travels, wherever you'd like it to. You have not yet reached the region's largest and only true city, its Capital, where your intelligence has instructed you to go.
Posting order consists of me, and then the two of you. It honestly doesn't matter which of you posts first or second after one of my posts. Please don't feel the need to wait on the other person so long as I've responded. It just isn't necessary. If a full week goes by without any activity, I will forcefully move the plot along and play with whoever remains. Please try not to let this go inactive. That would make me a sad panda.))
The path to the Lowlands started off scenic enough from the Capital, but as the two questers slowly moved into the region proper, the reason for its horrible reputation became more evident. No one ventured there without a specific and often dire need, and most of the people who lived there did so out of necessity or circumstance of birth rather than by choice. Who would choose to live where the crops didn't grow, where illness ran rampant, and where anyone would use you if it helped them just get by another day?
Fields that should have held crops were either too dry to support plant growth or soggy from excess grain, flooding away and rotting the seeds planted in vain hope. What few fields were able to support plants were zealously guarded by farmers and hired hands from anyone eager to steal a free meal. Even growing, the plants looked to be in poor health yellowed stalks and small yields a testament to the generally barren earth.
Poverty was everywhere. The stench in most areas spoke of unwashed bodies, rotting flesh, illness and decay and death. Wherever Lowlanders congregated, the smell only heightened in intensity. The pair received many looks from residents, both sidelong and blatantly staring. A Highland Ten and a Lakeland Jack, of Hearts and Diamonds no less, were a rare sight indeed. Many people had never even seen people from those regions before, not at any point in their lives, trapped within the cycle of their home and unable to escape. Who would willingly choose to visit a leper colony, a collective of disease-ridden and rotting Lowlanders, when they had any other option?
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Oct 13, 2007 18:57:07 GMT -5
 Theofilus already wanted to scream bloody murder. He was standing in a cesspool of filth, on a quest to find a traitor who probably looked like they had been dragged through hell. For good reason. Then again, she probably would be difficult to find sheerly because everyone would keep their mouth shut unless they were offered something in return. Oh how it made his blood boil. He could be jumping to conclusions, they could all be simple rumors, but he highly doubted it as this point. He eyed his companion. He obviously showed distaste for the setting, how much wasn't evident. As far as Theofilus was concerned the boy was always angry. "So Pravus, where do you want to start?" the sparrow asked. He wanted to see what his companion thought of the whole situation. Should they continue to the capital of this god forsaken place, or should the stop to investigate a few places here? Of course he would say some of this out loud depending on what his travel companion decided to say. |
|
|
|
Post by Spiderfly on Oct 14, 2007 10:08:30 GMT -5
Pravus had been trudging along in the filth for what he already deemed too long. It was. . . a disgusting place. Though it held it's own promise, he could probably do whatever he wanted to the inhabitants to garner useful information and oh yes. . .he would. He stalked along in his animal form, so very much more comfortable with his. . deformity. Pravus wasn't the type to feel any lesser than he was just because of the form he was in, so animal it was.
The cat tilted his head up at the bird as he continued to walk down the road before turning back to the road ahead. "Couldn't hurt to. . . flush out some information before we reach the capital. Hey 'Captain' Sparrow?" He said mockingly.
He sneered, snickering to himself a little as they carried on, the dirt and filth almost a thing of second nature now. Oh yes. . he hoped Talyn would pay for dragging them out here.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 14, 2007 10:17:48 GMT -5
The trail they walked on led them past several more pathetic attempts at cultivation before leading them to an average-sized village. Where in most other regions it would be a quaint place, the word simply didn't apply to the Lowlands. Buildings were in horrible repair, many of them missing doors, windows, even walls. Piles of filth were scattered like a minefield and anyone walking around would have to be nearly inhuman in their reflexes and attention to avoid them all.
Some of the larger piles of filth turned out to be raggedly-bandaged residents. Their filthy fur matched its color and no one's wrappings were white. Red with dried blood, or yellow with puss and mucous, or a dull brown with dirt, perhaps, but not white. These Lowlanders could not even afford to live in the larger city, where one could argue that there were more jobs. The argument might still fall flat, of course.
There was nothing resembling accommodations for travelers. Either you knew someone to take a room from, kicked someone out of their house for a night, or slept on the street. Any option left you quite vulnerable, but the last was by far the most dangerous. Evening had just begun to touch the late afternoon sky and there were people moving about, some coming home from labor in the fields and others just moving about restlessly, searching for a meal. No one looked well fed. No one looked clean. No one looked happy.
Stares came at the pair from all directions, but where most would goggle for a minute at their appearance and then look away deliberately, one huddled form couldn't stop staring at Pravus. He sat on the porch of a building with several planks ripped forcibly from its front and his breed couldn't be distinguished from a distance.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Oct 14, 2007 15:57:00 GMT -5
What a snarky little jerk he was paired with.
However annoying her was, the present problem was far more annoying. It was evening in the Lowlands, dirt and muck all around. Some of the piles were actually people--this disturbed the sparrow greatly. More disturbing yet, the little town didn't seem to have any place for them to stay the night.
His feathers puffed out slightly, he did his best to keep up appearances. Theofilus didn't want to be jumped in a place like this. And he felt like someone was burning a hole into his head.
The midform sparrow looked around to find the source of his discomfort. Was that blurry heap staring at him or... Pravus? Well, the feline said he wanted to shake some information out of some poor unfortunate souls. Why not start with the only one who didn't bother to look away from him?
"Pravus," the sparrow coughed, "It seems you have an admirer in the distance. Going to greet him or shall I? It depends on the first impression we want to make on the people of this tiny town." There was caution in his voice. He didn't want something to start that they couldn't get out of. "Since there really is no need to do anything drastic," he muttered so none of the passerby would here. Even if they did, they would know not to bother the two of them.
|
|
|
|
Post by Spiderfly on Oct 14, 2007 16:02:17 GMT -5
Pravus looked up at the bird before painfully switching into his bipedal form with a small grunt. He stood and looked around to where the bird had indicated a local that was either braver, or more stupid than the rest of his village-mates. His flexed his fingers a little before stalking towards the form. "No worries bird, I've got this. Unless of course you want to do it, Captain Sparrow?"
He said as he continued forwards, obviously making the decision for the avian. He didn't intend to hurt the man, not yet at least.
"Eh you. What's so interesting? I don't really see anything of interest around here." He tilted his head grinning wolfishly down at the form.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 14, 2007 16:10:10 GMT -5
As Pravus approached the Lowlander in question, his mucousy eyes widened and he shrunk back involuntarily, unable to avert his gaze from the Highland feline. Something about the menacing air, perhaps the exposed spine... it was hard to tell why he continued to stare, but he simply couldn't tear his eyes away.
Closer inspection would reveal him to be a canine, albeit a sad example of his breed. One ear looked as if it had fallen off and his gums where an unhealthy shade of grayish-pink, hinting at some sort of anemia or illness. Red-stained bandages completely covered one of his forelegs, which was held off of the ground in front of him at an awkwardly tucked angle. The smell emanating from him and his surroundings would be enough to put anyone off their lunch.
"I... you... you're not- what?" he stammered, the sound turning into a whine at the end. "What... do you want?"
Obviously this was not a tougher example of the region. In fact, with a little more observation, the grimy gray around his eyes and muzzle could be interpreted as a sign of age. It was impossible to say exactly how old he was, as Lowlanders tended to go before their years.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Oct 14, 2007 16:22:46 GMT -5
DamnitPravus. The sparrow quickly leaped into action before anything drastic happened. "My friend and I were simply curious," The sparrow said as he walked up behind Pravus, "to know why you were staring at him."
He hoped that defused the situation, even if it was only slightly. He didn't want the feline to tear someone's face off right of the bat. That would be a horrible way to start the evening hours. "Perhaps you could also help us out a bit? Herm?" the sparrow tired his best to look convincing. It was very hard in such a dark and dank place that was trying so hard to make him sick. However, he was certainly wouldn't lose to such a place.
Capitan Sparrow was not amused by his new name, but he would simply suck it up. The faster they got out of this hell hole the better. He glanced quickly at the sky, it was hardly a good sign. What were they going to do in a place like this? No, he didn't want to think about it until he came to it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Spiderfly on Oct 14, 2007 16:31:10 GMT -5
Pravus narrowed his eyes as the avian came up so quickly and began to speak. This . . mongrel looked about ready to keel over, what was the use of being kind to such a creature? He leaned back and folded his arms over his deformed torso, looking away but keeping the edge of his eye on the thing. Wouldn't do for him to get in a free attack.
He hissed at the question put forward by the bird. "We need no help from such. . . " he stopped himself before glaring coldly at Theo then turning his head back outwards, watching their backs.
It was true they needed a place to stay the night, why not just kick the wretched thing out and take the house for the night? His new club ability would allow him to stay up all night anyways, it wasn't like he was going to get any sleep. He was too paranoid to trust anything about this place.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 14, 2007 16:39:13 GMT -5
The canine's eyes flicked between the bird and the feline as if he couldn't decide who he needed to watch more. On the one hand... terrifying Highland feline. On the other, someone far too polite to be healthy. This wouldn't end well. Outsiders never knew when to leave well enough alone, he always said, even if his brother disagreed.
"I haven't... seen many of his kind around here before," he said slowly, his fur jumping and bristling all along his back, and not just from fleas. He wanted badly to back away and bolt into his canvas-covered doorway, but didn't trust any sudden movements. Their ranks were unbelievably high. They could probably lay him flat out in less time than it took to think. Especially that Heart.
He was intimately familiar with that particular ability.
Through the grime on his chest, just visible behind his paw, was a dark Three of Clubs. "I don't think I can help you with anything," he said, eyes showing whites at the edges the moment the avian suggested such a thing. "I don't know anything you'd want to know. Nothing that would interest lords like you." Dammit, why couldn't he have kept his eyes to himself! Even now, his eyes lingered on Pravus.
|
|
