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Post by Blossom on Jan 23, 2015 6:26:53 GMT
"Uh.. Oh. I think I know what you mean..." Blossom said a bit gloomily, looking back at the other people in the room. As a matter of fact, a somewhat ignorant dwarf had thought no less of her a few days ago. "I think sometimes people don't trust me either. Or maybe they don't know what to think." She instantly vanished from sight, and then the empty glass on the table seemed to levitate on its own. That too, disappeared, only to reappear standing somewhere else on the table a few seconds later. "But then again, I guess I wouldn't blame them."
The pixie soon rematerialized on a seat across from Gix, far too small to properly use the table. "Some people assume the worst before getting to know you, and it's sad..." Blossom's gloomy expression soon turned to curiosity again as she looked back over at the kobold. Because speaking of that subject, the only thing it seemed she knew about him was his name.
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Post by Argudas De Soleni on Jan 23, 2015 7:41:23 GMT
Argudas finally looked up from the crossbow. A little tweaking here and a little alteration there. Even a few alterations to help with efficient infusion of...infusions.
Artificer Vocabulary: Simple Desire to Change Wording: Nonexistant
With a shrug the Warforged pocketed the weapon and looked around the crowded establishment. The party the construct had arrived with was more or less all accounted for. After the entertaining incident with the Dwarf, Argudas had tried to keep an eye on Blossom. A task made infinitely harder by her ability to become invisible indefinately and at a moment's notice. Often the construct asked itself why it did. The answer usually boiled down to a curiosity as how a pixie, like itself on the fringe of society, would adapt to a more civilized setting. While they hadn't talked about it openly, the Warforged sensed their other traveling companions were keeping an eye out as well. Out of all of them Argudas was easily the least socially capable, its tendency to incorrectly interpret social cues had decreased dramatically during its travels but imperfections remained. Still, his mere presence look had helped scare off the few gazes that lingered to long. Though, if honest, it was likely the hulking sorcerer who helped more in that department.
Blossom: Out of Sight Conclusion: Likely Invisible Reason: Afraid or Embarrassed.
Argudas turned its head just in time to see the Pixie materialize at a table in the corner across from what appeared to be a little dragon. That was certainly worth investigating on its own. After more dodging and acrobatics than the Warforged thought it was capable of, it found itself standing behind Blossom, attention glued to the Kobold.
"Fascinating. I've never seen one like you off a dissection table." The bulges behind the Kobold twitched. "Wings? Fascinating."
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Post by Blossom on Jan 23, 2015 8:11:22 GMT
Argudas's sudden arrival behind her was quite unexpected. When the warforged spoke, Blossom's body jerked and instantly became invisible again. It was but a brief moment before she undid what her instincts achieved. She turned around with a giggle and said, "Gosh! You scared me! ...w-what do you mean dissection?" looking back over to Gix.
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Post by Sjach Gix on Jan 23, 2015 14:34:21 GMT
More than the kobold's wings would have twitched in response to that statement. His brows would have furrowed, and his tongue lashed against his teeth, whilst his gaze adjusted to look upwards at the pixie companion. Odd creature, some type of golem? Although, clearly a self-thinking one after a fashion. "Its a practice of examining deceased bodies to gather understanding. From what I gather, the surface races tend to look down on it quite harshly, considering it something akin to necromancy." Learning that his kin were being dissected didn't bother the kobold too much, he, like most of his people believed the body was an empty vessel after death, and thus while it could disgrace the memory of the person that used to inhabit it, there was nothing sacred about it like some of the surface religions held. Instead, his mind was thinking more along the reasons of HOW those kobolds had ended up dead to fill those tables.
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Post by Blossom on Jan 23, 2015 14:53:41 GMT
Blossom canted her head curiously and looked back over to Argudas, her pale (albeit somewhat smudged) face turning a slight shade whiter. "So... you examine dead... kobolds?" she asked, not even grasping that the practice involved cutting open the bodies and closely looking at all the organs, ligaments, and other tissues. Then without thinking much she unleashed a barrage of questions. "Well who kills them? Why? Is it because people think they are a threat? Was it you?"
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Post by Argudas De Soleni on Jan 23, 2015 22:44:49 GMT
The constructs expression didn't change despite Gix's visible agitation. "The full story is unknown to me. A group of several hundred Kobolds were fighting for independence during The Last War, led by one not unlike yourself. They remained free for decades through innumerable raids and battles. My masters were sent when it was sensed the war was drawing to a close. They were to eradicate the menace before a treaty ending The Last War could be signed, a treaty which might have granted many rebellious groups some autonomy." Argudas' eyes dimmed for a moment before returning to their normal bright read. "They send thousands of my kind into the bowels of the earth. Very few came back. The defenders had sold their lives dearly, killing ten or more for each Kobold. In the end, there were too many. Among the corpses was another like you, though she was gold. She was personally responsible for hundreds of destroyed Warforged, if it brings you any comfort."
The Warforged looked towards Blossom. "Yes, I did participate in the dissection though I had no part in the killing, it was a unique experience." Turning back to Gix, it continued with something akin to a grin. "Everything is taboo to someone."
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Post by Blossom on Jan 23, 2015 23:20:38 GMT
Blossom's eyes grow wide listening to the story. "That's a lot to send just for a few hundred..." she comments. Something else really bothers her, though. "But why? How were they a menace? If there was a treaty, couldn't there only be peace?"
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Post by Sjach Gix on Jan 24, 2015 0:20:49 GMT
"Sounds about right, creatures of your size would not have an easy time assaulting a kobold warren, especially not if they took advantage of your... unusual construction," he muttered bitterly, recalling events from his own, not to distant past. Still, he couldn't help think that the situation the warforged described was quite... unusual. A Last War? From what he knew there were numerous wars across the continent, none of which particularly jumped out to him. And kobolds fighting for autonomy? They already were, as far as he knew. Or at least, he had yet to find someone that claimed to hold jurisdiction over the kobold's underground lairs save for the occasional dwarven 'conflict'. "No doubt Kurtulmak's hand guided her into another extraordinary life, or took her to his side in the next life."
However, rather than questioning the warforged further on the events he couldn't place, instead the reptile turned to look towards the pixie. "I believe you're underestimating us, especially when it comes to defending our homes. Imagine, if you will, hundreds of creatures about my size, capable of slinking through escape tunnels, side passages, and choke points that no other civilized race can follow, capable of striking from those positions and holes within the stone without much opportunity for anyone else to attack back. Imagine a myriad of traps and mechanical devices that can fill entire rooms with fire, collapse tunnels upon people and send others falling into some deep cavern within the Underdark to have their mangled bodies preyed upon by the hostile denizens. All of that backed up by a tribe that will dedicate everything they have, every last ounce of fiber of their being, to ensuring that their home is safe, giving even their lives if it meant that, and gladly. A tribe which is equipped with an industrial drive that no race on this world can match. Now realize that on top of all of that, one in every four kobolds has magical potential, and can reinforce our soldiers with spells, turn them against those assaulting, craft spell traps to supplement the mechanical and architectual traps already in place, misdirect the enemy so that an ambush could be allowed. Attacking a large kobold warren, properly prepared and ready, is the thing of nightmares trying to push past the bodies of their friends, piled up on layer after layer of defenses."
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Post by Blossom on Jan 24, 2015 0:43:29 GMT
Blossom tried to follow Gix as best she could, though some of it just went over her head. "Uh, oh..." she stammered, trying to seem as though she understood, but she didn't quite. The main thing she did gather, though, is that they were quick and sneaky and had all kind of traps and magic in their favor. And it was gruesome.
"I didn't mean to underestimate you or your kind... I just... I can't understand why. Why go through so much effort to exterminate a people?" She just shook her head sadly.
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Post by Sjach Gix on Jan 25, 2015 4:15:22 GMT
"Because its people's nature. Survival of your own kind over any others and all that," the kobold responded, a hint of bitterness to his tone, before he took another drink from his mug of water. "Or because they're inconvenient and you want something they have, so what better way to take what's theirs by killing 'em all, no more having to think of the vermin you just fumigated. Or, if you're a smug gnome, because its 'fun'."
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Post by Blossom on Jan 25, 2015 6:16:14 GMT
Blossom merely looked down towards the floor, bending her knees up against her body and hugging them. Everything sounded so terrible. She didn't want to believe it. There was abundance in nature, surely there was enough of what everyone needed to go around! She didn't want to think about it, but she just had to ask, "...did something like that happen to you too?"
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Post by Sjach Gix on Jan 26, 2015 1:38:00 GMT
"Does it really matter?" the kobold retorted bitterly, taking another drink of his water. Perhaps he should have gotten one of the alchoholic drinks, but then again, he didn't expect to have to think of painful memories tonight. "Regardless of if it happened to me or not, my story isn't a rare one among my kind. The only exception being that I'm still alive, while many other kobolds would have moved on to their next life."
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Post by Blossom on Jan 26, 2015 1:46:47 GMT
Blossom is taken aback by the kobold's attitude. "I-I don't know!" she says, trying to answer a question that was more likely rhetorical than anything else. "I'm sorry if this wasn't something you wanted to talk about... why don't we talk about something else? Not.. stuff like wars, killing... 'dissection'..."
Blossom gets a somewhat sour look of her own. Her eyes wandered from the floor to look back over to Gix, then to Arduras.
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Post by Argudas De Soleni on Jan 26, 2015 4:20:47 GMT
Argudas tilted his head forward, his eyes towards the floor. "...Forgive me. That summarizes most of my existence, and I doubt I am alone." The Warforged took a seat and rested its elbows on the table. It wasn't the most intimidating of images given that Argudas wasn't much more than a foot taller than Blossom. "If you wish I could relay some of the sights I've seen since...leaving my former masters."
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