Dry Fork Town
Population: 1,351
Government: There is a mayor named Corey Cole (wife Lori Ann Cole) who rules the town fairly. There is also an elder in town that people turn to for more day-to-day problems. The elder's name is Walter Kine.
Defense: 6 guards at 8 posts throughout town.
Inns: Traveler's Inn (standard), Turquoise Dragon Inn (slightly expensive)
Taverns: Burning House Tavern, Old Olly's, and the two inns each have a bar.
Temples: Temple of the Road (Avandra); Harvest Temple (Pelor);
House of the Sun (Pelor); The Hammer House (Moradin)

Dry Fork Town is a nice place, nestled between a mountain and some grassy plains (just a few miles out is a forest). The people there are generally light-hearted and ready to help out strangers. Aside from the people of note listed above, Heinrich Pferdefedern and his daughter Hilde are centaurs who moved into town about 10 years ago. Of course, the sheriff Crook Shank is well known.

It's another Sunday morning, people are taking a break from business and heavy chores. Most take some time to worship at one of the local temples, but there are a few who aren't all that religious. Everything seems fine.

(OOC: All questions about Dry Fork Town, please direct at the OOC thread, PM, or as a short blurb at the bottom of your post like this OOC blurb I just typed.)

Kennedy - Rogue
"Don't go thinking you're going to get some divine inspiration," he air quotes the last two words, "today; those gods of yours can't possibly hear every single one of you at once!" Kennedy was one of those few in Dry Fork that didn't believe in hokey religions and all powerful beings. There's nothing better than a sword in your hand and armor on your body. Because when it comes down to it, the only person who is going to save your ass, is yourself.
Kicking random bits of stone on the way through the center of town Kennedy makes his way to the Traveler's Inn. The bread was always a day stale, the ale was watered down, and the company was marginal at best. But the barmaids, ah yes, the barmaids, that's what made this inn worth the five silver he spent on a regular basis.
The light strum of a lyre being struck slipped it's way to the street and caught Kennedy's ear. Ah, the bard plays once again, perhaps he'll play something good for a change. Opening the inn's door the smell of stale air hits him in the face. Has no one left since I was here two days ago?
The main level is lit only by the sun shining through the smudged windows and the barely burning hearth that sits opposite the bar. Looking around Kennedy only sees the bard strumming and humming to some gawd awful song. No innkeep. No barmaids. Interesting.
Am I early? He asks himself. Breakfast was always ready by the time he got in on Sundays. He sniffs the air, not even the bacon is cooked. "Hey! You! What's you're name?! Bard fellow, where is everyone?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:36, Thu 07 June 2012.

The bard shrugs and says, "Probably at church. It is Sunday. And the name's Greg. If you're looking for someone, try the churches. Even some of the regular drunks and some barmaids I didn't figure the kind are at the churches today. I think they said something about it being a particularly special holy day or something. The bartender's in the back, though. He's getting ready to lock up, kick me out, and head out himself."

Kennedy looks at the bard, "Greg? Really? Nothing creative? Like." he pauses, trying to come up with something creative, "Aerosmith?"
The Traveler's Inn was rarely closed. What day could it possibly be that's soooooo important to close up such a 'fine' establishment?
Palo, the bartender emerges from the back, "Alright, everyone out!"
Kennedy looks to Greg, then to Palo, then back to Greg, and mouths "Everyone?"
"You know Palo," Kennedy says with a smart-ass smirk, "this isn't good for business you know. I've been coming here for months now, and I've never been kicked out," in actuality it had only been a couple days since Kennedy had arrived in town, "on purpose."
"OUT!" Palo shouted, pointing towards the door.
A string on Greg's lyre snapped and Greg let out a yelp of pain.
"Take it easy Palo. Alright, alright. I'm going." Turning on his heal Kennedy strolled out of the inn. This was not how his Sunday was supposed to be working out. I hate Sundays.
The sun stung his eyes as he exited. Holding up an arm to block out the sun, Now what? Kennedy thought to himself.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:37, Thu 07 June 2012.

When Kennedy exited the tavern, he could see most of the commotion was happening at the churches, as expected. He also sees a traveler who looks like they're from out of town. A redhead halfling with bright emerald eyes is wearing some kind of thick leather or hide, a backpack full of equipment, a shield, a sword (unusual looking sword: a scimitar).

She spots Kennedy, notices Greg being kicked out with him, and notices the bartender locking up before heading out. She widens her eyes in surprise at the sight and trots over to the three. "Tavern closing? But it's early..."

Palo says, "Traveler, eh? Well it's World Day, so everyone is at the churches celebrating."

Emerald ohs and nods. "Guess I'll be joining in the festivities... that where you all are going?"

Greg says, "Nothing better to do. Besides... all the markets are at the churches today, so if I wanna replace my string..."

Emerald smiles. "My name's Emerald. Mind if I join you all?"

Greg says, "I'm Greg, this is Pelo. I don't mind."

Emerald looks at Kennedy. "And you are...?"

Kennedy looks at the redheaded halfling girl curiously. "I'm surely not going to church. Those places are suckers. I find it hard to believe there's a group of all powerful beings who just sit by the wayside and watch us," he air quotes again, "'guiding our actions.'" He hesitates, debating whether or not to continue, "where were they when my brother, Oswald, died at the hands of some disgruntled bartender?" He glares at the nearest church, obviously struggling with the memories of his older brother.

He wipes his eyes with the back of his white shirt sleeve, and sniffs. "Sorry," he heaves a sigh and looks to the dirt road. "Feel free to join Greg and Palo, I'm sure they'll be more company than a disheartened brother." He looks into the halfling's bright emerald eyes. Something them tells him she's someone he can trust. "On second thought, I could use some company."

He reaches into a belt pouch and produces a small silver flask, the letter 'O' innately etched into the side of the flask. Kennedy takes a draw from the flask, his wavy blonde hair rustles as a slight breeze passes through the town. He hands the flask to Emerald, "It's not much, but you're welcome to share." He takes a seat at the waterless fountain that sits in the town's center. "I'm Kennedy by the way," he says with a slight smile.

Earlier, a Paladin with a helmet that hides his face wearing a green and brown cloak over his armor took a break from his morning walk and stopped at the fountain to admire the town he just arrived at.  He dropped to one knee and bowed his head to pray.  "Hail Pelor, light of life, for this radiant morning.  Hail Avandra, compass of the traveler, for guiding my steps safely to this place.  Hail Erathis, unifier of peoples, for this haven of civilization.  Hail pantheon, vanquishers of the Primordials and sealers of the Far Realm."

He stood back up, lifted his vizor, and took a deep, refreshing breath with a content smile on his face.  He strolled over to where the crowds were gathered, his path leading him to cross paths with Emerald, Kennedy, and the others.

"Blessings," he greets them with a welcoming smile.

Kennedy's shoulders slump as the paladin mutters his stupid prayer. Why can't they keep their offerings silent? The bar is closed, it's a "holy" day, and now this knight of the gods is giving thanks within Kennedy's earshot. "Can this day get any better?!" Kennedy asks to no one in particular. He rises from his spot on the fountain and turns to address the knight.

Fixing the collar on his white shirt, and pulling his purple leather vest down in the back, he steps around the halfling. "Just who do you think you are?" His face stern, his jaw set, hoping his words would defeat the paladin. Knowing full well his nimble blade, a relic rapier passed down through his family's history, would be no match for the paladin's holy avenger.

Emerald looks over at Palo and Greg. "Go on ahead, I'll stick with Kennedy." the other two shrug and head off towards the churches. Emerald turns to look up at Kennedy and gives him a concerned look, a hint of hurt in her eyes. "I know how you feel..." but doesn't give more detail than that.

Emerald and Kennedy arrive at the fountain right around the time Joey was done praying. (No perception roll, I'm just calling that neither Emmy or Kenny noticed Joey praying and only noticed him greeting them).

Emerald gladly accepts the offered sharing and sips from it. While sipping, she peeks up at Joey over the edge of the (to her) huge flask. When she's done sipping, she smiles at him. "Hi there. I'm Emerald. This is Kennedy."

Emerald notices Kennedy stepping between her and the paladin, realizing Kennedy could be instinctively being protective. But she waits to see how the paladin answers.

TAG: Joey
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Thu 07 June 2012.

"Greetings, Kennedy and Emerald," the paladin answers with a sweeping bow, leaving himself wide open for whatever attack Kennedy may have planned.  He remains bowed as he introduces himself, "I am Joey.  If I somehow offended, I apologize.  It was not my intent."

He remains bowed, the armor and backpack weighing down heavily on him, but he tries not to let it show as he holds the pose, waiting to be told he may rise.

"You holy warriors are all the same," he says with a sneer. If it was one thing for the man to be praying, but now he was bowing with an apology, "I don't want your coutrecies." The heat of the day was getting to him, despite the breeze that had swept its way through the town. Sweat beaded from his brow. Perhaps it was that, and not the paladin's arrival that made Kennedy irritable. That, and the fact that the bar was closed -- nothing worse than that!

He looks to Emerald, "Perhaps Joey, is in need of a drink?" Slipping the flask from the girl's small hands, Kennedy steps around the fountain and hands the clergyman the silver container. "Here, take a swing," though it is not said in a friendly tone. "You look like you've had a long day so far."

It would take Kennedy some time to get used to wearers of the cloth, but now would be a good time to start. Especially since he'd allready paid for a couple weeks in advance for room and board. Kennedy enjoyed traveling, but money was getting low, and he had heard that Dry Fork might offer some opportunities.

"So," he says to both Joey and Emerald, "what brings you to town?" It was high time to play nice, Greg and Palo obviously weren't going to be much company during his stay.

Emerald answers, "Well I'm just traveling m'self. Wanna see the world. And at the same time, hoping to find a place I might want to call home. Never really had one..."

Emerald glances back to Joey and says, "Kennedy here is upset because the bar is closed and, well, he's not fond of the gods."

She then looks back at Kennedy and with a smile and a shrug, says, "But if every holy warrior were the same, then they would all be humble, apologetic sorts like Joey here, rather than the holier-than-thou bullies I've experienced first hand back in Red Wall, who kicked me to the ground for pointing out their own scriptures to them."

Besides... paladins can't all be alike or some of them would be disowned by their gods since not even the good gods agree on how to do things. But Emerald decided pointing that out would just seem like she's beating a dead horse.

Emerald climbs onto the fountain in order to be closer to the others' heights so she isn't craning her neck so much. "I'm lookin' to find some traveling companions too, if possible."

(OOC: Red Wall is a city, about 50 miles north by northwest of Dry Fork. There's about 3 towns and a city between here and there.)

"I have," Joey answers Kennedy, rising from his bow, "Thank you."

He takes a quick swig from the offered drink and returns it to Kennedy.

"You may not like the answer, but frankly, the truth is that I'm here on Avandra's orders.  Details are sketchy, but I know that I am to meet with some courageous souls willing to help deal with a dangerous threat in the near future."

He smiles at Emeralds' mention of looking for home while traveling.  "You and me both."

He puts on a serious face at Emerald's story of Red Wall.  "Thank you for the compliment.  If it helps any, I too have been mistreated by 'holy warriors.'  Others as well, of course, but that's beside the point.  Evil deeds come from even those who claim to worship gods of good."

"A mission from Avandra, ey?" He chuckles, "yet another poor man who believes in holy missions," he raises his hands to the sky, looking up, "from the all powerful beings who watch over us." Lowering his arms he gives a mocking smile. "You're right, I don;t like it. Rather, I  don't believe it."

Kennedy takes the flask and sips it before continuing, "We are all just ants in an ant hill: milling about, doing our thing, when something happens. Then we all struggle for survival. Some of us live, some of us die. And when we die, that's it.  We don't go to Heaven or Valhalla, we just die. The end. Lights out." He catches himself before continuing, realizing that what he said will not garner him friends, especially in a religious town like Dry Fork.

Biting his lip he waits for the others to respond. His mouth has gotten him into trouble before, now was not the time to cause problems. It had been several months since he'd truly had a decent conversation with 'real' people. Most of the time he talked with drunks and sleeping barmaids. Beside, who else would he talk to? Palo? Greg? No likely.

It was time to hold his tongue. He, like them, had come here for adventure. And whether it was by fate or by design, if Joey 'knew' there was a task to be completed -- and it paid handsomely -- Kennedy would lend his blade and skills to the call. "Sorry Joey, my words sometimes escape my mouth before I can think. Should your 'mission from Avandra'" air quoting, "hold true, then you have my blade." He extends his hand, hoping the paladin would accept his grasp and his pledge.

Emerald hops off the fountain and says, "Well then! Let's get going to the crowds and see if our "mission" starts with them. There could very well be people in need of help..." she begins heading towards the churches. "No matter what you may think of the gods, the fact is most people think a lot on the gods. So if you're going to make a mark, for better *or* for worse, you'll need to be among people who believe. Just like I live in a world of giants, so the bars and tables are super tall, many a thing in shops are out of reach. But it's the world I live in and I'm more than happy to share it with you fine, tall folk. Everyone has their troubles, but all too often people take for granted what others have to endure. And believe me... people who believe in the gods have hardships of their own, such as doubting their entire existence."

The streets are pretty much empty on the way to the crowds. So there isn't much to take note of on the way there. Once there, however, the trio will see all the people of town (and various visitors from out of town) are all communing either in light conversation, prayer, or even trade. The markets have moved to this area for the day, so it seems business is still going, despite all the worship going on. Granted, it seems more like an overgrown party / holiday than any kind of worship service. There isn't even any special speakers or such.

(OOC: Funny how people will just hang out with children and for the most part, forget how frustrating it is for everything to be out of reach or to have to ask for everything rather than just get it yourself. And that's just short vs tall. One guy, as an experiment, pretended to be blind to see how people treated him. He found even cashiers would try to short him his change and others would play mean pranks, while still others would pity him. He also tried being in a wheelchair for a day and found everyone condescended or looked at him differently. One person even patted him on the head. So yeah... it's a different world, when you are atheist, religious, gay, straight, black, white, cripple, fit, etc...)

The heat of the day is getting to Kennedy. He takes another sip from his flagon hoping to quench his thirst, but the heat and humidity have affected him this day more than any other in recent memory. He stumbles, catching himself on Joe, but then slips the other way almost crushing Emerald.
Narrowly missing the small girl, Kennedy crashes into a jeweler's stand. Collapsing the rickety stand and sending necklaces, earrings and other fine merchandise flying. People cry and yell in surprise at Kennedy's sudden entrance. A stalky man, with a peppered beard comes out from behind the broken stand, his hand firmly gripping his wife's wrist, with a look of rage on his face.
As the man opens his mouth to speak, Kennedy seems to come to. Although, from the looks of him, he doesn't quite seem to know what just happened. His eyes look glossy, and though you may have only known him for less than an hour, he somehow looks different. Straightening himself, Kennedy scrambles out of the wreckage when his hand comes upon an ornate, yet old necklace.
He looks at it queerly, turning it over in his hand. A strange (from what you know) look comes to his face. And he stands up quickly, as if overcome with a new found strength. Kennedy searches for a high place to stand amongst the churches and market. Climbing up onto some large crates of a nearby merchant, it appears as though Kennedy is going to address the masses.
"Citizens of Dry Fork, hear me now!  The Lord Bahamut blessed me with his might and called me to come speak with you today!" A city guard comes up and watches him, he doesn't say anything, occasionally watching the people as a few stop to listen. "Evil is lurking in all corners of this world and has seeped into our very souls.  Yes even I have been tainted by this darkness that now lurks amongst us; underneath us as well.  But take heart.  This new champion of light has made it his mission to come amongst the downtrodden, and the weak of soul, to raise you up, as followers of the Righteous God, Bahamut!  Join me now and take a step into the light of his grace."  He pauses, looking for some sign that people are listening. "But I digress.  How can I expect you to follow me, if you yet not understand how I came into his grace?"  A few more curious people stop to listen. "I was once a lonely soul.  Lost, confused, and searching for a purpose.  I found my way onto a ship, looking for adventure -- what young lad or gal wouldn't?  I sailed the high seas, fought amongst the lost and destitute, hoping to find some sense of self.  But alas, on the waters I found nothing but death and chaos.  And so I came to Dry Fork. I knew I had made mistakes while aboard those dark ships, and I soon found hope.  Hope in the form of this necklace! He holds the necklace aloft.  "This was my salvation and has changed my life forever.  Today I come before you a new man.  A man who's mission is to bring Dry Fork into the grace of Bahamut." He looks around again, hoping to see some hope within the eyes of those listening. He spies a few people, including the guard, who seem to have taken his words to heart. "Feel the light of Bahamut shine down on you today.  And if you truly believe that this Almighty God has touched you today, kneel before his disciple and pledge your eternal oath of servitude to him.  For he will guide you the rest of your days, and bless you and your family -- he IS the Light!  He IS the Truth!  He is your holy father and will protect you for the rest of your days!" Though no one really kneels, some do move closer, and all are still seeming to be listening. "Look in your hearts, feel his presence there.  The soft thump, thump, thump." He mimics this by putting his hand on his chest and motions the heart beating, "of your heart beats because of him.  He is the creator.  He gave YOU life." Kennedy points a finger out into the crowd, moving his hand across the many faces within, "He gave you the very air you breath!  Feel your lungs fill up with his glory and might.  Breathe deep the majestic power that is Bahamut. Never has my life been so clear, my path leads to the glory of Bahamut.  My every step, my every move, my EVERYTHING is for him!"  He leaps down from the boxes to land amongst the crowd, "He is with me always!  And he can be with you too!" Touching a nearby listener on the shoulder he begins to wrap up, "He can be with you too, brother." He turns to look at those who have gathered, "Brothers, sisters, hear my words.  They are the words of Bahamut." The man he just touched looks skeptical but shrugs. "Search yourself, and you will find the missing piece that is Bahamut.  In him you will find peace.  Peace in a word of Chaos!  Do not let the death-filled cries of age long wars fill you with doubt.  Bahamut will lead you out of the darkness and into the light.  A light filled with hope.  He is the ONLY protection you will find in this ill world.  Call his name and he will bless you with his grace."
And then Kennedy collapses onto the ground. His eyes have rolled back into this head, and appears unresponsive.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_{OOC: This was Kennedy's oratory from Byron's game. I thought it was the perfect time to throw it in there, despite this version of Kennedy having a negative view of the Gods. But really this is just a drunken stupor that brings on Kennedy's apparent split personality.}
This message was last edited by the player at 06:01, Tue 12 June 2012.

Joey of course accepted Kennedy's handshake.

To Emerald he smiles and nods.  "Do let me know how I can ease what hardships you may have."

When Kennedy crashes into the jewelry stand Joey says to the angry pepper bearded man, "Please forgive my fatigued friend," and offers to pay for damages.

Kennedy's speech comes as a complete shock but Joey is at least able to figure out that it wasn't intended to mock him.  Probably.  He grates against the gross misrepresentation of the Platinum Dragon but holds his tongue, keeping true to his personal convictions that a person has the right to be free to believe what they choose to believe.

When Kennedy passes out, Joey immediately takes off his gauntlets to better administer first aid, and exhales in relief.

"He's just passed out," he explains to Emerald and the onlookers, "He's going to be alright, but I believe he must be suffering from heat exhaustion.  Some rest in a cool place will do him good.  As for what he implied of the Platinum Dragon, I must object.  As I'm sure you know, no scripture suggests that the dragon god is the only god of creation.  It was the entire pantheon that shaped this world and it's people.

"May you have a blessed World Day, everyone.  Emerald and I shall see to this man's care."

After stowing the gauntlets, Joey carefully lifts Kennedy off the ground to take him to the nearest church.