One man burst out of his chair and backed away from the gambling table, laughing and cursing. Losing to the scorpion, the cobra thrashed toward his edge of the table. Onlookers cheered them on. The two creatures wrestled, twisting around each other in a tangle of fangs, claws, and poisonous things. The scorpion's tail was a blur, stabbing again and again and again. At last, the cobra finally fell limp, shaking with its death throes, and they declared the winner. His owner swiftly slammed a vase down on the scorpion and trapped it, smiling
{14}. Most of the table gave a resigned laugh as they pushed coin stacks his way, but one had a deep frown, clearly losing more than he would've liked
{11}. Lox had a taut, wide grin as a pile of gold came his way, one of the few winners. Apparently, it pays to know that Jahieran Scorpions have exoskeletons so thick, they're impervious to snake bites!
Lady Jacqueline was enthralled by the excitement as she sat. After the cobra's body was disposed, and blood and venom wiped from the table, they finally brought out the dice, and things settled down over there. Seated in a polished wooden stool by the bar, Jacqueline asked the bartender
{B}, "
What's the best of whatcha have here?" Older with a balding head and two tufts of gray hair on both sides, he replied, "
Best is a Saarian Parakappa Royal-Vintage Wine, 200 gold pieces." He chuckled and smirked, "
But you don't seem in the market for that." Herr Johannes took a seat next to her and tossed the bartender five silver pieces, "
Yea, perhaps something a little less than what she's having." Johannes was met with a glass of Vaterlandic Red Ale. The color made him smile, for he knew the reddening was from a special kind of root that grew in the mountains, not far from his old home.
"
Here, take my seat," Johannes said to Mikael when he was finished. "
I need to use the bathroom." Standing, feeling the satisfying tingle of a Vaterlandic brew, he meandered across the room. Courtesans waved toward him as he walked by; they laid nearly on top of each other upon a lush red couch, likely high on some kind of opium. Johannes ignored them and continued up the stairs, passing by a drunk patron stumbling his way down
{4}. He tried to open the door, but was disappointed to find it locked. Coming back downstairs, Johannes then realized there was another door beneath the steps, shadowed by the wooden supports – and based on the conflicting smells of something pungent and strong fragrances, it was definitely the bathroom. Johannes chuckled at having missed it and took a moment to watch the gambling table from here. Rolling two dice, it looked like they were playing Over-Under Sevens; this much Johannes recognized, but he didn't know how to play. Coins were stacked high around the table. Whatever they were doing, it was high stakes. [
Private to Herr Johannes: Johannes prayed to know the hearts of those around him, but his thoughts were overburdened. There were too many, too close, unable to discern one from the other. Few were free from hatred and despicable deeds of their past, though some were clearer than others, yet they blurred together in Johannes' mind, inseparable from one to another. But a common taint stood out among them, among many if not all - avarice.]
***
Black Guard: Towering over others, this hulking man stood quiet and diligent. Jacqueline knew at first glance he wasn't local – likely from the tropical isles based on his dark skin. The Olseeni famously used men like this, often slave-born, castrating them at an early age and trained as harem guards from the day they can walk. They're highly prized both as palace guards and bodyguards, especially the latter by some noblewomen of Perdane. They're famous for both discipline and skill with numerous weapons. He looked like a very difficult fight.
Lox: Hair in a tight black bun, the same color as his long braided goatee, he gambled gleefully. Dull green shirt over leather armor, he had a rapier at his side, and it looked like he could use it. . . and well. Despite some Shan-tai heritage, he was Herrod-born, mixed. Jacqueline could only remember he was a successful pirate, one of many. Successful people often know what they're doing.
Barkeep: Although he was aging and gray, patrons treated the bartender with respect, almost reverence. Suddenly, Jacqueline realized he was the famous pirate Hugo Hawkins! Long retired of course. Decades ago, Hugo Hawkins was best known for his daring, if not insane, raid on a Galian warship, using treebark, a barrel, and storing the chemicals to a Fire Bomb in his stomach. The plunder was said to make him wealthy to the end of his days – Jacqueline supposed opening a high-end bar wasn't a bad way to retire!
Waiters: Both men, one was a halfing and the other a young man. At first Johannes was perplexed by the halfling, but then he saw him dash under three patrons with perfect agility, not spilling a drop. He'd be a useful server when the place got crowded.
Slaves: Two woman in their thirties, they were either Herrod-born or Kabariyan. By the worn expressions, they'd been slaves for a long time; clad in roughspun garb, they'd been brought here either to be sold, traded, or gambled away - common folk.
Aisha: Hair black as night, it fell over her clasped knees. She silently stared at the ground. Unlike the other slaves, she was in a white cotton dress which probably wasn't her own. She was dressed up to be sold, and at age fifteen, undoubtedly for a high price. Collared, she was tied like the others to the couch by a cord rope.
Courtesans: In their transparent silks, they were the finest the city had to offer, for only the most attractive were employed by the Serpent Galleon.
Patrons 1, 8, & 7: An orc
{1} and his goblin companions
{8 & 7} drank heavily and conversed. All looked to be sailors, a blade of some kind at their belts, but Jacqueline could tell by the small details of their garb and accent they weren't natives of Herrod. Likely, they were just passing through. Moderates at a guess.
Patrons 2, 9, & 10: Speaking with two dwarves, a man tugged at his blonde beard
{2}. With the amount of facial hear he had, he almost looked like a dwarf himself, albeit a tall & thin one. His stylish tunic contrasted with rough pants, as though he'd only put on a nice shirt for the occasion. A business meeting? He laid out a paper in front of the two dwarves who examined it without a hint of joy, stoic. The man nervously laughed and spoke, but the stone-faced dwarves just glared at him. Jacqueline recognized one of the dwarves
{10}, a local, for he was
Ithor the Shipbuilder! He made ships for both states and pirates alike, and those who didn't pay for them always,
always, met an unfortunate end.
Patron 3 & 6: One man was in cobalt-blue platemail, and the other, a woman
{6}, wore a dull grey breast plate; their skin was dark – almost black - likely from the jungle isles. Longswords at their side, they looked like experienced adventures. Alternating between the Common tongue and a strange clicking language, they spoke pleasantly. The party couldn't name them, for the were foreigners, but they looked like a challenging fight.
Patron 4: Some sailor or thief, he drunkenly stumbled down the steps, ragged shoulder-length hair getting messed. More likely than not, he'd come into a large payday only recently and was eager to spend it on the luxuries this place had to offer. Mikael suspected he belonged here less than they did! He'd be effortless to put down.
Patron 5: Tattoos across his face, sides of his head shaved, this man stared angrily into his glass. Mikael had never met him, but he recognized the tattoos by someone's description. If he remembered correctly, this man was Nidvik, a cutt-throat known for his direct and brutal approach. He was messy, and that was the very reason he received so much business – for his employers knew that word of his work was a better deterrent than any threat. Judging by his expression and the heavily stained battleaxe, he'd be as likely to kill someone as talk to them. A challenging opponent to be sure.
Patrons 11, 12, 13, & 14: Most at the gambling table were either wealthy pirates, merchants, or perhaps an odd mixture of both. One had a large hat and mustache, and he was clad in expensive clothing
{11}. He looked fairly displeased, apparently having lost quite a bit of money today. Likely some kind of merchant, he looked relatively harmless on his own, but that didn't mean he couldn't hire people to harm others for him. Next to him was another Herrod-born man in leather armor; hair tied up in a bandana, he gave full attention to the gambling at hand
{13}. A shortsword was slung at his side. Across from them was a woman – not a slave, but an equal among them! Lengthy black hair flowed out of a rimmed hat with a red ribbon stylishly tied around it. Rapier at her side, she looked very confident, Mikael couldn't remember a thing about her save that her name was
Unaylen {12}. Lastly was another unmistakable pirate; large hat with an equally large feather sticking out, he smoked a pipe while gambling away
{14}. Next to him was a vase containing his prize-winning scorpion, and a little closer than that, a very ornate longsword. He'd clearly made quite a bit of money in his lifetime, and Jacqueline knew exactly who he was:
Buddy. Despite the friendly sounding name, Buddy was an expert thief and pirate, who'd robbed more ships, towns, and homes in a few years than most thieves do in a lifetime. Jacqueline could say this much – he was ambitious. Thus, concluded the assortment of scallywags.
