Sasserine is situated on the equator, so Shadowshore isn't literally in the shadow of the Champions District which stands on the clifts above it, but that meant little to the residents of Rubble Street - Shadowshore's least desirable location. The houses on the northern side of the street were pressed up hard against the cliffside and had to accept the boulders and small mudslides brought down by the heavy equatorial rains, not to mention the trash and filth thrown down on them by their neighbours above. For this reason, the top floor of Rubble street's many apparetment blocks were the least desirable location in this ghetto of ghettoes, but it was here that two men woke as the morning sun rose.

They shared a one room apartment with a single window facing out onto the busy street below, and had to content with the noise of everything from raging drunks to the occasional small riot. During the day the room was a furnace, with the hot sun on the roof providing baking temperature, while at night the rain trickled in through a dozen different holes. It was, by any measure, a dump.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Sun 01 Feb 2015.

Alohan wasn't bothered by the heat. He stood naked, looking out the lone window, watching as those below went about their daily toil. "De be so pale, me hoaloha" he said under his breath. "Remmi, look. Dat woman be thick." Shadowshore had been exactly what the Nuari islander needed -a fresh, novel experience. Not even the lower caste of Nuari order lived in such squalor. Alohan stood in naked wonder as the Sasserine people struggled to live in such wretched conditions.

Of course, it was all relative. To Alohan, the stench, the heat, and even the leaky roofs during midmorning monsoons was comparable to live back on Nuar. His people didn't live much differently yet the Nuari learned to appreciate what they had, learned to coexist, and learned the value of companionship with thy neighbor. They took pride in their homes, not matter the leaks, and did much to help their fellow man. Despite his own pampered lifestyle -what with personal bathers and servants- Alohan was still able to learn the value of community. Imagine his surprise when Sasserine offered almost a polar opposite to his previous existence. Sure, Alohan suspected a difference -just not as profound.

"Come hoaloha. Let us don our clothes and go about town. See what trouble we be finding!" Alohan turned to his friend, arms motioning to the world outside the little window.

The other man in the room got to his feet groggily. He also came from the archipelago nation of the Pearl Islands, but unlike Alohan he was not a member of the royal family and was not blessed with their fortitude and almost near supernatural resistance to heat. The man splash some tepid water on his face from a chipped bowl standing on a table, and then turned to address his master.

"Sire! I do not understand why we are still here! Merely pick whichever of these native women who catch your eye and we will return home. There is no benefit in spending further days in this hellhole, and as for this idea of getting a job!" The man actually shuddered at the notion of a member of the Nuari royal family taking employment like a common 'mahuri' or plantation worker.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Wed 11 Feb 2015.

The prince dropped his arms in defeat and rolled his eyes. Remmi, always the conscientious one. "Kokami Remmi," he mutter with light-hearted frustration, "We be here to expand our horizons! To live, Remmi! Dis be new and exciting -not de islands. Dis be an opportunity for me -no- us to explore de unknown! To find de unconquerable, an stick out eels in its face. Dont you want to explore what else there is outside de isles?" He left the question hang, knowing the answer.

Alohan looked back out the window as a few more passerbys slowly went about their daily toil. In truth, he couldn't really define his feelings, nor properly convey why he needed to escape. He hardly understood his drive to leave Nuar. It was just something he needed to do.

Oh, and being forced into marriage didn't help.

"Come Remmi. Dis Vanderboren requests our presence. We must help her into her dress. Help her from de men in her life."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:00, Wed 04 Feb 2015.

OOC: I love translating the Hawaiian phrases to find out what he is saying. Where do you know all those from?!

Remmi muttered something under his breath about 'not sticking one's eel in the face of things that want to bite it off', but it was lost in the noise of the awakening city. The prince's loyal retainer dressed himself, and then made sure that his Sire was wearing enough clothes that at least the first district watch they met wouldn't arrest him, then led the way out of the building and into the busy streets.

The island pair walked to the Shadowshore docks and took a gondola over to the noble district - at least their meagre funding still allowed them that - and arrived at the High Market. Remmi set about getting directions while Alohan dallied among the stalls and chatted to the merchants. The Nuari servant had to shake his head with a smile when he saw the situation upon his return. Alohan was nearly surrounded by a gaggle of merchants and their retainers, who were laughing at his description of some exploit or another. Sigh. No doubt the royal 'eel' would be involved in the tail somehow. But Remmi did admire his young master's confidence. It wasn't something that Alohan had to work at, it was just ingrained in him and part of his essence.

They continued up School Street until they came to a non-descript looking house on the corner of Magister's Street. Remmi couldn't help but scoff. This was the house of a noble family?! Obviously this wasn't home to one of the foremost families in the city.

"This is it, Sire" said Remmi. "Should we go round the back? We are here to... *work*... after all."

Alohan followed along in silence, always giving women who catch his eye a glance that would make many of his native girls swoon. Rather than most receiving his looks with a smile, maybe a word, or even a promise at a future 'encounter' many of the woman looked surprised or appalled. Men were the same everywhere. Strength of arms or a story about eels was always enough to get a man laughing yet women were as varied as the colors of their skin. He was not used to the conservative nature of the Sasserine female, nor did he fully understand it. Why wear so much clothes when the sun demanded so much from you?

"Nonsense Remmi, I hardly know dis girl. Why would we go round de back." Alohan pointed to the door bordering School Street. "I would dink she be expecting us in the front first, yes?" Alohan couldn't help but smirk thinking himself clever.

---

No secret -the almighty Google! But I try to confirm what the curse word is from multiple locations before I use it. Research but sometimes it doesn't help. For example, I was looking at fuck and apparently it is mai'a but mai'a translates to banana. How does banana mean fuck? I don't know but you best be damn sure Alohan is going to use it.

"What? No, I mean..." but Remmi saw the look on Alohan's face that meant the further discussion was useless. The look that showed that the prince had it all figured out and now the only thing left was for his loyal retainer to carry out the action. With a sigh, the servant climbed the stairs up to the front door and used a large knocker set in the door rather more strongly than was perhaps required. Within a few seconds the door was answered by a middle aged man dressed in butler's attire. The man said nothing when he saw the two islanders on the front steps, and just raised an eyebrow.

"Err... Yes, my good man. We are here about *cough* employment. It was arranged through the agency that we shall perform body guarding duties for the young lady of the house, yes?"

"I think not," said the man simply, as he took a step back and reached to close the door.

OOC: Hmm, doesn't look like this guy thinks you're up to it.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Wed 11 Feb 2015.

Before the valet could close the door on him, Alohan stepped through the threshold. Sure, he wasn't the largest of men but Alohan seriously doubted the butler's ability to push him back out under the Sasserine sun. "Der is no time for dis." Alohan said promptly, shouldering the door as one would during a bout of pa uma. "We come on behaf of dis Vander... Vanderboar. Now we do dis de easy way or we do dis de hard way. Fetch your lady so we may go about our arrangement."

Despite his position on the threshold -obstructing the door- Alohan adopted his best authoritative tone. His voice lowered an octave and he adopted a threatening posture but Alohan could feel Remmi's displeasure bearing down on him. The prince couldn't fully get into his regal character and he grasped at words. "Go good man."

---

17:25, Thu 05 Feb 2015: Alohan Nuari rolled 16 using 1d20+5 ((11)).
Intimidate the valet to do as his common blood is told.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Thu 05 Feb 2015.

The DC is 10 + HD + wisdom modifier = 12 so that roll is just fine.

The valet stands in the doorway, jaw dropping as the large half naked man pushes his way into the house. The man begins a stuttering protest, but then looks at Alohan’s stance and the tensed muscles that had thrown so man of his ‘pa uma’ opponents into the dirt before and swallows hard. “Ahh… yes, I think Miss Vanderboren was expecting some additional assistance this morning. If you would be so kind as to wait here, I will just go announce your arrival.”

The butler scurries away, leaving a smirking Remmi to enter the house as well. “Well done Sire, I am sure that he has gone to fetch the district guard. At least the cells in the noble district garrison are likely to be more comfortable than our apparentment. I will sleep well tonight!”

Remmi’s gloating is cut off as a young red haired lady enters the entre of the house. “Wow! I see that my fiancé did not skimp on the muscle when it came time to arrange for some protection!"

Alohan was quick to close the distance between himself and the assumed Amarilde Vanderboren, taking up her hand in his. "Greetings ko'u aloha," he began, making an attempt to kiss the back of her hand. While not as forward and direct as Nuari customs, the kissing of the hand was one of the first courtesy Sasserine had taught him, even if it was the most cliche. "Der be plenty of muscle to protect ya with, ko'u aloha. Allow me to introduce myself. I be Pri... Alohan... Alohan Nuari of the isle of Nuar. And dis be my loyal friend Remmi, expert wordsmith and royal pain in de ass."

Alohan rose to full height, stepping back to give her a full view of himself. "Now. Remmi be telling me ya be having problems with de men in your life. Tell me more ko'u aloha. Leave no detail. Ya never know when de snake be biting the foot, so to speak."