Complete Megathread (Story - max 10) Starcalled Beacon (Group B)

[Asch]

It has been more than a couple of days since the day the stars shot across the sky, heralding the coming of a new generation of Travelers. Having experienced the game when it first launch, Levi knew he needed to do something or the majority of the newcomers would wander into the goblin-infested Western Brisshal and end up on their sacrificial alter. And so, the majority of the Lion Arms that were stationing at HQ were mobilized.

Together with Chad and his knights, Levi set up a makeshift base out of Honeyhome and began sending groups of knights into the forest to search for newly-spawned Travelers. Whomever they could find, they would help guide them to the camp where they can get a basic rundown of the state of the world from Chad or Levi.

You sure this is a good idea, Lev? Some of the Travelers we have ran into are ignoring us while blowing up all the wolves and bears in the region. Is this some kind of weird Traveler ritual that I don't know about?

I can assure you that it's not. (Levi shook his head). Since the three deaths should have been made public, the kind of Travelers who would join the game despite knowing that fact may very well be a unopened pot of crazy.

I don't know much about Travelers, but having three lives is crazy to me. My grandmomma was as strong as a bull, yet one bad trip and she's done. You Travelers are a special bunch, huh?

Levi chuckled in response.

Meanwhile a tiny Faerin popped out from behind Levi with a tray full of freshly-baked cookies.

Commander! Captain! You should have some of these raspberry white chocolate cookies! Mimi can hear your stomach growling from the next room over!

Cycle 1

Whether or not you had just spawned into the game for the first time, or logged in for the first time in 4 years, if you're in Eastern Brisshal at the time, the Lion Arms members would have found you and brought you to Honeyhome where Levi can brief you on a number of issues.

The scene is taking place inside a tavern that had been cleared for official uses. Mimi is busy running to and from, preparing various kinds of cookies from raisin oat to raspberry white chocolate, to strawberry glaze for guests that may come their way.

Chad is sitting next to Levi on a bench on the other side of the table, across from you. Levi is busy flipping through his journal, reviewing some of his talking points.

Rules

• This is a communication-focused megathreads where your character is introduced to the Lion Arms.
• When 10 characters have joined the thread, the thread will switch to Private.
• If you're already in this thread on another character, please yield to other members.
• There is no set posting order.
• Everyone has one post per cycle.
• However, each character can address any or all of the three characters here: Levi, Chad, or Mimi or other players, all within the same post.
• New or already-established characters are welcome to join the thread.
• You are free to socialize and get to know the characters in the thread.
• This thread will be updated with or without enough characters roughly every 24 hours.
• More groups will be established if the interests are there. Please wait for overflow threads.

RNG (optional). On a scale of 1 to 4, how roughly did the boys and girls in blue approach your character? [ ?r 1d4 # How rough? ]

1. Roughly
2. Neutral
3. Friendly
4. Whoa, back up buddy, way too friendly

Spoiler: Text Bubble Template

[speech=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Chad.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this)[/speech]

[speechright=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Levi_Pendragon.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this). This version has the avatar on the right side.[/speechright]

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

Well, Ishtara tried to greet them with the same friendliness she greeted everyone else she has met so far. But ot course when that didn't happen and she was instead lifted up and brought along a bit forcefully, it wasn't something she expected when she was trying to comply with their demands of her. She offered no resistance when she was grabbed away from whatever she was doing at the time. Which... in all honesty was probably her magic in a place without enemies around.

Her tail wrapped rather tightly around her left leg. A clear sign of her nervousness.

"H-hey ah- I told you guys I'd come along without you- oh... You're putting me down now?" She wasn't small by her race's standards but she was still a good deal shorter. Ishtara's feet touched the ground and she was looking around a bit. Her tail uncoiled from her leg and she was free! To do whatever she wanted! But this was the first time she had been in town even. So she uh... awkwardly went to sit down at a nearby table to wait for anything to happen. Her hands resting between her legs.

 

[Roland Rutledge]

Roland stood at the periphery of the tavern’s entrance. He had come in his starter gear, his leather armor tight against his slim form, hoping he didn’t stand out that badly. He was surprised to see the Lion Arms we’re still active, after the players were supposedly locked out he assumed it’d crumble under the weight of its own being, but he was even more surprised by their reception of him. They seemed friendly, truly offering him a place once again in their numbers. Roland suspected it was a trap either for himself or the rest of the new players. What were they event thinking returning to this game. It’s not like he has a choice but he doubted his unique circumstances extended to everyone here. Or so he hoped.
“Always the good guy.” The voice in his head cackled. He opted to ignore it, and move to the tailed faerie who had seemed forced here.

“Are you alright?” Roland asked @Ishtara de Vanteau ”They can’t exactly keep you here you know?” His face was a mask of genuine concern he couldn’t help but flick his eyes towards the lion arms captain, as if expecting the shoe to drop.

 

[Toko]

She had still been getting accustomed to this new body, and of course the game mechanics, when the bushes nearby had rustled. The long ears had perked up in alarm as Nao—no, wait, she was Toko now—noticed the approaching figure. Tall, bulky, and very rough looking… they were definitely intimidating enough in their own right, and more so for a game nooblet such as herself.

"H-Hi there… can I h-help you—eeek!!!"

There was barely a grunt of acknowledgment tossed in Toko's direction before the approaching figure reached out to the beastfolk, and in a swift motion had hauled her right up as they kept walking with a purpose. The initial shock caused Toko to squeal in surprise, but by the time they were reaching the tavern it seemed the lepus had found her voice.

"Ch-Chotto matte!!! Put me down I said—itai! H-Hey!?!"

The once whining and kicking lepus was unceremoniously dropped into a chair, not even given the time of they by her captor as they walked right out of the tavern to search for the next wandering noob to capture and bring over as instructed. Before Toko could get up and give the retreating form an earful a new one had appeared, the scent of the freshly baked sweets that Mimi carried on a tray doing wonders to disarm whatever commotion had been about to happen.

"O-Oh, okay. Arigatoo…?"

She quietly nibbled on the picked cookie, the large dark chocolate chunks embedded into the treat playing well with the accompanying strawberry glaze on top, before Toko's eyes turned to sweep over the other figures present. Another pair was talking nearby, and from the similar gear they spotted like herself Toko assumed they too were new at the game, while a more veteran looking pair sat across the table from them all… where they the ones that had them brought over to this place?

"A-Anooo, sumimasen…! Why are we here…?"

Maybe this was a… oh what was that word she'd heard before… quest! Right! Could this be a game quest then? And, if so, where these all NPCs…? Then again the same could be said for many of the figures that had stared at the loud lepus as her capture had hauled her ass over to this place, and everyone else that she had seen in this world thus far.

Everything felt a little bit too real—it seemed this game was truly filled with an over abundance of surprises…

 

[Mighty Rumblehide]

The first mistake the meat elf made was swinging at one of them.

But, in her defense your honor; they grabbed her first.

A pair of them--clad in armor and adorned in the colors and symbols of the Lion Arms--happened upon Mighty Rumblehide as she was on her way to a general store for some provisions. "Traveler? Come with us." No explanation given; no opportunity for refusal. Just hands reaching out to take her away. So of course she clocked one of them in the jaw! Wouldn't you? But then she was swiftly reminded that her stats were still a little on the weak side; and was soon carried off to a tavern.

"Put me down, assholes," she roared as these two motherfuckers (who were several inches shorter than her yet still dwarfed her in every other way that mattered) dragged her through the doorway of the makeshift command post. "I swear to whatever gods you pray to that I'll rip your heads off!"

They finally let her go. Rumble stumbled forward, then a growl grew in the pit of her stomach as her fists clenched into wrecking balls and her muscles tensed. Spinning around, she met the stone-faced tin cans that hauled her here against her will. She pulled back a fist--

And immediately thought better of it when she realized that she was surrounded by other players and--perhaps more importantly--other people dressed in Lion Arms regalia.

Her body relaxed, even though her SPECIAL! meter was going batshit in the corner of her UI. She whirled around on the most important-looking people here. Her voice filled the tavern. "What the hell is going on here?"

 

[Ayna Nietzsche]

Ayna stared at the men across from her at the table. At first glance, she took to them as the leaders of the entire operation. They seemed to her like capable warriors, much more capable than the ones sent to force her to whatever the heck this was. Ayna had taken a few of those lesser capable warriors out, just stabbing them with her lightning-charged polearm. She didn't even try to injure any of them. She just enjoyed their screams when they got tased. Music to my ears.

Of course, it helped that none of them actually wanted to hurt her. Or even tried to fight back. It was hard to lay a hand on someone screaming a lot of unnecessary and hurtful accusations even before you could approach them. Anya had always wanted to do that, scare people into submission with just a lot of yelling. It was something she could not do in the real world, so this game was a blessing in disguise. Less stupid than I thought.

Am I getting arrested?

Ayna asked before grabbing one of the Faerin's cookies, sniffing it out for poison, even though she had no idea what poison smelled like in this world, or how to properly check for poison in any world for that matter, before gobbling it all like a goblin.

Because if I'm not, then it's illegal to hold me here without my consent.

She continued stuffing her face with the tasty dessert, the first time she has tasted one of these things in the game.

Probably even a crime. You're all infringing on my rights as a free woman.

She then turned to the Faerin with a big grin, and pieces of cookies on her face.

These are really good. Do you have more? Are you selling these, by the way? Might make a killing with all the hungry folks in Lyrwick.

 

[Sakura Wind]

Sakura was unsure of the people that had approached her. She was on edge from being near others already, and it was clearly visible in the way she carried herself. She silently weighed her options while looking between them and the surrounding area. If I go alone, I might get attacked... But these people look really scary... If I be nice to them, maybe they'll spare me...? Sakura reluctantly agreed to go with the pair. She followed a bit behind, trying to stay outside of arm's reach in case they try to make any moves on her.

Sakura didn't dare to try talking to the people leading her somewhere. During the walk, she tried her hardest to distract herself with the wildlife. What a pretty bird... And those flowers, the aroma's so nice... More birds! Sakura tripped on various occasions during the walk, quickly pulling herself to her feet and apologizing in an attempt to appease the armored people. Once the three arrived to what seemed to be some kind of tavern, Sakura entered behind the two men and quickly darted into a corner, clearly not trusting the men or anybody else around.

 

[Sol]

Sol had been chilling in Eastern Brisshal, minding her own business doing who knows what when a group of three knights approached her looking mildly concerned. Confused by the expression on their faces, Sol turned them down when they asked if she wanted to come with them. Immediately smiles grew on their faces as they circled her, one leading her arm, one braiding her hair, and one on her shoulders (was he giving her a massage? The confusion only grew from there) as she was led towards Honeyhome, a place she had been before. By the time she got there and the three had led her to a bench, sat her down, given her some cookies and then dispersed, she was both comfy and uncomfy? They had to be npc's, right? Why was the coding set up in such a strange way?

Blinking her eyes a little and giving her head a hard shake, she looked around the room for the first time to take in her surroundings, absentmindedly biting on her cookie as she did so. It seemed to be some kind of base for the Lions Arms, and there were a lot of other people there that looked just as confused or uncomfortable as her. Her eyebrows furrowed a little bit, but as she sat back and gave her shoulders a good roll she decided well, maybe that wasn't so bad after all.

Looking to the right was finally when she spotted a familiar face. Sitting there was one of the npcs she had met before, the guy named Chad from when they saved the sheep. The last thing Sol remembered from him was his invitation for all of them to join him in the bath... Which she had turned down due to the fact that was breaching a certain level of comfort she hadn't gotten with anyone. He was overtly friendly, which was nice, but not something Sol was ready for at the moment. Plus he wasn't real, so there was also that. Beside him was another probable npc who was rather good looking, but if he was anything like Chad, she had little to no interest in communicating with them.

Looking behind the two though, she spotted a girl sitting in the corner. She looked to be scared, which was something Sol could understand from an introverted view point, except people didn't really scare her more then just annoyed her. But, grabbing a cookie as she got to her feet, she made her way over to the frightened person. She at least made a promise to herself that she would try to be a little more social in Terrasphere, and so she might as well reach out to another introvert in need.

Leaning over towards @Sakura Wind as she got close, her long freshly braided hair hanging around her side as she got close, extending out the cookie towards her.

Here, want a cookie? They're not bad, I think this one is chocolate chip.

 

[Ru Ning]

Having just arrived to Honeyhome and departed from his new found friends, Ru looked around in awe and amazement at his first settlement. His wonder was short lived however as three lads in blue strode up to the beastfolk with unclear purpose. Without much word save for "come with me if you want to live" the trio hoisted him up over their shoulders and carted him away.

"Hey! Put me down! Ohgod I'm being kidnapped, heeeeeeelp!!!"

Much to his chargrin, the beginner was no match, his voice drowned out by their inane laughter and the din of the town.

Their destination thankfully was not far. Arriving at a building further down the road, they'd unceremoniously plop his butt into a seat, telling him to wait quietly "if he knew what was good for him." Though their brusque attitude was a bit off putting, the lepus obediently stayed put, waiting anxiously while looking around. Judging from the appearance of things, his circumstance wasn't too bad considering the numerous other individuals that had been brought here as well. Perhaps this was the tutorial he had been looking for? Had those players from earlier bugged the system and brought about such an unorthodox starting quest?

His musings were interrupted however as a short statured individual scurried up to offer him baked goods.

"Oh… these smell good. Don't mind if I do! Thank you."

Picking up a cookie to nibble on, he'd continue to look around, eyes stalling upon a similar pair of elongated ears ( @Toko ). Curiosity peaked, Ru strode over to the woman and took a seat beside her while expressing his own confusion.

"This reminds me of a draft… think we'll get conscripted? Aya.. they could've at least asked me to follow instead of just grabbing."

He'd wave amicably at his fellow beastfolk while continuing to nibble gingerly at his cookie.

"At least the snacks are good. That's promising…"

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

Frey had been minding his business when a knight twice his size had approached him, extending an invite to an impromptu meeting for Travelers such as himself who didn’t know where to step on the forest without triggering a sleeping Dendro Slime… Wrong game!

He had denied the invitation, of course, when he found out the meeting was to be held all the way on the other side of the city, throwing his head back with a groan. Apparently, that was all the knight required in response before hoisting Frey up in his arms, who did not protest the interaction. A free ride is a free ride.

He enters the tavern in the arms of said knight, a smile spread across his lips and engaged in what seems to be an amicable conversation with the one carrying him, immediately pointing out one of the benches that had yet to be occupied in their entirety.

This seat taken? It’s okay now, big guy, you can put me down now.

He lightly pats the cheek of the knight carrying him with a familiarity most would find unbecoming and strange, oblivious to the fact most people other than him would fit in such a category. They just don’t understand how close you can become to someone willing to carry you for half an hour through the forest. That sort of bond is nothing to be so quickly dismissed.

Frey is lowered on the ground next to one @Sol, occupying the seat next to the red-haired swordswoman without so much as waiting for her reply. All he offers in greeting is a bow of his head in acknowledgment, followed by a waved of his hand the moment he is right beside her.

And then he sees the plate of cookies sitting by its lonesome on the table.

Oh man, these… (Munching noises.) These are good! You got more? What? Yeah, I’m totally listening to what you are saying, totally.

Wiping the cookie crumbs clinging to either side of his mouth with as much decorum as he can manage (which is to say, little to none), he looks up beyond the gathering of fellow Travelers to the armored people front and center, mostly left unbothered by the rest of the knights entering and leaving.

So, uh… What’s this whole thing about? Did we break anything? I ain’t done nothing. Not that you can prove, and that one time was an accident!

 

[Alastair Brass]

.

Alastair, while capable of dealing damage, was by and large more useful in a supportive role. By design. Logging into the bloody game only to be chased by goblins mid-exploration, including some shrieking one astride the back of a very mangy looking wolven creature, was not his expectation. The adrenaline had felt real, but he'd been lucky not to discover how real the teeth and spears were. Some excitable duo of armored folks were quick to swoop in, sword and sword and board brandished. With a few heals their way, they'd lain the goblins low and turned on him with glittering eyes. Gleaming eyes. Grins miles wide. They had started talking and hadn't stopped as they accompanied him off and away to some nearby village and their "Captain," whom both insisted was the coolest and most competent man they'd ever met, besides someone named Zeus. They would have been floating in their delight at the name alone.

While he'd put up an attempt to wriggle free and carry on about his job, the boy had hooked his left arm and the girl the right and very nearly frogmarched him onwards. Ugh. Eventually, he gave up on trying to get any answer save "no" from the two self-proclaimed saviors. Not entirely off, but he was beginning to feel a tad bit crowded.

His arrival at Honeyhome saw him delivered promptly amidst a crowd and a table that made memories of job fairs spring to mind. Gross. The magus thanked both for their "assistance" and fought the internal cringe at just how exuberantly delighted they were in response. His luck turned, and they were quick to run off and report to some Knight or another about their job well done. Left drifting closer to other new arrivals, Alastair remained standing but quickly set sights on @Frey Elzeiros

You are in luck, my friend-in-circumstance, as I've certainly not. I believe, rather, we're all here for (a laugh somewhere between disbelief and actual amusement) an orientation of sorts? That was the most I could parse from my rather excitable escorts.

About half of the gathered sorts all seemed to have the right idea about the cookies, given that the white chocolate and macadamia nut one he was quick to finesse off another's small plate was fantastic. The accusations of @Ayna Nietzsche and @Mighty Rumblehide were dampening the mixed aura of hostile confusion and busybody hospitality. Only one thing for such pesky anxieties. Answers!

I would be correct that I wasn't the only one with rather... overzealous 'heroes' then? Well, I'm sure we can all straighten these things out without legal disputes or, heavens forbid, abject violence.

The fine coat whirled as he spun to face and promptly approach the fiery-haired young man, one Commander Pendragon if he heard right, behind the central table.

Perhaps you or your associate, fine Sirs, can help settle all this?

Alastair directed a gentleman's smile and bow toward the chipper Mimi at fault for their quality concessions.

And a humble thank you, Miss, for your efforts.

 

[Asch]

Once the room was filled with unique and disgruntled potential recruits who seemed to all be simultaneously melting down from a mystifying kidnapping plot. A mountain crashed through the door standing between the kitchen and the lobby.

The man was tall, Zeus-tall to be exact, with white hair combed back and a black mask wrapped around his face at eye-level. He was immediately joined by Chad, Mimi, and the rest of the Lions who had donned the same mask, standing behind him with their legs spread and their arms crossed, assuming a power pose before the group of ragtags.

OHO! You have been DETAINED by none other than the GREAT and TERRIBLE BAD LAD GANG! Your safety is now in OUR hands!

The ONLY way for you to GET OUT of this UNSCATHE is an agreement to THESE DEMANDS!

HOH! Listen well, uh, you worms! YES, WORMS OF UNAPPETIZING ORIGIN!

EINS! You will NOT kill another TRAVELER!

ZWEI! Ze world is DANGEROUS, there be BIG and HUNGRY FLYING REPITLES LOOKING FOR ITS NEXT MEALWORMS LIKE YOU. So be CAREFUL!

DREIII! Mimi's COOKIES are the BEST in the WORLD, you shall EAT and JOIN the PRIDE! NON NEGOCIABLE!

DES-ENDE!

(A deep shadow casted over the red-head's eyes as he sat in complete silence, refusing to partake in the fiasco that was unfolding before him. After what felt like an eternity of foot tapping and waiting for the idiots to finish their performance, he shouted.

QUIT IT! No one is being kidnapped, arrested, or detained!

(Levi annoyedly fixed his hair after strands sprung out from his otherwise perfect comb-job from barking at the masked jokesters.)

Aha…ha, pardon the senile old man and the rest of the fools following his steps.

(He attempted to pivot the scene away from the fiasco.)

I'm Levi, a UI-locked, commander of the Lion Arms. This is meant to be a PSA for both newcomers and those who had played the game before the disappearance.

Anyways, I don't think I need to reiterate the old man's first and second point, but as for the third point, I ask that you keep an open mind toward the Pride, considering the exhaustive effort we put into keeping Astorea safe from fire, monster, evildoers, and natural disasters.

But clearly, we don't have the manpower to take our coverage up a little.

Even if these buffoons misbehave from time to time, they are still family and you are all welcome to join this one. We may not have the smart of the MIT, the recognition of the League, or the wealth of the Guild, but we do have the heart and heroism.

(Zeus, Chad, Mimi, and the rest of the pride members were in tears after Levi's speech.)

We DO have the HEART and HEROISM! Forget JOINING, COME! Let's EAT, FIGHT, and CELEBRATE! For HONOR, for FAMILY!

(The Lions broke into an 'Honor' and 'Family' chant as Levi slowly sat down, resigning to the elder's pace.)

Cycle 2
Rules

• This is a communication-focused megathreads where your character is introduced to the Lion Arms.
• When 10 characters have joined the thread, the thread will switch to Private.
• There is no set posting order.
• Everyone has one post per cycle.
• However, each character can address any or all of the three characters here: Levi, Chad, or Mimi or other players, all within the same post.
• New or already-established characters are welcome to join the thread.
• You are free to socialize and get to know the characters in the thread.
• This thread will be updated with or without enough characters roughly every 24 hours.
• More groups will be established if the interests are there. Please wait for overflow threads.
• Please try to keep your response somewhat brief!

Spoiler: Text Bubble Template

[speech=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Chad.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this)[/speech]

[speechright=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Levi_Pendragon.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this). This version has the avatar on the right side.[/speechright]

@Ishtara de Vanteau @Roland Rutledge @Toko @Mighty Rumblehide @Ayna Nietzsche @Sakura Wind @Sol @Ru Ning @Frey Elzeiros @Alastair Brass

 

[Ayna Nietzsche]

Well, hello. Ayna immediately cleaned the crumbs off her face at the sight of Zeus. She scrambled to make herself more presentable, all that agitation, well the ones that remained after consuming the cookies, suddenly disappearing into a puff of smoke. Figuratively. What replaced it was a playful smirk, her interest more than piqued by those muscles. He's probably rich, right?

You can have more than just my safety in your massive hands, Mister, uhh, Levi Senior?

Ayna wasn't quite sure if the two were related. From the looks of them, mostly through their hair color, probably not. But she could be wrong. Regardless, she didn't have that much info on who the silver wolf was, the musclebound marvel, that had his own entourage. When they broke into their little chants, Ayna found herself joining them, too, though that whole bit about some other group having more money than them lingered in her head.

What are those other things that you mentioned? Other groups? One of them's wealthier than you guys? That's a damn shame.

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

Her head turned to Roland. She wasn't expecting to be addressed so readily. Her tail stuck straight up- why is everyone so goddamn tall? Wait how tall did I make myself? She ignores that question. "Oh- ah, I'm fine. I'm not injured or anything, they just... kinda scooped me up while I was practicing magic..."

Her head turned to scan the room, seeing a dog girl or something hiding. She almost stood up, grabbing a cookie. But when someone else had... already done exactly that, she put the cookie back on the plate. Along with all the others that were brought in. Though... Ishtara did notice some people being treated eexceptionally well. It caused a jealous twitch of her tail. Why do they get to be treated with respect and she doesn't?! Rude! But she kept quiet as her attention again fell to @Roland Rutledge who had addressed her.

"So ah, what's going-" A very loud man suddenly burst through a door. Her eyes immediately on him. Ishtara stood up as he spoke. They way he spoke was making her want to run. But a small glance around. Should... should she? She opened her palm menu. She could just log out... though then the red head began speaking. Much more calm. Much less loud. She liked him more.

But when she heard some terms she didn't understand, well... she raised her hand. "Uhm- what does UI-locked mean? Like you just can't access your inventory or anything?" Her hand remaining in the air as she spoke to give herself some height, given her status as shortest in the room aside from the literal child... "Sorry if that seems like an obvious thing."

 

[Sakura Wind]

Sakura watched as a red-haired woman approached her with a cookie. She seemed to be friendly, at least from the few seconds she'd seen the woman. It turns out she was offering Sakura a cookie, which she reluctantly grabbed for.

Umm... thank you...

Once the cookie was in Sakura's hands, she slowly started eating it. She really enjoyed the taste, having never eaten cookies not bought from the store before. Once she took a few bites, she quickly sped up her consumption of the cookie until it was gone in just a few moments.

Then the men started speaking. Initially, Sakura shrunk further into her corner to try to hide once she heard the words "detained" and "terrible". Oh no... Her fears were put to rest just after the first man finished when the second started up, putting her at ease. ...Thank goodness. She pondered what the people had said while trying to decide whether she should go try talking to them. Heart... heroism... family... that sounds nice. With much hesitation, Sakura left her little hiding spot in the corner and made her way over to who she could only assume was Mimi, seeing her as the least threatening of the people.

Umm... hello. I'm Sakura. What's your name...?

 

[Roland Rutledge]

Roland's hand flickered to his hilt as Zeus came charging in, however, even he could hardly take the large man's threats seriously and let out a long sigh and fell back into a relaxed position. Looking around Roland took a quick account of who all was there. It had been a bare moment, but suddenly the tavern seemed full of life, but despite that, he wasn't sure he recognized a face, and suddenly Lion's guild tactics made sense.

They wanted to warn about the UI locking, and use it to convince the newer players to join their ranks.

If these were newer players they had a right to know what was at stake. If they had any intelligence they'd log out where they stood, but something told him that it didn't matter how persuasive they were they weren't going to actually change anyone's mind. Exhaling once more, Roland turned to @Ishtara de Vanteau as she asked about being UI-locked.

"They're avoiding the point." A voice in Roland's head said
"They probably don't want to scare them." Roland thought back.
"They're just too cowardly to admit it." Echoed the voice in his head.

Jin was wrong, most of these characters were NPCs and didn't understand themselves, but dancing around the issue at hand wasn't helping anybody.

Though Ishtara's question wasn't directed at him, he answered, and loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"When your UI is locked, it means your body, the one in the real world has died. We know if you die in the game a certain amount of times your body perishes and traps your conciseness here. There may be other ways this can happen too due to factors in this world we don't fully understand. If you're smart you will all leave while you still have the option."

 

[Mighty Rumblehide]

If Intelligence were a stat in this game, the meat elf would have dumped it. But because it technically isn't--and therefore she couldn't--she caught on pretty quick to Zeus's theatrical shenanigans. A man after her own heart; he would've made a great comedy powerhouse in the indie federations she stomped around in.

Oh, I like him. He's fun.

But her half-cocked smile soured as she turned back to Levi. "Maybe if your pals who pulled us all off the streets were a little more friendly about it, instead of grabbing us like we were under arrest or something, it would do a lot for your PR." And then, she shot a pointed look towards the two meatheads in particular that brought her here. If this Lion Whatever was a family, were they all secretly that awful? Or were they just the cousins that nobody really likes to talk about?

"Besides," she said, turning back to Levi. "I've already pledged myself to the Adventurers Guild. Honor's great and all; but glory's more fulfilling."

And then, a lanky, shaggy-haired man spoke up, talking about the UI lock. She had heard once or twice already about it; but never really gave it much thought. Her mind was already made up on the matter, of course. "So then I keep playing until I die once or twice, log out, toss my headset in the trash, and go on with my life. I'm injured and confined to my bed right now--what the hell else am I supposed to do with my time? And if I do die or get locked or whatever? Well... Guess I don't have to worry about my medical bills anymore then!"

Rumble grinned a big toothy grin.

 

[Sol]

Sol watched small girl happily eat the cookie before giving her a small smile, then moving back over to the benches and taking a seat. As least she must have helped the other Beast feel slightly more comfortable, right? Reaching over to grab another cookie, she turned slightly to turn her attention to a small commotion coming from the entrance. Shielding her eyes as the light coming through the window in the building conveniently blinded her for a moment, she was finally able to focus once more when the figure causing the commotion was finally let down to his feet.

And that's when he sat beside her.

He was what appeared to be Faerin, with an interesting blue themed appearance that kind of reminded her of another player she had met earlier on in time. He seemed to move with some kind of air of elegance and grace, until of course- He didn't, burrowing himself into the cookies in front of him as if he owned the place. You could almost physically see the gigantic question mark over her head as her nose turned up slightly at him, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't even asked if he could sit beside her! The level of familiarity and easygoingness was odd for Sol in social situations, especially if she didn't know someone, and so, a question ended up slipping out of her mouth as he was yelling something about why he was here or whatnot.

... Do I know you?

It was then that there was a loud crash at the door and Sol was snapped out of her haze, returning her attention back to the front as a large man began to speak. She could hardly understand him through all the yelling, but she got the jist of his speech which were all quite common sense to her. She had overheard from a man she knew earlier saying this was an orientation of some sort, to which was uninterested. Sol already had full intention to join the Explorer's League and nothing else really. It was then that the good looking one spoke, and Sol only caught one thing from his entire speech, which also seemed to be sitting on the lips of everyone else.

UI-locked. She heard the whispers and rumours, but how real could they be? Listening to the other players warning about dying in real life before turning back towards the table once they seemed to be done, she reached forward to grab one of the untouched cookies left on the plate by @Frey Elzeiros. She spoke up to no one in particular, processing through her thoughts.

Seems like a whole bunch of hullabaloo to me. Why would people be locked into a video game? Can't they just take their headset off? What in a game has the power to make them actually die?

She bit down into her cookie, but immediately reeled back as she removed her teeth from the top of it, leaving a Sol-sized bit mark on the cookie as she made a grossed out expression, placing the cookie back on the table.

... Oatmeal raisin, gross.

 

[Toko]

Well... at least she wasn't the only one that got dragged here against her will? Considering others were already doing a good job of questioning the situation Toko decided to leave it up to them, giving a soft smile to Mimi as another cookie was taken from her plater... the young faerin really had quite the baking skills for sure. It was then that another of her kind decided to join her on the table, the lepus giving a smile to @Ru Ning as he sat down besides her before tapping her lips with her index finger in thought at his question.

"Oooh... I hope not? Getting forced to do things you don't want isn't fun after all—especially after being so handsy with us to bring us here in the first place."

A nod was given in agreement to his comment about the baked sweets, but before the lepus could reply back verbally the front door of the tavern had been slammed open as a tall and massive figure strode inside. The action had caught Toko off-guard, a startled cry leaving the lepus before she blushed slightly in embarrassment... Nao was still getting used to this game and everything it had to offer.

"He's... he's bluffing, dess ne?"

It was then the redhead that had been present since the start decided to interject, confirming Toko's suspicions as he tried to clear the air some. A puzzled look crossed Toko's face at the mention of the term UI-locked, though before she could voice out her question a nearby faerin had already beaten her to the punch. One of her long ears twitched, having caught another tidbit of interesting information, and the lepus turned then to look at the meaty brunette elf (@Mighty Rumblehide) not too far away.

"The Adventurer's Guild...?"

Before she could pursue that avenue of thought though another player was adding information to the initial question at hand, Toko listening intently before the meaning of his words slowly dawned in her mind.

"Ch-chotto matte kudasai—shi-shinu?! We can actually physically die in the real world if we die too many times in this game...?!"

That was... damn, you'd think the game would have a friendly alert about this upon booting up at least? She was still trying to wrap her mind around this fact—did Solaria even knew about this?!—when the bigger elf spoke again. 'Ah... she must be American then.' Toko supposed that was one way to see things, Nao had read enough horror stories online of people in the US when it came to dealing with medical expenses.

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

The voice of reason, and of kindness, had appeared as swiftly as he had dazzled the room with his eloquent speaking, offering answers to the more feisty amongst the crowd. An attitude he could respect, one that widens the smile playing on his lips as he calls for that same man, @Alastair Brass, and beckons him to sit once he is done with his conversation.

Come, friend, come sit! It might be a while before...

Zeus' timely arrival shuts him up then and there, none of the others daring to speak of their discontentment or protest any further. Even if they had a mind to say something, he suspects, their voices would only be drowned underneath that deep roar of the old man's.

Yet not even the spectacle, amusing as it might be, allows for @Sol's words to slip past him. The question elicits a chuckle from him, eyes ever forward to the knights, even if his head tilts ever so slightly towards her.

Lemme think for a second… (Taps the side of his crown.) No, I don't think so. But you could if you wanted to, which I think you do, since you asked and all. Point is, now you know me.

He says no more as he rights himself in his seat, resting his elbow upon the table just so he can prop his chin up onto the heel of his hand, watching with decaying interest as Levi's speech fails to amount to the glory delivered by Zeus and company. Hard to top costumes.

The question that is about to leave his lips after Levi's introduction comes much quicker from the mouth of @Ishtara de Vanteau, what he can only assume by stature, to be another of his kind sitting across the place from him. He raises his snack by way of showcasing his approval towards the woman's question, attention drifting to the one who answers her question.

Ah, those rumors again. Hmm. (He grabs another cookie and takes a bite out of it, movements now slow and deliberate.) Yeah, no, Imma have to call bullshit on that one.

Frey finds himself humming in agreement when he overhears the musings of the redhead somehow still sat beside him, slow to voice more concerns or opinions of his own until the familiar rumble of @Mighty Rumblehide's voice echoes out throughout the tavern, tearing a fit of laughter from the Faerin.

Let's say I believe you. Can't be all gloom and doom as you say it is if you are playing again. And look, Mighty over there has already been able to put a positive spin on it.