LJ IDOL, WEEK 18
Dec. 29th, 2025 05:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
l0litaI have chosen to write this as a Dungeons and Dragons campaign story. I used to play with a some friends online. Sadly, the friend who was the dungeon master had to stop due to work stresses and life, and I miss it. Other than fairytales, I had never written any fantasy before DND, so it was also helpful to me to write a genre that I wasn't used to. I was thinking about DND classes over the weekend when this idea came to me! I've also used the initials just to make it sound more mysterious in keeping with the DND vibes.
Lord G = Gary, D = drippedonpaper, I = inkstainedfingertips and L = Lolita.
https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/lineage:tabaxi
_________________________________________________________________________
Snow swirls outside, the flakes dancing on the wind. Tall candles sitting in the inn's windows cast an orange glow that beckons the the three weary travellers.
Parting with a few gold coins will ensure a warm bed, a hearty meal of stew or perhaps a pie, and a generous mug of ale. More than enough reason to stop for the night even if they didn't have to meet him here.
The three of them exchange a slight nod before they head for the door.
Inside, the atmosphere is cozy yet bustling and somehow peaceful all at once, with many seeking shelter from the oncoming snow storm.
There's a momentary beat of silence as the three of them advance towards the innkeeper behing his counter. All eyes are on them. They're used to this by now, after months of adventuring together. It's not everyday you see a Laneshi on land, after all.
Hushed whispers accompany the prying eyes.
"It seems we will have an audience," I says softly, a half smile tugging at his lips.
L returns the smile, her green eyes sparkling.
The patrons of the tavern are mostly their former adventurers, the ones who traversed heath and mountain, field and fountain alongside them, until slowly one by one they were eliminated from the quest. Most of them were simply out quested - other people in the party managing to gather more items than them - a few quit the quest volontarily.
A small handful of others in the party though, had perished, and not by natural means. Lord G as he refers to himself, is the man responsible for this campaign which will result in only one champion.
At the start, he had also assigned the role of secret assassin to various members of the party, giving them an amulet to protect themselves should they be discovered, and most importantly, vials of poison with which to kill their co-adventurers. Of all the assassins, two were killed when they used their amulet to save themselves from expulsion from the campaign upon being discovered. Following this, those remaining voted them out of the party.
The three remaining adventurers are the only ones to have survived this long. Of the three of them, only one made it through the entire campaign without ever being poisoned. Only one comes from the sea, and only one is a man.
The innkeeper, a Tabaxi by the name of Tarquin greets the trio with a nod and smirk.
"We've all been expecting you," he states, while he begins to fill three tin mugs with ale.
"Where is Lord G?" D asks, excitement and nervousness both audible in her voice.
"He'll be down shortly," Tarquin slides the three mugs along the bar with the innate lazy grace of most Tabaxis. "And your rooms are already paid for. Goes for the food and drink you'll be wanting."
The three of them thank Tarquin, then after ordering three bowls of beef stew, they move to an empty table in the far lef corner of the tavern, mugs in tow.
Hushed whispers still follow them. Former adventurers wondering when Lord G will grace them with his presence.
They don't have to wait long to find out.
His footsteps on the creaking stairs announce his impending arrival, and with a swish of his midnight blue cloak, Lord G crosses the room to their table.
"Friends!" his voice booms loudly, "Our final three have arrived. It is time!"
Excited murmurs echo around the room. A couple of people ask what happens next. A bard going by the initial H, begins to strum a soft tune on a loot near the warmthn of the fireside as Lord G addresses the group once more.
He talks as the trio eat their stew. Looks back on the events of past months that have led up to this. Remembers and addresses the fallen ones as well as those that have gathered to see who will be the champion of his quest known as The Wheel of Choas.
When their bowls are emptied and handed back to Tarquin, Lord G clears his throat and announces what they had been waiting for.
"As you know only one of you can be deemed the champion. And as you know, it is not my decision to make. Your fate rests in their hands," his arm gestures towards the other patrons. "I have also invited those outside of this quest to cast their votes in this important poll. Your pleas will be written down then read aloud here, then taped up in here by Tarquin on the morrow for others to read."
"Pleas?"
"You need to plead your case. You will tell us why you deserve to win and why the other two of you here deserve to."
"Do we need to write these now?"
"No time like the present. Besides, the new year is upon us. What better time to declare the new champion?"
L yawns and takes the quill an parchment handed to her by Tarquin. She had hoped for a bed, for rest. They've been walking for days. The warmth of the fire and the nourishing meal she just consumed only add to her desire to lie down. Yawning again she feels her eyelids drooping.
I nudges her gently. "Best get started. The sooner we do, the sooner we can finish."
With a sigh, L begins. She barely notices that the others finish before her, or as Tarquin replenishes their beverages. The words come fast once she finds herself focusing and her fatigue slowly ebbs away like the tide under the sway of the moon.
When all three of them are finished, Lord G claps his hands, startling a gnome who had fallen asleep near the hearth.
"Let the pleas begin!" he announces with a dramatic flourish and so they do.
They will take it in turns, alphabetically.
L relaxes and listens to her companions make the cases for themselves and for her. She is deeply moved by their assessments and only hopes hers will do them proud.
When I is finished with his, Lord G turns to her and after a sip of ale, she unrolls her parchment and begins to read.
"It is not hard to see whydrippedonpaper or inkstainedfingertips are part of the final three adventurers and scribes here. Indeed both of them have worked so hard in our questing, each time they both gave one hundred and ten per cent to every quest we had to complete. Either of them would be a wonderful choice as champion. I will speak about them individually, and then myself," L begins.
"For D, what can I say other than how talented she is at making us reflect on so many things all at once.The mysteries of this life included. When one reads her words, they are enveloped in a feeling of nostalgia for time and places out of reach. There is a bittersweet quality to her work that reminds us nothing lasts forever, but we all continue to shine and all have our own special magic within us.
D weaves words with talent and warmth. She brings her own experiences and emotions to her pieces and she does so time and time again, whether she is writing poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. All of these things make her worthy of being the champion in my eyes. But please, don't just take my word for it. Feel free to read the scrolls I have attached with mine. Scrolls written by D herself.
(this one), (this one) and (this one).
L stops and takes a lengthier sip of ale before she commences talking once more.
"For I, what can I say? I is the master of taking us on a journey into the shadows, into the darkness. His knack for showing us the darker side of life is absolutely not his only offering though. Oh no, rest assured, this one has a wealth of variety to offer us, and his ability to tell us tales than span multiple genres only speaks to what a singularly gifted and truly talented scribe he is. Do not take my word for it, please read the scrolls written by I that I have attached (this one), (this one) and (this one).
.
You will see what I mean by the range he has when you read those stories of his. His favorites I know to be the darker ones, despite his natural talent in excelling at whatever he turns his hand and quill to. But in the those dark tales, there is not only darkness to be found. There is the depth of emotion that is unmatched. His stories have a way of reaching into the heart and soul of a person, and he allows us to his at the same time. There is humor there, as well as heart and emotion, intelligence and wisdom and of course, hope. For after all the darknest night skies also shine with stars. And for all of those reasons, I deserves the honor of being our champion."
Again L pauses to sip more ale and arrange the scrolls in front of her.
"As for myself, why should I win?" She addresses the room, sitting on the table next to the scrolls.
"I am probably entitled to some sort of recompense, am I not? For being poisoned multiple times. At this point I am probably immune to the phosphorus in those vials. It was almost like mithridatism. You know, just without it being me poisoning myself or being asked consent. A ghastly green cloud coming out of my mouth every single time I breathed outdoors was pretty entertaining though. Another good reason is that if I don't win, my <href="https://imgbox.com/ubqckari">(animal companion) will most definitely be disappointed and plotting your demise. Not that he wouldn't be plotting your demise anyway," she laughs again, finishes her ale, then continues.
"But all joking aside, I worked hard to get here and I am resilient as well as determined. I tried my best to work with different formats and genres. Please refer to (this one), (this one) and (this one) for more. I wanted to sretch myself creatively, and I believe that I succeeded in doing sp over the course of my time here. I'm proud of what I created. At the end of the day, I don't believe I am more deserving to be champion, or less. But I am honored to stand beside D and I here as one of the final three. No matter the outcome, joining this campaign was one of the best decsions I ever made."
A brief silence falls over the room before Lord G speaks for the final time. "And that my friends, is that. The choice is yours!" he proclaims excitedly, then turns and heads up the stairs to his room leaving everyone in the tavern to ponder who of the three that remain will emerge as the champion when the bells ring in the new year.
Lord G = Gary, D = drippedonpaper, I = inkstainedfingertips and L = Lolita.
https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/lineage:tabaxi
Snow swirls outside, the flakes dancing on the wind. Tall candles sitting in the inn's windows cast an orange glow that beckons the the three weary travellers.
Parting with a few gold coins will ensure a warm bed, a hearty meal of stew or perhaps a pie, and a generous mug of ale. More than enough reason to stop for the night even if they didn't have to meet him here.
The three of them exchange a slight nod before they head for the door.
Inside, the atmosphere is cozy yet bustling and somehow peaceful all at once, with many seeking shelter from the oncoming snow storm.
There's a momentary beat of silence as the three of them advance towards the innkeeper behing his counter. All eyes are on them. They're used to this by now, after months of adventuring together. It's not everyday you see a Laneshi on land, after all.
Hushed whispers accompany the prying eyes.
"It seems we will have an audience," I says softly, a half smile tugging at his lips.
L returns the smile, her green eyes sparkling.
The patrons of the tavern are mostly their former adventurers, the ones who traversed heath and mountain, field and fountain alongside them, until slowly one by one they were eliminated from the quest. Most of them were simply out quested - other people in the party managing to gather more items than them - a few quit the quest volontarily.
A small handful of others in the party though, had perished, and not by natural means. Lord G as he refers to himself, is the man responsible for this campaign which will result in only one champion.
At the start, he had also assigned the role of secret assassin to various members of the party, giving them an amulet to protect themselves should they be discovered, and most importantly, vials of poison with which to kill their co-adventurers. Of all the assassins, two were killed when they used their amulet to save themselves from expulsion from the campaign upon being discovered. Following this, those remaining voted them out of the party.
The three remaining adventurers are the only ones to have survived this long. Of the three of them, only one made it through the entire campaign without ever being poisoned. Only one comes from the sea, and only one is a man.
The innkeeper, a Tabaxi by the name of Tarquin greets the trio with a nod and smirk.
"We've all been expecting you," he states, while he begins to fill three tin mugs with ale.
"Where is Lord G?" D asks, excitement and nervousness both audible in her voice.
"He'll be down shortly," Tarquin slides the three mugs along the bar with the innate lazy grace of most Tabaxis. "And your rooms are already paid for. Goes for the food and drink you'll be wanting."
The three of them thank Tarquin, then after ordering three bowls of beef stew, they move to an empty table in the far lef corner of the tavern, mugs in tow.
Hushed whispers still follow them. Former adventurers wondering when Lord G will grace them with his presence.
They don't have to wait long to find out.
His footsteps on the creaking stairs announce his impending arrival, and with a swish of his midnight blue cloak, Lord G crosses the room to their table.
"Friends!" his voice booms loudly, "Our final three have arrived. It is time!"
Excited murmurs echo around the room. A couple of people ask what happens next. A bard going by the initial H, begins to strum a soft tune on a loot near the warmthn of the fireside as Lord G addresses the group once more.
He talks as the trio eat their stew. Looks back on the events of past months that have led up to this. Remembers and addresses the fallen ones as well as those that have gathered to see who will be the champion of his quest known as The Wheel of Choas.
When their bowls are emptied and handed back to Tarquin, Lord G clears his throat and announces what they had been waiting for.
"As you know only one of you can be deemed the champion. And as you know, it is not my decision to make. Your fate rests in their hands," his arm gestures towards the other patrons. "I have also invited those outside of this quest to cast their votes in this important poll. Your pleas will be written down then read aloud here, then taped up in here by Tarquin on the morrow for others to read."
"Pleas?"
"You need to plead your case. You will tell us why you deserve to win and why the other two of you here deserve to."
"Do we need to write these now?"
"No time like the present. Besides, the new year is upon us. What better time to declare the new champion?"
L yawns and takes the quill an parchment handed to her by Tarquin. She had hoped for a bed, for rest. They've been walking for days. The warmth of the fire and the nourishing meal she just consumed only add to her desire to lie down. Yawning again she feels her eyelids drooping.
I nudges her gently. "Best get started. The sooner we do, the sooner we can finish."
With a sigh, L begins. She barely notices that the others finish before her, or as Tarquin replenishes their beverages. The words come fast once she finds herself focusing and her fatigue slowly ebbs away like the tide under the sway of the moon.
When all three of them are finished, Lord G claps his hands, startling a gnome who had fallen asleep near the hearth.
"Let the pleas begin!" he announces with a dramatic flourish and so they do.
They will take it in turns, alphabetically.
L relaxes and listens to her companions make the cases for themselves and for her. She is deeply moved by their assessments and only hopes hers will do them proud.
When I is finished with his, Lord G turns to her and after a sip of ale, she unrolls her parchment and begins to read.
"It is not hard to see why
drippedonpaper or inkstainedfingertips are part of the final three adventurers and scribes here. Indeed both of them have worked so hard in our questing, each time they both gave one hundred and ten per cent to every quest we had to complete. Either of them would be a wonderful choice as champion. I will speak about them individually, and then myself," L begins."For D, what can I say other than how talented she is at making us reflect on so many things all at once.The mysteries of this life included. When one reads her words, they are enveloped in a feeling of nostalgia for time and places out of reach. There is a bittersweet quality to her work that reminds us nothing lasts forever, but we all continue to shine and all have our own special magic within us.
D weaves words with talent and warmth. She brings her own experiences and emotions to her pieces and she does so time and time again, whether she is writing poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. All of these things make her worthy of being the champion in my eyes. But please, don't just take my word for it. Feel free to read the scrolls I have attached with mine. Scrolls written by D herself.
(this one), (this one) and (this one).
L stops and takes a lengthier sip of ale before she commences talking once more.
"For I, what can I say? I is the master of taking us on a journey into the shadows, into the darkness. His knack for showing us the darker side of life is absolutely not his only offering though. Oh no, rest assured, this one has a wealth of variety to offer us, and his ability to tell us tales than span multiple genres only speaks to what a singularly gifted and truly talented scribe he is. Do not take my word for it, please read the scrolls written by I that I have attached (this one), (this one) and (this one).
.
You will see what I mean by the range he has when you read those stories of his. His favorites I know to be the darker ones, despite his natural talent in excelling at whatever he turns his hand and quill to. But in the those dark tales, there is not only darkness to be found. There is the depth of emotion that is unmatched. His stories have a way of reaching into the heart and soul of a person, and he allows us to his at the same time. There is humor there, as well as heart and emotion, intelligence and wisdom and of course, hope. For after all the darknest night skies also shine with stars. And for all of those reasons, I deserves the honor of being our champion."
Again L pauses to sip more ale and arrange the scrolls in front of her.
"As for myself, why should I win?" She addresses the room, sitting on the table next to the scrolls.
"I am probably entitled to some sort of recompense, am I not? For being poisoned multiple times. At this point I am probably immune to the phosphorus in those vials. It was almost like mithridatism. You know, just without it being me poisoning myself or being asked consent. A ghastly green cloud coming out of my mouth every single time I breathed outdoors was pretty entertaining though. Another good reason is that if I don't win, my <href="https://imgbox.com/ubqckari">(animal companion) will most definitely be disappointed and plotting your demise. Not that he wouldn't be plotting your demise anyway," she laughs again, finishes her ale, then continues.
"But all joking aside, I worked hard to get here and I am resilient as well as determined. I tried my best to work with different formats and genres. Please refer to (this one), (this one) and (this one) for more. I wanted to sretch myself creatively, and I believe that I succeeded in doing sp over the course of my time here. I'm proud of what I created. At the end of the day, I don't believe I am more deserving to be champion, or less. But I am honored to stand beside D and I here as one of the final three. No matter the outcome, joining this campaign was one of the best decsions I ever made."
A brief silence falls over the room before Lord G speaks for the final time. "And that my friends, is that. The choice is yours!" he proclaims excitedly, then turns and heads up the stairs to his room leaving everyone in the tavern to ponder who of the three that remain will emerge as the champion when the bells ring in the new year.
