Winter And The Devils Mead (open to all)

[Chronicler]

Nicolai gave a smooth, short bow to the demon's corpse and whipped his way around Locke to the first to exit the small storage room.

He immediately found Joshua's gaze in the crowded room, smiling as one might who was seeing an old friend after many years. Or an easy mark.

[Joshua]

Joshua sat at the table with his drink, when he felt, rather than saw, someone watching him.  He turned and locked gazes with the man who had just come out of the back room.  He felt a cold chill go down his back, even as he painted a fake smile on his face and lifted his glass in a salute to the stranger.  The light of his ring began to pulse, and he kept it hidden under his jacket as he watched the magic user - it was this blonde youth, Joshua knew it now - and waited for him to make the next move.

[Chronicler]

"I hear you are a bit of a gambler, Joshua," Nicolai said with a knowing little smirk. He loved making people wonder how he knew. Until they realized who he was.

He sat across from this man, who looked a few years older than himself. Appearances were deceiving. "What's your game?"

[Joshua]

Joshua held the other man's gaze for a moment, evaluating him.  Clearly, he was using magic to divine this information...but was it mind-reading, or something else?  Joshua maintained a relaxed demeanour, refusing to let the blonde-haired teenager see how rattled he was.  Joshua had never been easy when it came to the magical and occult...too many things that tended to go wrong.  He took a sip of his warm drink before answering.


"That's what you've heard?  I find that interesting.  We've only just met, and no one else here knows my name, let alone my interests.  Will you share yours with me?"

[Chronicler]

"Mister Locke, would you care to join us?" Nicolai asked over his shoulder as he produced a deck of cards from his vest pocket.

He set the deck on the table in front of himself and took a sip from his bottle of whiskey, which had been last seen forgotten on a table on the other side of the room.

From somewhere a cigarette appeared in his hand, rough, yellowed paper twisted around dried leaves. When he placed it between his lips the end glowed to life without aid of any external flame.

[Locke]

"I'm not sure if I should partake in these games. I, ahem, we have much work to do." Locke reaches down and flips over the top five cards of the deck...

[Chronicler]

The hand painted playing cards were of a far higher artistic quality than any most gamblers had in their possession. The sort of game played by a man with unlimited resources.

They seemed otherwise ordinary at first glance, but there was something vaguely disturbing about them. The jack of spades seemed to be staring at Locke. The queen of hearts at one end of the spread he had laid out wore a scowl of contempt, and half hidden by her gown, there was a knife in her hand at her side.

The king of hearts at the other end of the row wore an expression of pain, and there was a small red stain over his heart.

"Nonsense," Nicolai said dismissively. "I have seen more of these mortal errands than you can imagine. If you let the quest consume your life rather than living it in between, then when it's over you'll have nothing left."

He smirked. Now that was an irony. Life advise from the prince of darkness.

[Locke]

Locke takes a moment to consider what he is about to do, then takes a seat. He glances over to the barmaid and gestures for a bottle of run to the table.

Locke turns and looks at Joshua, and then at Nicolai, trying to decide what to do next.

"Joshua, what brings you here anyway?"

[thehiddenbeast13]

((Got room for one more?))

[thehiddenbeast13]

Inigo, who seemed beyond too young to be in a tavern, he quickly entered and shut the door behind him. He then heard a scratching at the door and a large wolf that seemed to be possessed  walked in and stood along side the boy. Inigo sighed and said,"Fine Samson you can come in." The wolf had a blank look on its face, but nodded. Inigo's clothes looked like they shouldn't be worn in these harsh conditions, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. It seemed like the barmaid was busy at the moment, so the boy and his wolf sat down at a small booth and looked around at all of the people. He then turned and began to pet the possessed wolf. Inigo seemed zoned out for the moment as he watched two people playing cards. He then looked back and waited to see if anything interesting happened.

[Chronicler]

Nicolai scooped up the cards and began to shuffle them. He did not display the experience and aptitude of a professional gambler, the skill with the cards which Joshua no doubt possessed.

"Ante up," he said, tossing a silver coin on the table before he began dealing out the cards.

[Locke]

Locke pulls a silver coin from his pocket and drops it on the table. "No games Nicolai. Be honest for a change."
Locke looked around the tavern briefly and spoted the newcomer in the corner with the dog. Locke looked at the dog and noticed that it looked almost, brain dead. Trying not to let it bother him, he concentrated on the game at hand.

[Joshua]

(OOC: Sorry it took so long to respond.  Been knocked out with a head cold the past few days.)

Joshua eyed the silver that had been placed on the table.  He was wary of this blonde-haired stranger and his stylized cards, but the prize on the table was too tempting to resist.  Hesistantly, Joshua pulled out one of his own few silver pieces and placed it on the table.  He flashed a smile to the blonde-haired youth's companion.

"What brings me here?  A warm fire, good mead, and some pleasurable company."  His eyes flirted over the pretty barmaid who was serving out drinks.

He took his first hand and studied it.  The pictures on the cards disturbed him, they looked a little too...real.  He glanced up over his cards at the dealer.

"I don't believe I got your name, Mister...?"

[Chronicler]

"Nicolai," the fallen angel said. He smirked. "I used to hear Old Nick now and then."

He raised the ante on the first round, and Joshua won, easily.

"What say we raise the stakes for the next round?" he suggested cryptically.

[Locke]

Having lost his only silver coin, Locke says, "I do not wish to participate in another round.".
Looking to Nicolai, " Shall we continue? Or are you not done having your fun with the kid?"

[Joshua]

Joshua eyed Nicolai warily.  The fact that he had won additional silver only made him more suspicious.  This Nicolai was a magic user, clearly.  Could he read minds, and if so, why hadn't he used that power to his advantage when playing cards? Joshua didn't know what game Nicolai was playing, but he was sure it wasn't just cards.

"What are you proposing?"  Joshua asked hesitantly.

[Chronicler]

Nicolai smirked. "Nothing so terrible as all that," he said as though he could hear Joshua's thoughts. "The stakes are simple. You are betting your services in the completion of our quest. If you win though, I shall grant you any wish that is within my power."

He gave the gambler a warm smile. "Fame, fortune, charisma, luck. The possession of a magical object of your choice perhaps."

He tossed Locke a silver coin to cover his losses so far. "You must play my friend. The game cannot be met with only two. Gamble the aid of another adventurer and the favor of a fallen angel against..." he paused, considering. "Your fondest memory. That's not such a terrible price is it? Joy is never diminished by sharing it with others."

[Locke]

Locke takes the coin and says "You expect me to place my fondest memory on the table as a bet?"
Locke stared at the coin, thinking of his father teaching him to smith.

"Fine, but if I do manage to win, You follow my orders. Got that Angel?"

[Xihark]

((OOC Mind if I kick in here? I will post in a hour or so just PM if you don't want any newbies D;))

[Xihark]

Gorne strolling along the roadside suddenly smells beer and liquor and glances over at the tavern finally a place to drink he thinks to himself.

He swings the door open to the tavern a little too hard in excitement that the door swing's back at him and he headbutts it off it's hinges yelling in a heavy Irish accent "bloody devil door learn to stay open or i'll...oh wait I think I already did bahahaha sorry bout' that sometimes I forget my own strength" He pick's up the door with his right hand and smashes it back in place and claims "i'll pay to have er' fixed for ye" he glances around the bar "bring me one of every drink ye got there lass and make it snappy" He waddles his way to a table near the middle of the inn and sets his giant barrel down next to him and smacks his belly anticipating how drunk he is about to get.