Ask Death Is the Beginning

[Darasuum]

The (Easthaven) Ferry is trapped in ice, just like the rest of Ten-Towns
​

The wind swept over the snow covered outskirts of the town. The crunch of snow came under each booted foot Malakai brought in front of him, one after another. It was dark and he could barely see further than sixty feet ahead of him if even that. Did my body get dumped here? It was a strange thought. The last thing he could remember was fading out on that cold cell floor as he bled out. IS that what happened? Shouldn't I be dead?

Now he felt different from what he had felt in a long time. There wasn't the same sensations in his body as before. The aches that had come from injuries and an overall sensation for him felt odd. The Force, it wasn't there anymore. A hand raised up before his eyes in the dim lighting. The sky had some brightness to it but it was hard to see for the man. Looking down at himself he was covered in a heavy furs and clothing though they felt warm.

Visibility was low and for some reason Malakai had a feeling that the weather could get worse. Picking up the pace a little, the trudging form of the man came into town. Nobody seemed to pay him any mind. I need to find what planet I'm on and get the hell out of here. Where's my- He checked his pockets to find a tool used for communicating long distances. But the larger, previously injured by lightening, arm didn't find anything. Malakai also came to realize he was about a foot taller than everyone.

Someone grumbled something and pushed past him, muttering about his size. But as far as he could tell everyone seemed to be under four feet. They had to be. He was only five foot ten as far as he knew. The Goliath was ignorant of the extent at which his world had changed in both a literal and figurative sense.

"Uh excuse..." He stopped himself. The voice sounded deeper and bassier too. Clearing his throat he spoke again. "Where the hell am I?" He asked, pulling a passing human bundled up. They looked him up and down warily. "Easthaven." "Where's that?" "Icewind Dale ya mook" And the person continued to walk and carry on about their business.

The sound of something else flowed down the street. A faint sound of music. Oh please tell me this place has alcohol. I'll probably have to wait for a ride anyways. Malakai headed in the direction of the acoustic music being played. People were heading inside their own buildings. One or two people hollered in reference to a blizzard coming. If there was any place to get holed up in during a blizzard, it was a bar.

The tavern, called the Wet Trout, was situated on the docks of the Lac which looked to have been frozen though must have been thawed at one point if the boats were any indicator. The tavern was as loud as it was large. At the center of a large room sat several hearths facing the edges of the room so there was plenty of space near the fireplace. Behind the bar a feminine reptilian bartender was dishing out tankards of ale. Malakai knew what his first top was going to be.


OOC: here
Malakai's character sheet: link
Tags: @christhebarker @Logan @Killa Ree @Arclight @Phoenix

 

[Logan]

In all of her life, Vesper was quite certain she had never been this cold. The wind seemed to drive the bitter snow straight into her bones but instead of just becoming numb like you would expect, they just throbbed dully - which in the end, is what finally caused her to open her eyes.

Confusion was the word of the day, it seemed. Hobbling up to stand shaky legged and shivering, Vesper looked around and tried to gauge her surroundings, wondering how and why the hell she woke up here instead of in her bed where she'd gone down to sleep. Nothing about this place seemed familiar at all. And more pressingly, when she tried to reach in and feel the force, she felt... nothing.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She felt... something, but she did not know what it was. It surely wasn't the force, she knew that much. It felt different. Somehow weaker and more powerful at the same time. It didn't speak to her in the same way but she knew it was there. It did not flow inside of the others that she saw near like the force, either. Huh.

As Vesper began moving from her resting place - which had just been a covered stoop on the backside of an orphanage building - the weight of her garb finally caught her notice. Stopping near some kind of shop, she looked at herself in the windows, eyes widening in surprise.

Vesper hardly recognized herself. Her facial features were mostly the same if you didn't count the enormity of her ears which now ended in distinct points, and the unfamiliarity of the clothing she had on. It felt heavy, like armor, and jangled slightly when she walked, and a sword hung from her hip.

As she moved through the city, Vesper's eyes wandered and the more she saw, the more she seemed to know where she was going. Eventually, Vesper found herself at building called the Wet Trout and the hearths burning inside seemed keenly inviting.

Passing through the threshold, Vesper spotted the bar and made a b-line for it, figuring some alcohol in her belly would at least warm her up and let her brain thaw out enough for her to figure out where the hell she was, and what the hell was going on.

Noticing a rather large figure at the bar, Vesper slid in next to him and gave him a once over. She wasn't sure why, but the weird not-force feeling in her told Vesper that she and this stranger were somehow kindred spirits, though she did not know why. Shrugging, Vesper slid over a mug of the alcohol she'd ordered and gave Malakai a friendly wave.

You look like you're having an off day, Vesper said idly, not sure if she was completely off the mark talking to this hulking stranger. Nothing a little alcohol can't fix, eh?

@Darasuum @christhebarker
Link to character sheet: link

 

[Phoenix]

Vera had been flying the Talon on a particularly dangerous run when the pirates had attacked. She'd been evading their fire for some time when the corvette had dropped from hyperspace in front of her. She remembered the turbolaser fire a flash of heat....

And then it was cold. Really cold. She didn't remember ever being this cold in her life. How did she get here? Where was this? Hoth? Rhen Var? She squinted through the snow ahead that blew into her eyes and suddenly began to panic. She reached up, feeling her head and the... hair! It was hair! Where were her Lekku?! What was this... feeling?! She felt... connected to other things. Like there was a giant net all around her and some unusual energy. Her hands... they weren't blue!

She began to panic, her breath speeding up only to freeze in her throat.

I have to get out of this weather, she said, forcing herself to take a slower breath now through the coat sleeve pressed up against her mouth. Clothes she didn't recognize, none of her things, someone else's body. This had to be a dream. There was quite literally no other explanation. She tried to will herself to wake up, but to no avail.

So she did the only thing she could do. She put one foot in front of the other and trudged through the snow. She didn't know how long she'd been walking before she chanced upon a town. It looked... archaic. Primitive. But she could see smoke rising from chimneys and a building that identified itself as "tavern." That was enough for her.

She pushed her way inside, immediately being jostled and pushed aside by the crowd within. She frowned, glancing around at races she didn't recognize and up to the bar.

I want a glass of... whatever you have that's strongest. Make it a double, she said, thumping down onto a stool and looking around to the others gathered. The closest people were a really tall guy and a... Sephi?

Hey, I'm a bit lost, where are we? she asked, hoping they might be able to provide some sort of insight.

Character: Link
Tags: @christhebarker @Logan @Killa Ree @Arclight @Darasuum

 

[Darasuum]

The no-nonsense looking dragon-kin gave Malakai a look up and down. The once-grysk did not have an amused expression on his face for the first time in a long time and just stared blankly back. "You have beer or..." He trailed off the rhetorical question. Earning a grunt from the bartender he turned and immediatly saw a shorter woman beside him directly.

"Uh, yeah. I feel much too sober right now." He gave a nod at the statement in his new yet familiar bassy voice. For the first time since entering the tavern he gave himself a look over. Two daggers and some heavy winter clothes that made him feel like he was overheating. Taking them off and dusting the snow onto the ground another young woman arrived. Her request for a drink made Malakai think twice about his order but the foaming drink was set down before he could change his mind. Next round. Not like there looks to be much to do around here anyways.

Malakai took a swig from his tankard. "That'll be five" The silvery dragonborn said. Copper, she must mean their local currency and not the element.

Crap I didn't think of that.

"Same for you two." She said and pointed a clawed index finger at the two other new arrivals. Malakai reached into a pocket for the only other thing he had. A pouch with many small items, marbles, no they were definitely coins. He was still half dressed in frosted winter gear and leaning on the bar counter, a half foot taller than the dragonborn bartender. Malakai pulled out two golden pieces and looked them over. "I only have these." He lied poorly considering there was a lot more jingling that had come from his pocket just a moment ago. The dragonborn didn't seem to care and headed to grab his change after picking up payment.

The man was happy to keep paying for drinks as long as they were pouring. "So you're lost too? I'm not from around here either." He wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some sort of coma dream or something worse. But he was here and the beer tasted decent so the least he could do is talk while he returned to his old habits. There wasn't much else he could do judging by the increasing intensity of the snow outside. A few others came into the tavern, cursing outloud but the Goliath didn't have the best hearing. His own mind too enamored with his predicament to take in a lot of details at the moment. But the first ale was quickly downed and Malakai was ordering whatever double the other pointy eared woman had order. Some other people in the Wet Trout had noticed the trio of new arrivals and talked among themselves. In a town this size it was no surprise.

Malakai's character sheet: link
Tags: @christhebarker @Logan @Killa Ree @Arclight @Phoenix

 

[Killa Ree]

Cold.

She was so cold.

The last thing she could remember, she was... where?

A prison. Steel bars. Duracrete floor. Her Padawan, and... other people. A face, half-burned, that made her throat and chest ache as she stirred back to awareness. Oren. Orii.

Gold-green eyes blinked to awareness as snow softly fell from the sky. Confused, she blinked once, twice, trying to clear the fogginess from her mind. Something was wrong... different. She felt so disconnected, so... alone. Where was Oren? Where was Miya? The Sith? The Sith!

She bolted upright with a hiss of breath, but she was... heavily covered. Hoth? No... she couldn't feel her lightsaber on her. Nor her comm. The armor she had on felt strange... heavier. Gazing down, she frowned, feeling shaky and a bit unbalanced. As she slowly shuffled upright, she looked down, brushing off the snow and ice. Chainmail. A sword hung heavy on her hip; more questions than answers flickered through her mind. The air bit, but no more than it did on Hoth or Ando Prime.

She felt something akin to the Force pulsing within her veins. A feeling... she hadn't felt in what felt like ages. There were lights ahead... a town, perhaps? No speeders, however. No ships.

Odd.

I have to reach Oren... she forced herself to consider sluggishly. Perhaps there was a way out of here, a way to get back to him, but first she just had to figure out where here really was.

Drawing the cloak tighter against her, she staggered through the town. It all looked so... antiquated. It was jarring... and for the first time, she felt a weight in her stomach. No. I need to find a warm place to get my bearings...

When she stepped through the tavern, the amount of people seemed to glance at her... then step aside. Hardly an odd reaction, but she didn't focus too much. Instead, she glanced at the other patrons... then did a double take.

Golden eyes widened, mouth dropping in shock.

"...No. You're... Malakai?" she asked softly, and it registered why something felt odd. Her teeth weren't as sharp as they used to be. And her ears... where was her fur? She blinked foggily, then leaned against the bar, face pale.

"Force above. I need a stiff drink."

Nashyr Ris' character sheet: link

Tags: @christhebarker @Darasuum @Phoenix @Logan @Arclight

 

[Logan]

Things were starting to take a turn for the weird. Apparently, Vesper wasn't the only person around who had no real idea where in name of the force she was or how she got there. And hey! This newcomer even kind of looked like she did.. although with much smaller ears.

Shrugging her shoulders at Vera's question, Vesper took a swig of the beer she'd been given by the bartender. Oof, it tasted a bit rougher than the liquor she was used to drinking on Coruscant, Honestly I have no idea. Looking over at the big guy, Vesper couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he didn't know either.

Then another approached who seemed to recognize the big guy, or Malakai as it were. The reveal of potential names made Vesper realize she hadn't introduced herself to any of the lost strangers. I'm Vesper by the way, She said with a smile.

Unsure of what to say now, Vesper went back to her drink for a minute before blurting something out. So.. are we friends now? She chuckled nervously, sipping at her beer again. Hopefully the others wouldn't think she was a weirdo or something.

@Darasuum @Phoenix
Link to character sheet: link

 

[Phoenix]

Vera decided that the answer about also being lost seemed like the kind of answer she would get in a dream. "Oh yeah, I really don't know either because your drunk subconscious was too lazy to come up with an answer."

Sure, this definitely had to be a dream. Well, if it was a dream, then she was going to take full advantage of that. Live it up as it were.

When she was asked to pay for her drink that came sliding in front of her, she shook her head.

I don't need to pay, she said. Who paid for things in dreams anyway?

Umm, yea, you do, the reptilian bartender said, annoyed and clearly not entertained by another customer thinking they could drink for free. Okay, so that hadn't worked. Vera sheepishly fished out some... well, apparently they weren't credits... coins? And handed them over. Fine, so they used coins in Hutt space still, that was something she could deal with.

When a woman came up and pointed out that she knew the giant - Malakai apparently - Vera cocked an eyebrow.

Must not be too lost. Do you know where we are? she asked the newest woman.

She also heard one of the other women - Vesper - offer her name and then decided that wasn't a terrible idea. I'm Vera, she added.

Character: Link
Tags: @christhebarker @Logan @Killa Ree @Arclight @Darasuum

 

[Darasuum]

The Goliath cocked an eyebrow at his full first name being called. People that were his friends tended to just call him Kai, or at least they used to. But there was something familiar about her. He remembered the club on Nar Shaddaa, then later learning of the feline jedi that had died in the Coruscant Prison attack. Malakai ought to remember her, he had bought her business as part of Beck Acquisitions. Oh kark...wonder how that's going. He thought to himself for a heartbeat. The other woman introduced herself as Vesper, followed by the Vera. "Nashyr, Vesper, Vera." he used a finger to gesture towards each of them in turn and make a mental note before ending it with a deep gulp of his drink. "Cheers."

"Well something must be going on." looking towards the large dragonborn attending the bar, Malakai thought it best to flag her down for a refill and also to fill in the gaps since none of them knew kark about where they were or what was going on. "Excuse me. I uh...was pretty blitzed coming in. What's the name of this place?"

"The Wet Trout."

"Yeah, but like...what's the town."

"Its Easthaven." A bit of gruffness added to her tone.

Malakai took the filled mug. "Right....and which planet?" he asked and took a long sip.

"What?" The white scaled dragonborn said with a look of genuine confusion. "How do people get here?" The Dragonborn looked at the other three like she was thinking the Goliath was either an idiot or trying to mess with her. "They usually follow the Ten-Trails to Bryn Shander."

"Weird name for a hyperspace route." The goliath muttered into his mug of already half consumed. Maybe it was him, but he felt like he wasn't getting a full tankard.



Malakai's character sheet: link
Tags: @christhebarker @Logan @Killa Ree @Arclight @Phoenix rolled a 7 to trying an investigate