With summer upon the land and festivals taking place anywhere and everywhere, the biggest one is the fabled summer festival in Sol City. This festival is something Das would like to attend one day despite having enjoyed some of the smaller festivals local to the Marsh Flats and King’s Valley. Since he’s made it his mission to see more of the world and wants to go to the festival, the first thing he needs is coin, and what better way to get it than a simple task like a little bit of advertising?

Honestly, as a seven-foot-something red guy in red armor, he’s going to be easy to spot in a crowd, plus his height makes it easy to project his voice across crowds. Well, usually. There tend to be some taller lizardfolk and other beast-folk in King’s Valley, especially around Thunderhoof. Maybe he’ll stand out nevertheless. So, with vouchers in hand, Das puts on a friendly smile and starts grabbing people’s attention.

“Hello! Hi! It’s Summer Festival time, and you know what that means!” his jolly cries ring into the air as he offers flyers to passersby.

“No, what does it mean?” the gravely voice of a haggish woman asks while she looks over the flyer.

Das didn’t think he’d need to answer this question. His single eye glances at the flyer in his hand. “Uh, fun and games, obviously! Food and thrills! Competitions of the highest caliber!”

“That’s just what the flyer says,” the crone grumbles as she hobbles away.

“If it’s written there then it must be true!” Das calls after her. He spots a one-armed man and decides to make a joke. Whether in poor taste or not, he says with enthusiasm, “You sir! You look like you’d be an excellent candidate for an arm wrestling competition!”

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Quest details:

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Posted Up
Participants: Two or more
Location: Any city other than Sol City
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: It is once again time for the summer festival, a celebration of the warmest time of year! Each year Sol City throws a huge, month long festival filled with food, dancing, costumes and combat, inviting the entire kingdom to partake! The Crown is requesting aid, asking for help in posting advertisement's all around, hanging up posters and passing out flyers in every city across the continent! You can help by handing out or hanging up flyers, or you can be a nuisance to those who are, disrupting the advertising however you wish. There must be advertising and some kind of disruption - however, what that disruption is and its outcome is completely up to you.

The Lightning's Edge is anchored just off the coast of King's Valley after having already been to Sol City only a few days before. The original plan had been to stay in the city for the festival, but then Everett received an unexpected letter which needed to respond to in the timely matter. The plan was to only be here for a day or two before heading back in case his previous passengers needed another lift back to the mainland after the festival, but Everett's no stranger to plans changing on a dime at this point. 

What drew his attention here came in the form of a formally penned letter delivered to him by letter drake. It's odd, the person who wrote to him is someone he has no memory of, yet they seemed aware of him. What's more, they asked him to mentor them in magic. Something about their previous mentorship falling through and this aspiring mage somehow hearing about him through the Knights of Duros. Sure is crazy how quickly word can get around, and he would be lying if he hadn't been a bit suspicious of the whole thing. 

That was until he met the young apprentice. Ophelia, a triton girl with a dream of learning magic in order to become a valiant mage herself. She's strong-willed and a quick study, definitely good qualities for anyone looking to do some good in the world. The only thing is she's still a bit immature and quick to say some pretty damning things about her previous mentor, one Wizard of the Wastes. The way she talks about her previous mentor she really makes him out to be a slimy fraud. He has no reason to doubt her of course, but he does wonder if she might be exaggerating. Then again, there is plenty of evil out there in the world. 

For the time being, he has agreed to take her under his wing. She's got some basic knowledge of Sea Domain magic, and what better place to foster her continued education in the arcane art than on the high seas. They'd do a bit of a trial run, and if things didn't end up working out, he's agreed to drop her off at the Mage Academy after the festival. 

Everett walks down the main street in Thunderhoof on his own while the rest of the crew works on resupplying for the trip back to Capitol Landing. He's a bit caught off guard when a towering man calls him out.

For a moment, the irony of his statement goes right over his own head, but then he chuckles and offers the man a sheepish smile and a polite wave. “I don't think so, but I'll still take a flier.” He extends his hand and takes the flier from the tall red horned man. 

Elleon and Ophelia might be more interested in the festivities than him. The festival just serves as a reminder of when Cypress found him washed up on shore with nothing to his name. He can't help but feel a bit melancholic about it. Hard to believe a whole year has passed since there. Even harder to believe how much has changed in such a short amount of time. He's now a ship captain with a crew sailing around Charon as they take on various contracts. He's a Knight of Duros now too, and is working towards potentially joining some guilds. He's heard of a notable knight founding one of his own, perhaps that's something he could get involved in too.

He looks back up at the man who towers a good foot over himself. "Are you going to compete yourself? You look like you could win a few rounds yourself." 

“Me? We’ll see about that!” Das laughs. Rapping his knuckles against his chest, he shakes his head. “In order to compete in the competitions out in Sol City, one needs to be in Sol City. I partook in an eating competition a few days ago in Lilicors, a strange food called Swamp Dogs, which I’m not entirely sure I’d recommend to anyone with a weak stomach. I hoped to use the prize money to make my way to Sol City, but competitiveness blinded me, and a knight and I accidentally cleared the plate of the girl between us rather than our own! So… She won. It wasn’t without a good laugh though!”

Despite his loss, he obviously seems to be in good spirits about the whole thing. “I figured that passing out flyers would earn me something at least to help make my way to the capitol. No reason not to keep trying. Hey, take a flyer!” He interjects the conversation to shove a flyer in someone else’s face as they walk by, much to their disdain, but they reluctantly take it since they wouldn’t dare deny the big scary red guy. Once they’ve gone, Das looks back to Everett. “What brings you to Thunderhood? Here to enjoy some of their festivities?”

Somewhere in the streets behind Das, a pair of individuals in red capes and furs seems to be looking around intently for something or someone. One of them pauses and tugs on the other, motioning towards Das and Everett.

"That's quite the tale. At least you'll have that to share with folks over a drink or two." 

It's not hard to imagine the man clearing a whole table of food in a matter of minutes. That contest must have been wild to spectate. 

"Sounds like you'll need passage on a ship. I'm going to be heading back to Sol City soon, we have room for a few more passengers if you don't mind the accommodations being more rustic. I won't charge you an arm and limb if you offer a hand with loading some cargo." 

He's cracking jokes but he knows all too well how hard it can be trying to get around when you're broke. Labor for passage is a common barter amongst seafarers as many of them live contract to contract. He's been lucky to be given opportunities to earn a living aboard ships, as a captain in his own right, it only feels fair to pay that opportunity forward. 

"Just picking someone up before heading off again. With any luck we won't be delayed by anything crazy happening." 

Why'd he have to say that?

A burly elbow knocks into his side and shoves him out of the way as the two red-caped individuals approach Das.

"Das! Ginma's fuzzy horse ass, what are you doing?"

"Hey," Everett interjects. "The road is plenty wide enough for you to walk without knocking into people."

The guy who walked into him gets an indignant look on his face and leans into the half-elf's face. "You callin' me fat, stubby?"

"No, but clearly you're self-conscious about it."

The other man ignores the bickering and looks at Das. Or at least, where Das was only moments ago. "Hey! He split again!"

Das’ eye lights up at the mention of passage on a ship. “You’re a captain? Hells, I’ll sleep on the deck if I need to! I appreciate the offer, truly!” The mention of being charged and arm and a limb isn’t lost on Das, because for a moment it looks like he’s buffering and then he bursts out laughing. “Well, I imagine charging for an arm would be what you need, but I don’t have a leg to give!” Without warning, Das removes his armored boot from his left leg, revealing a stump from just below the knee down. Straps on the boot obviously kept it secure to the nub.

“I’d love to take you up on that offer, sir!” Hopping around for a moment as he laughs, Das shakes his nub then works to secure the boot in place again, feeling in mighty good spirits. Those good spirits don’t last for long as Das’ laughter is cut off upon the approach of the individuals that were once behind him. His expression drops.

“Uh…”

But then Everett interjects, and Das sweats a little. In retrospect, sticking around King’s Valley whilst trying to avoid the Red Riders wasn’t exactly a smart idea. He turns and quickly bolts for the nearest alley. Unfortunately, he didn’t make sure his leg was too secure considering the thing pops off after a few steps, leaving the rather large man hopping away. “Dammit,” he gasps.

“Hey, Das, what the hells are you doing?!” the definitely-not-fat one shouts, looking as unimpressed as he is annoyed.

“Das can’t come to the door right now, please leave your message with his boot!”

“Ginma’s ass, you’re an idiot!” he huffs, storming after the hopping Fellblood.

“An idiot with better intentions than you!” Das manages to retrieve his boot.

“We’re not here to fight, we’re here to drag your ass back,” the other one says.

“I dunno, I’d fight stumpy over here if he got in the way,” the not-thick-but-fluffy one grumbles.

“Look, fellows, I don’t know how else to explain that I’m busy forging myself a new path,” Das says, struggling with his boot stump.

"Name's Everett, nice to meet you." Continued pleasantries would have to wait until the current altercation is resolved. As the back and forth between the one-legged Das and his two comrades? continues, Everett starts to put some context clues together to properly assess just what is going on. 

Everett eyes the men and their attire again. If he had to take a wild guess, these guys must be part of the Red Riders. He's not terribly familiar with all the horse tribes in King's Valley, but he has heard plenty about that notorious group. Their reputation isn't exactly a glowing one and the Knights of Duros have had beef with them for years. 

He listens to them bicker and he starts to understand the situation a little better. Das clearly has palled around with the group previously, but it's pretty obvious he's had a change of heart. It can't be easy to leave a group of raiders, especially one with such a firm chokehold on the region. 

While he has no doubts Das has probably done some pretty deplorable things if he's associated with the group, it is a bit admirable that he's trying to leave that life behind. The one question that remains is what is this new path he's talking about. Is it one of honor and justice? Or a darker more corrupt pursuit? He wouldn't know without asking the man more about his intentions, which is hard with the other two pestering him. 

"I don't appreciate you two harassing my new hire," he speaks up, resting his hand on the hilt of his rapier. "I suggest you not interfere with official Knights of Duros business." 

"Huh?" The definitely-a-size-three looks back at Everett, a look of skepticism on his face. "Knights of Duros? Really." He turns his attention back to Das. "The hell you doing? You turning your back on us for some cushy lap-dog job?"

Das’ own surprise intermingles with the Red Riders’. “Huh?” A Knight of Duros? He can’t say that isn’t to be expected considering their presence in the region lately, but still! Das looks between Everett and the ruffians, lost for words. He probably looks pretty foolish to everyone in front of him. It isn’t that he cares too much, but making a bad impression in front of someone who’s offered him kindness isn’t the kind of person he wants to be.

Setting his weight, Das straightens up his shoulders and puts a more serious expression on his face, owning up to this situation he’s found himself in, even if some of it might just be for show in the meantime. “I’m not turning my back on the Riders,” he says firmly, raising his head proudly and looking down at the other two. “I’m turning away from the way of life our band leads. My feelings about it haven’t been a secret. Things need to change, and if I can’t make that change for everyone, then I can make that change for myself.”

The remaining flyers in his hand crinkle when his fist clenches. “So if you want to fight me on it, let’s take this out of town. Otherwise, leave.”

The two exchange a look and consider for a moment dragging Das by force - even if that means having to fight off Everett to do it. A crackle of electricity sparks along Everett's shoulders in anticipation of some sort of explosion to this smoldering powder keg, but then Everett catches sight of his allies not that far away. 

Elleon and Ophelia spot their captain and mentor respectively and approach the altercation, not necessarily to interfere but just out of curiosity about what is going on. 

"Everythin' alright 'ere?" Elleon asks, the moon elf giving the two Red Riders a bit of a judgemental look. 

Ophelia bites down into a crisp summer apple. "It's a little early to be brawling with drunks, isn't it?"

Everett gives half a laugh. "Everything is fine, just a misunderstanding." He looks back at the Das and the other two. "There's no need to escalate to violence. It won't change the outcome." 

Outnumbered and with more eyes on the situation now, the two reluctantly back off. 

"Das, you leave, there ain't no coming back," the other one warns. "You throw in with the knights on top of leaving, might as well be digging your own grave." 

The choice is ultimately up to Das, Everett still doesn't really know all the history between the man and the Red Riders. But the man's words don't sound void of conviction. This was likely not something he made his mind up on over night.

After seeing that Das isn't going to budge on this, the two riders huff and skulk off back down the street. No doubt they'd return to the tribe with news of what happened here today. Lingering too long would spell trouble for everyeone involved, not just the horned man. 

"Hmph," Ophelia huffs as she takes another bite of the fruit. "Thieves and scoundrels, the lot of them." 

"Hey, let's not complain about avoiding a fight. A simple street scuffle can easily turn into a town-wide brawl out here." Everett steps over to Das. "Are you alright?"

The appearance of two new but curious faces draw’s Das’ attention only briefly. He doesn’t trust the thugs after him not to pull something when he’s looking away, but luckily, they seem to be noticing the growing number of eyes on them. They’re right. Leaving isn’t an easy task. Hells, he’s barely been able to get out of King’s Valley as it is, but he knows what he needs to do.

“I know,” he admits, letting tension out of his shoulders. “But I’d rather dig my own grave than end up fodder and a meal for scavengers. At least I get to choose where I lie that way.” With a scoff, the two Riders shake their heads and turn to leave, and Das watches them go with melancholy on his face. The Red Riders aren’t what they once were, and he can’t be a part of it any longer.

Glancing to Everett, he nods. There’s less confidence in his voice when he speaks, less energy, but he still seems genuine. “I appreciate your support. You didn’t have to step in, but you did. Thank you. Still, you don’t need to uphold your offer. If I’ll bring too much trouble for you, then I’ll steer clear of your ship and crew.”

"Ah, well," Everett rubs the back of his head. "I should be apologizing to you. You didn't ask for me to step in, and I understand if by doing so I've made your situation more complicated." 

"So ye did pick a fight?" Elleon asks. 

Everett chuckles a bit awkwardly. "It's fine, nothing happened." 

The moon elf doesn't look convinced in the slightest and just gives his captain an unimpressed stare. 

Ignoring the look, or at least pretending to, Everett looks back at Das. 

"I'm not too worried about that," he assures the man, noting his change in demeanor. "We'll weather any storm that comes our way. And as far as I'm aware, the Red Riders don't like getting their feet wet so being at sea should make them keep a healthy distance." 

Ophelia finishes off her apple and wipes her hand on a handkerchief she pulls from her pocket. "They'd be real dumb to come after us on the open water." 

"We're still a good walk away from shore. Plenty of time to chase us down," Elleon points out.

"All the more reason to depart right away. I know this is sudden, but do you need to grab anything before departing town?" Everett asks Das, still wearing a welcoming smile on his face. 

The Red Riders are a rowdy group to be sure, but Everett's confidence in his competence in combat got a real boost from fending off the Storm Raiders from Hearthside with the warrior woman Ak'ka a few months ago. His magic has only gotten stronger since that fight, and he also has more support than he did before. He of course wouldn't be needlessly reckless, but if a fight did break out he wouldn't hesitate to unleash the wrath of a hurricane on his enemies. 

Rubbing the back of his head, Das says, “To be fair, the situation is already complicated. Hasty decisions and fewer plans and whatnot.” Still, he can’t help but chuckle when Elleon asks if they picked a fight. Given how some of the Red Riders act, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they had picked a fight. Das tries to think of himself as a decent fighter, but he doesn’t have the skill or the wit to lead any of the raiding parties himself. If only he could have been faceless enough to slip away in the night without anyone noticing.

“Ah, well, contrary to that, the Red Riders got their name from their ships and steel!” he says with a good natured smile before looking down to knock his knuckles against his own red breastplate. “This one has been around for a long time. Still, I appreciate your optimism. And…he has a point. They’ll be back with more, so… if you’ll have me, I’m happy to join you! Everything I own is on my person, so… lead the way.”

As they start toward the docks, Das adds, “Right, well, they said my name, but I’m Kar’Das’Dun. Or Kardas. Or just Das. Whatever suits you. Good to meet you, Everett and crew.”

"That's a problem then," Elleon responds to Das' correction about the Red Riders and their aptitude for sailing. "We should go, I'll gather the crew."

The elf walks off to go do that with his captain's nod of approval. Everett then looks back at Das. 

"Nice to meet you as well, Kardas. That was Elleon, my quartermaster, and this is Ophelia, my apprentice." 

"Potential apprentice," Ophelia explains with a bit of a huff. "My last mentor turned out to be a dud."

Everett waves the remaining pair to follow him so they can walk and talk. "Seems to be a problem with folks taking advantage of the current unrest." Between the criminals and the cultists, it's no wonder so many of the populace is restless and mistrusting of even the crown. 

"I don't think it's even that. They just have a MASSIVE ego and overpromised without ever delivering on those promises. I feel bad for the others they roped into their schemes." Ophelia sighs at the thought of the naïve Ceres Celestia, the shrewd Mariposa, and the gullible bubbles.

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't convince them to leave the charlatan's service and face the harsh reality that they were just pawns in the glittery fellblood's schemes. Well, Mariposa is more than aware of the part she's playing, and is pretty convinced she's the one scamming the scammer. A match made in hell those two.

"Well, if we run across this Wizard of the Wastes in our travels, maybe we can put a stop to his lies," Everett suggests, sympathetic to the young mage's frustrations.

Ophelia makes a bit of a face about that, clearly having some mixed feelings on the topic. Everett takes note of that and decides it's best to drop the subject. His attention returns to Das. 

"If you don't mind me asking, you've talked about walking a different path than you previously was on with the Red Riders, do you have an idea of what that looks like?"

“Well, potential apprentice, it’s good to meet you as well,” Das says with a friendly smile. When Everett waves him forward, he follows at a quick pace, clanking with each step as his armor rattles. “Sorry to hear you’ve had your own troubles with schemers and the like. I’ll keep my eye out for this wizard to be sure not to fall for their schemes myself.” Admittedly, the idea of a mentor in the ways of magic doesn’t sound so terrible, but as far as Das knows, he doesn’t have an affinity for it himself. Supposedly, his family history suggests that he might be able to learn it, but for him, the sword has been his best skill thus far, and even that pales in comparison to some others.

The fellblood takes a deep, contemplative breath while he thinks over Everett’s question. “Well, if I’m honest, I don’t know what that looks like,” Das admits. “The first step is putting some distance between myself and them, and the next step? I wish I knew. It wasn’t something I was going to find if I didn’t go looking. I’ve mixed opinions on the knighthood orders. We’ve seen some overconfident, pompous bastards think they could take on a raid party on their own. And then there are others like yourself who are just interested in doing the right thing for others.” Das looks at his hand, then clenches it into a fist and puts it against his chest. “I want to find what’s right for me. My ancestors believe in a person’s inner strength and will coming from flame. I don’t want to be the destructive flame, I want to be the one in the hearth that keeps people feeling safe and warm at night.”

"You won't mistake them for anyone else," Ophelia huffs. "They always introduce themselves as the wizard of the wastes - enchanter, diviner, storyteller, godslayer, Sand Scorpion, Sunsplitter, Champion of Zeinav, creator of miracles and maker of elixirs most wonderful, blah blah blah."

Everett can't help but be at least a little impressed with the list of accolades this scammer has managed to come up with. He also finds it incredibly funny that Ophelia has them all committed to memory. "That is quite the list of titles."

"They're all nonsense."

The half-elf ship captain chuckles then turns his attention back to Das. "It's alright to not have everything figured out yet. Your plans might change depending on the opportunities that present themselves after all." 

Considering his own connections and search for purpose in the world, Everett thinks about all those who have helped him along his way. He thinks of Cypress, Lady Calyptra, Nieven, Ak'ka, and of course Leandros. He's always thought that it's only fair that he pays their efforts forward. So Das being here in need of someone to help open a new door for him, he's happy to extend a hand. 

"I do have a suggestion if the Knight Orders give you pause. While I think their work is necessary, I understand that coming from the Red Riders might prove to be a barrier to joining them. Sir Leandros Aurthurian just started his own guild. He's a very well-respected adventurer and knight with a good soul and plenty of experience under his belt. He's a member of both the Fighter's Guild and Winged Expeditionary Force as well. If there's anyone who could help you start down a new path, it'd be him."

From the way Das talks, and the fact that he is clad head to toe in armor, he has no doubts that the fellblood would fit right in with the imposing human knight. He honestly probably fits in better with Leandros than even Everett does. While he respects Leandros immensely, he can't help but feel...conflicted over some of the opinions of the Crown he holds. The Crown isn't perfect, he knows that of course, but at the same time, it doesn't feel right to openly express any form of dissent. He can't for the life of him say why he feels this way. It's just a strange twist in his gut whenever he thinks about it or hears others speaking ill of the monarchy. 

When Ophelia lists off the many monikers of Morrigan Moonweaver, Das pauses and attempts to process them, but from his expression, it is absolutely obvious he is not going to remember any of it. She has apparently memorized them all out of spite and not respect. It’s impressive.

“I appreciate that,” Das says, nodding somewhat solemnly as he considers that the opportunities might not have presented themselves yet, but meeting Everett is very much one within itself. He’s extremely grateful as it is, so when Everett continues, mentioning this man named Leandros, Das listens with great curiosity. “Leandros Aurthurian…” Das repeats to himself, making his best attempt to commit his name to memory. (This would pose difficult as Das is one who has received many a knock to the skull in his time.) “He sounds well decorated indeed! If you believe he could be someone to help me find my path, then I appreciate the suggestion, truly."

As they approach the docks, Das continues, “Your insight and generosity have already been a big boon to me. I want to be someone who can offer the same to others. Thank you, Ser Everett. The next steps are ahead of me, though...” He looks towards the many boats moored at the docks. "They'll likely not be walked until we make landfall again, huh? I'd love to hear more about Ser Leandros and yourself while we travel if you don't mind."