World Building

I believe in you,

To be strong, to be true.

I believe in your light.

So pick up the pace and continue the fight.

Bardic inspiration

For Man'gra life was always a hard hand to the back of his head. Losing his parents at birth, and growing up on the streets would do that to anyone. Living as a curse born however would only compound his suffering. The discrimination at a young age, as well as social isolation, would go on to do him no favors. It had slowly built up to a point where the only thing keeping him from giving in to his heritage was the guard captain Sarah Daggerfoot. Her kindness to him and her willingness to help him while they were growing up seemed the only bright spot in a painful and disappointing childhood. Somedays, however, can prove to be too much.

The beating had started because of an accident he had accidentally blocked someone's path as the man was walking. It had knocked them both down. Soon the man he had knocked down by accident was joined by more of his friends and things had escalated from there. As the pain took him a voice began to whisper within him.

Why do you take the pain? It would whisper.

Why don't you just fight back? It continued.

Just let go, let our curses flow. Let them reap that which they sow. If they want pain then release the evils of this world. It would tempt him. And for a while, these whispers would continue to play out in his head. He held back as best he could. He wouldn't fight back. He would give them no reason to see him as a monster. He would prove them wrong!

Fool… the voice declared one final time as he began to blackout from the pain. Then, for the first time, a voice called out in his defense. He hadn't been able to look up, as he was being stepped on, a foot was pressed to his back keeping him kissing the ground.

When the aggressors were running he found himself pathetic.

'Would it always be like this?' his mind began to wonder.

'Will I always be a burden? Be garbage to the world?' he thought morosely. Then as if hearing his thoughts the man who had helped the lady who rescued him, had asked him if he would like to hear a poem by some bard.

'What would that do?' he asked himself in scorn.

The poem would be forever ingrained in his mind. It spoke to him. It made him feel… Strong… and maybe for the first time... Empowered. Maybe if those folks, tieflings among them, then maybe he could make a difference in this world! Maybe he could-

His thought process was sadly interrupted by the distance thumping of what could only be a large beast.

"We have to go!" he began to call out but was stopped by the two.

"The first of the homes lining the town's outer ring is only a couple of minutes away if we run now, the people who live there will die or lose everything they have. We can't let it past us Pyrrha." Alv called out through gritted teeth.

"Can we handle what's coming?" she asked as she drew her xiphos in one hand and her musket in the other.

Her question was answered by the beast bursting through the shrubbery. A large land wyvern (t-rex but slightly smaller with longer arms) barreled through the tree line.

"It's a lesser Ground wyvern," Alvandur spoke.

"It can't breathe fire, Its teeth are poisonous. It's big, dumb, and strong. If we are careful we can likely take it." he declared as he drew his machete in one hand and his libram lie open in the other.

Alv turned to the curse born.

"I need you to run into town and warn them, in case we can't take care of it. They will need to evacuate the outer ring!" Alv declared as fire sparked in his hand and grew.

"They won't believe me!" the curse born cried in frustration.

"They never have and they never will!" he spoke through ground teeth.

"Then make them believe you! Force them to see! We'll hold it off!" he declared as he sent the fire racing towards the beast.

Seeing the curse born running towards the town Alv looked to Pyrrha and declared grimly.

"Ready to see how you are in combat again?" he asked her as the beast roared at the two of them.

"If it's to protect them, sure. It's not that different from what I did as a huntress in training." she declared as she looked to the beast.

"You take it in melee, and I'll support you from afar?" he asked as she nodded grimly.

The beast's jaws moved to snap at Alv as it barreled towards him, as he was the one who fired that generated fire.

With a heave, Alv tossed himself to the side his machete falling from his hands. His inexperience in combat showing through his actions. As the beast moved to strike him with its tail the crack of a gunpowder musket rang in the air.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAR" the beast roared in rage as the shot slammed into the beast's leg. It turned to direct it's attention to Pyrrha. Alv seeing an opening reared his hand back and with a whisper, he called forth a thorn whip of magic, remembering the druid cantrip. Raising it high and hoping to all that existed that he didn't hit himself and as luck would have it the whip shot forward striking the beast's side.

It's attention divided the beast moved to spin itself quickly hoping to catch the two of them in its tail whip. Alv, realizing he didn't have the agility to dodge, dropped to the ground. Pyrrha using her training manages to roll out of the way raising her musket for another shot. Aimed at the beasts head. Her shot lands true as it strikes the beast. It rears it's head back looks to take a bite out of her in retaliation. It bites down on her, attempting to dig its teeth into her. Luckily her armor holds against the beasts ferocious bite. Alv seeing his friend in the mouth of the beast moves to do something impulsive.

With a shout he declares.

"PYRRHA COVER YOUR EARS!" as lighting begins to dance in his palms. Pyrrha hearing her friend call out manages to move her hands to cover her ears but in the process dropping her musket, her blade caught in the strap near its handle looped around her wrist. Her actions were rewarded when a loud 'THOOOM' sounded off. Like a clap of thunder but much closer, the beast is forced back, dropping her as the sound dazes it slightly.

It growled in pain as Pyrrha scrambled towards her musket rolling away from the beast, too focused on getting out of the beasts immediate vicinity to attempt another attack. The beast shaking its head to clear it attempts to claw at the source of the wretched noise.

With a dodge reminiscent of slipping alv manages to avoid the deadly claws at the cost of his shirt. Realizing he should have maybe sought out more protection he stumbles out of the way as Pyrrha takes the opportunity to take another strike at it.

With a quick reload she attempts another shot at the beast this time doing naught but a grazing shot. Her atempt doing no damage. Alv seeing this raises his free hand, having dropped his machete in the hubbub earlier, casting bane in the hopes of making it harder for the beast to strike at either of them. Now that its focus was on Pyrrha he took the opportunity to move backward putting distance between himself and the beast. The creature unaware of the small human's machinations turned to the one that grazed it and moved to finish what it started now taking a running start barreling towards her, it's legs moving slower than normal and it's movements far clumsier than it was used to it missed her as it barreled into a tree. Seeing the opportunity with the beast slightly dazed she moved to slash at it with her blade, with herculean effort and the timing only gained through years of combat experience she manages to drive the blade into the beasts eye. Forcing it to the ground in a growling lump, It had seemed that for now, the beast was down...