THAR BE BEARS HERE! (repost of RP from elsewhere)

[Piccylo]

The following posts are all from a different site, a forum on Renaissance Kingdoms. I obviously cannot ascertain permission from all parties involved simply due to the nature of "NPC" masked roleplay on the newer versions of the forums, so I did not ask for their permissions. Also, due to the "family" atmosphere that the forum tries to uphold, I cannot post full, unedited versions of what I plan to post later in the story-line, and since I dislike censorship affecting art directly, I'm posting the mind-fuck in its deepest extremes here when it pops up, and I figure that people on this forum, if they feel like reading this, would appreciate at least the content of this specific RP.

Many are on separate topics on the boards. The thread titles will be posted under the name of the character who posted.

If you wish to comment or talk about it for some odd reason, go to this thread.

[Piccylo]

Character: --Owen
Topic: [RP] Bear Warning for Galloway and Surrounding Areas

A large piece of parchment has been nailed into the castle door of Galloway.

Attention, citizens of Galloway,

There has been reports coming in from the north of significant numbers of bears coming south towards Galloway county. Some of the hunters are suspecting the large number of fishing towns as the lure. Whatever the cause might be, citizens are urged to take precautions when approaching streams and wooded areas.

Mayors of towns within and neighboring Galloway, as well as those in direct route towards it, should immediately form hunting parties to help alleviate the problem.

As they do so, I urge them to be careful about who they choose to participate in the hunting parties. Some families and clans do not (or cannot) partake in the hunting of bears, such as those that are said to have been "marked" (cursed) by Saint Corbinian.

I would also urge the mayors of these towns, as well as RSA commanders, to let anyone whose family might be marked by Corbinian recoil from political, economic, and military matters for the time being, and even take leave to go further southward if they feel that they must.

Again, please be careful. Do not chop wood in the forest alone. Do not go to forested brooks and streams without accompaniment.

The letter remained unsigned. Even though it had been placed in such an obvious spot, only a few people have claimed to have noticed the person nailing it up, identifying him as a young English gentleman with a Worchester accent.

OOC: inb4 "Godless killing machines", lol

[Piccylo]

Character: Goxnam
Topic: [RP] Bear Warning for Galloway and Surrounding Areas

Goxnam reads over the letter, studying it in attempt to recognize the handwriting. She steps away from the letter with a grimace eventually.

"Great. Revolts and civil war runs rampant all over the place, people recoiling left and right, and then the BEARS decide to come in to join the fun. I swear, Jah has the strangest sense of humor."

She shakes her head and goes towards the Dumfries Town Hall.

[Piccylo]

Character: --Gauvin
Topic: [RP] Bear Warning for Galloway and Surrounding Areas

Gauvin stumbles into the Dumfries square. His hat is torn, his shoes are muddied and he is shivering. He mumbles incomprehensibly. The only word that comes through consistently is "Bear".

[Piccylo]

Character: --Clotilde
Topic: [RP] Bear Warning for Galloway and Surrounding Areas

Clotilde is a modern girl with modern values. Perhaps a bit too modern for her time: people often stare at her outlandish clothes as she passes in the street and her neighbors are kept busy discussing her strange antics. "She's sweet, but a silly girl. Why must she eat only vegetables? And to burn that lovely fur left to her by her grandmother? What a waste! And last summer when she freed all the sheep in town! They all ended up standing in the River Dee and the men had to fish them out one by one. What a ruckus, what excitement, what a silly girl!"
Clotilde ignores the comments and stares as she strides up to the Galloway Castle door. With a strong hand, she rips the letter from the spot where it hangs, crumples it into a ball and tosses it to the ground. The crumpled letter settles into a pile of refuse at the edge of the square as Clotilde whirls around and heads back towards home.

[Piccylo]

Character: Goxnam
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

OOC: I had thought of putting this in an existing RP, but I didn't want to hijack threads, so I just made a new one. You may interact if you wish; if I end up leaving to England, the RP will likely continue in the Glen (it may be a different thread unless I feel I should ask a censor to move it).

When Goxnam reached the Town Hall after returning from the castle, instead of going into her office, she stood before the doors of the hall and called for attention of all within earshot.

"Citizens of Dumfries! I have served as your Chief Mentor for many terms now, performing the duty of ensuring our newest citizens could find their way around town and feel welcome. Although some would rightly question the practicality of placing an obviously satirical and acerbic woman at such a position, I had served this position consistently.

"I do understand that with the constant change in the public sphere as of late, it should be crucial for someone in my position to stay in position in order for there to at least be a semblance of stability. However, I am afraid that I cannot offer you stability, Dumfries. I do not recoil from you due to the falling or changing system with fear that I cannot upkeep, but I have a reason.

"This reason might seem ridiculous to many of you. If you have read the warning concerning bears nailed on our castle's door, you might have recalled a passage about families that cannot participate in controlling the bear population, and even some that might need to recoil from the public sphere or even leave. I, being of the Regnos family, which is a scattered family with few members, is one of the few that would be described as those given the "Corbinian Curse", stemming from family legend that one of my ancestors was marked by Saint Corbinian many centuries ago for involvement with Grimoald and Biltrudis, and are thus given sometimes lethal unluck around bears or even the symbolism of bears.

"This sounds like idle excuses at worst, and naive superstition at best, but my family takes it seriously. My great-grandfather, Zum Regnos, through whome most Regnos of Europe are related, had died of mysterious illness in far away Berne, its own name meaning "bear", and many others have been felled by those with bears in their crests, such as the Rawa families.

"As such, I must step down from my position as Chief Mentor, for my good as well as for whatever good Dumfries retains, and I might even need to run further South. And now, instead of performing those duties I'd just relinquished, I must attend to my dear cousin, who will also need to act for the protection of his family."

Goxnam gives a wave to show she is finished in taking up people's attentions and walks back towards her house.

[Piccylo]

Character: Rothum
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

Rothum leaves the Mayor's office in time to hear Goxnam make her announcement.

"Gox wait a moment," Rothum calls out.

"I know you need to protect your family. But I am hoping to convince you to stay."

Rothum takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

"I have worked hard, I was driven from one city because of political foolishness, I will not be driven from another. The lackey of the RSA who revolted against Bethan is no where to be found. As far as I can see nothing has been done to keep the town growing. SO please stay."

Rothum shuffles her feet a bit and then looks Goxnam in the eye, "I am not prepared but I have decided to run for Mayor to try to continue Bethan's work until she finds her father. and is healthy enough to return to her duties here."

"I am sick and tired of duly elected Mayor's being tossed from office because some thug with a political agenda from some far off town who knows nothing about us and our way of life, thinks they can just walk in and through out our elected officials and then walk out as if they did nothing wrong."

"We need to be able to trading, apply the law to all equally and tax to provide for the common good. Yet no one seems to care that the average new citizen of Dumfries is left to flounder. And if you are a member of the trades or one who is striving to be educated, it becomes even more difficult when a town is in disarray."

"Please stay and help me rebuild. If we rebuild your family will be protected here."

Rothum blushes and looks at her feet again for her unusual display of emotions.

[Piccylo]

Character: Fouad
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

after hearing the speech that his dear friend did announce he speak and say

you are a wonderful friend and you do like dumfries and you try your best to help when you can everyone that need you well i'm asking you as a friend and in the name of all dumfries to stay coz we really need you we will never see dumfries the same if you do leave

dont make me beg you to stay

[Piccylo]

Character: Goxnam
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

Goxnam considers her friends' words carefully, remaining in contemplative silence for a long while as she looks upon them thoughtfully.

Eventually, she speaks. "I am not sure if I could stay. Don't forget, I leave for Dumfries just as well that I leave for myself and my family. The attacks very well may be rising in the north, coming ever southward, and... even if I am to stay, I need to go back to my home and help Yosef and his family to prepare. It will take a bit to help them before I can do anything like leaving anyway, so perhaps the problem will be solved by then. As for now, if you will excuse me--"

Goxnam starts again in walking towards her house, but she stops for a moment and looks back at them. "I can't explain everything right-out, but I want you both to consider something...

"...Don't either of you find it strange, considering there hasn't been a bear in Scotland for the last 400 years?"

[Piccylo]

Character: Rothum
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

Rothum's scowl deepens with the thought of Bears. She turns and sighs as she trudges her way back to the university.

More things to study. she thinks to herself.

Turning quickly Rothum calls out to Gox, "Yes it is odd and it makes me wonder what is a foot."


Rothum continues to the university to focus on her studies to prepare her for running for office and to consider what is bringing bears back to Scotland. Or WHO is bringing bears back?

[/b][/quote]

[Piccylo]

Character: Bruceimuss
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

suddenly bruceimuss runs threw the town yelling "aaaaaaarrrggggggghhg bears run, quick there coming, save yourself, bakers first, aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggh"

[Piccylo]

Character: Goxnam
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

Goxnam sighs when she hears Bruceimuss running through just before she reached her house. At this rate, it'd be days before she could get Yosef moved over to her father's house.

"Bruce, what by Jah's name are you doing?" She yelled towards him as he ran past.

[Piccylo]

Character: ---Yosef
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

The door of Goxnam's residence flew open, showing a very pale Yosef Regnos with a little wife standing worriedly beside him. His eyes darted about, first to Bruceimuss in the distance, and then to Goxnam, who was almost right on the door.

"Cousin!" he shouted with a voice sounding a little more feeble than it usually would. He darted out of the house and grabbed Goxnam by the arm, pulling her back inside.

He rambled out stuttering warnings as he did. "Y-you need to come in immediately. We have to p-prepare and discuss, we have to get ready. I knew something would happen after that d-damned statute Casimir made two years ago. You can see to Bruceimuss later, when we send out a missive t-to Artair to ask him to p-prepare."

[Piccylo]

Character: Goxnam
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

Goxnam looked at her cousin with wide eyes.

"Yosef, what by Jah's name is wrong with you to drag me out of the street like this?" She paused. "What is wrong with you? You look pale as a ghost! Are you all right? Are you ill?"

Yosef's rambling only worried her more. Of course, he must have seen the letter that was on the castle walls (torn down by a little girl by now, unknown to her). She expected him to be a little more stable about it than spouting out borderline family secrets and stuttering all over the place while dragging her inside, though.

[Piccylo]

Character: --Yosef
Topic: [RP] An Announcement from the Chief Mentor

When he finally pulled Goxnam in, he slammed the door behind them, and almost immediately had a small fainting spell, prompting Goxnam and his wife Adina to prop him up for a second before he returned to his senses. Interrupting their concerns, he spoke,

"I'll... I'll sit presently. But... we must speak." He allowed them to help him to sit at the table. "...You-you've seen the letter on the castle, haven't you? It's a hefty concern for the both of us, as well as Artair and Raisa. It's directly for us, I think. The 'Corbinian Curse' was always the codeword we used for actions against the family, since they always sent 'bears' after us. This-this is a strange way to warn us, however..." He went silent. "...Goxnam, d-did you recognize who wrote the letter?"