[Quest] Bearskin

Bearskin

Hidden: Quest Details

Difficulty: Domestic (3 posts per person)
Party Size: 2-3

Location: Brisshal
Season: Summer

A wandering nomad with no home who is known for his uncleanliness and repulsive appearance has been searching Brisshal for shelter and food; something that no one would give him despite the suspicious amount of wealth he carried with him. Due to his predicament, he is searching for someone to help him find shelter and food to survive another night. He'd provide all the resources necessary but one has to wonder who Bearskin truly is.

Objectives:

• Find shelter for Bearskin.
• Find food and drink for Bearskin.

@Zaos Rocyne @Alonso Thorlion
​

Alpha had accepted this quest out of a sudden bout of pity upon hearing the man's story on the game screen and, after bringing Terry and the others to a temporary daycare, immediately set off to the man's location in Brisshal. Despite her dislike of being separated from her friends, she knew that they would only serve to ostracize the man further with their cautious natures and general dislike for people. The man known as Bearskin was one who she figured had little to no positive interactions with others and, while she typically didn't care very much to the NPCs of the game, she couldn't help but feel a tang of empathy. She once had a friend of hers, her only friend in fact, that sounded remarkably like the man. Poor hygiene, a hermit-like lifestyle... She still deeply missed Abigail to this day but, shaking her head, she stood resolute in continuing her search for the man. No use in thinking about the past when she could do this one deed in her life. Although it may be fictional, she felt that unbearable urge to help (no pun intended) and felt the desperate need to complete this simple quest. Abby had moved away several years ago and helping out this man felt like she was helping out Abigail herself.

It didn't take long before she noticed a pungent odor wafting from the alleyways of Brisshal (which was strange considering the idyllic state of the town, untouched as a safe sanctuary for new adventurers). A closer examination revealed to her the prone figure of a man lying down on a pile of leaves for a pillow and a bear coat for a blanket. "Bearskin?" she asked hesitantly, wondering if she should approach or stay there, at the alley edge, and watch. The man got up at the mention of his name, grumbling as he uncurled and, with a scratch of his head, opened bagged red eyes. It looked like he hadn't got a decent night of sleep in a few days at least and Alpha resisted the urge to give a hug to the man. Despite her sympathy, however, she felt disgusted at herself for being somewhat repelled by his appearance and smell. "My name's Alpha; I'm here to help you find a place to stay and eat, okay?"

The man didn't speak. It didn't seem like he could either. He very obviously attempted to vocalize but his eyes turned downcast in failure and he simply gave an anguished nod. Alpha bit her lip and stood there, an awkward tension in the air. She didn't know what to say or do but she knew she'd have partners in this quest. Perhaps her silence and the refusal of her body movement would be interpreted as her waiting for her fellows to help her in the quest. She tried to start up a conversation. "I love your name," she tried to smile but the sickened state of the abused man forced it off her face. All she could think of was how sad and pitiful that Bearskin truly was.

 

Zaos knew what it was like to live in poverty all too well, so when he saw the quest pop up, he felt like he had to help out. Living in some of the immigrant work camps during his early childhood had left a lasting impact on him, even now, thirty-some years later. While he was still trying to figure out his place in the wider world, helping a down and out NPC seemed like a good place to start. But first, he had to find Bearskin and the others who had signed up for the quest.

The town the quest was located in wasn't one he had visited before, but it was right on one of the main roads in the region, so he had no trouble reaching it. It was also small enough that the Faerin could theoretically search all of it to find Bearskin, but he had a better idea: ask the locals. A man sweeping the street wrinkled his nose at the mention of Bearskin, but told Zaos where he had last see him. With the prompting of a gold coin, he reluctantly added that there was a public well on the edge of town that Zaos could use if he wished. Thanking the man, he set out to see if the information was correct. After a bit of hunting, the man's words held true, and he came across Bearskin and another of his fellow questers in an alleyway.

The smell coming from the man made him pause, but after a hard swallow Zaos smiled pleasantly at the pair. "Hello Bearskin, my name is Zaos and I'm here to give you a hand. It's nice to meet you." Turning to the female player, he asked, "There's one more person joining us, right?" He was eager to get started, so hopefully the third player would show up soon.

@Alphabet Chocolate @Alonso Thorlion

 

While not in the wretched predicament this Bearskin was in, the large Felis knew how it felt to feel the eyes of people being suspicious upon his presence entering somewhere. Most of his loneliness was self inflicted though, a repetitive situation Alonso needed to fix. A mediocre town ended up being the current location of the man in desperate need. Not too bad of a place, considering most of the large cat man's tasks were way from civilization. Two others had accepted the quest, a better chance at completing the darn thing, and it would prove wise to not keep anyone waiting. Alonso was quite aware of how droll waiting for the latecomer to rear his or her inconsiderate head. During the man's task to find his target, an odd stench wafted into his nostrils, causing him to roll his shoulders back and shake his head.

"Guuh... focus, damnit," he thought.

The unsightly target became clear to him. Down some alleyways stood two others, focusing their attention on a man with a bear skin coat. Logic stated the man with the animal made coat was Bearskin. A bit obvious for Alonso's tastes. The over sized player wandered up to the gathered selection, "I will assume you two are also lending a hand to this gentleman? Regardless, Mr. Bearskin I believe it was. I'm Alonso and will do what I can to assist you in finding a living arrangement with more decency." He gave a nod to the pity riddled man, keeping a sense of professionalism. While the Felis avoided the more unsavory areas back in the real world, despite his mass, he still bore witness to the fact of the terrible conditions homeless folks had no choice but to accept.

"Introductions aside, it's better we figure out how to go about this," Alonso started, observing his part for a moment. To his knowledge the quest did not require combat, forcing less restrictions on the party make up. Young or old had little bearing as long as hey could afford to do various tasks. Arms folded over the Felis's massive chest, sighing a moment before he continued, "First thing I will suggest is we at least get the man some food and water so he doesn't starve or dehydrate. Easier to do to be honest, since we can easily pay out of our own pocket if need be." He stopped, silence growing for a moment. Eyes wavered towards Bearskin, more so the conditions he lived under.

Facing the homeless fellow, Alonso spoke up, "Actually, before we really begin, do you feel any sort of sickness causing you pain or unnecessary suffering? It would be wise to get that out of the way before we head off and leave you alone for a while."

Tags: @Alphabet Chocolate @Zaos Rocyne

 

"Hey there, Zaos!" Alpha greeted with a chipper grin. The man, Bearskin, had merely nodded and fell completely silent, waiting for the last person to arrive. Regardless of the man's action, Alpha turned her entire focus to the green-haired man and nodded. "Yuppers! There's gonna be one more guy with us; can't remember the name! My name's Alpha, by the way! You can call me Dr. Von Doom if you'd like! I read one of those 90's comics—not the 2090's but the 1990's, can you believe it?!—and, like, the guy's name is so cool!" she continued speaking at a lightning pace, lips and heart beating quicker than a rabbit's.

And then she suddenly noticed a shadow looming over them and, craning her head back, found a familiar figure with blue hair (she'd have to ask why they both had such odd hair colors, but that'd be for later since she had more pressing questions to ask now like: 'what shampoo do you use to get those gorgeous locks?'). "Allons-y Alonso! Oooh, remember me? It's Alpha, you know, from the arena tournament dragon thingy?" her eyes glittered in recognition, rejuvenated from meeting an old friend. She continued to chatter on and on and, when Alonso spoke to the Bearskin fellow, she didn't pay a single cent of attention as words came in one ear and out the next.

In a split second, she grabbed Alonso and Zaos' sleeves and, using all her minuscule strength, attempted to drag them out to the marketplace. "C'mon guys! I saw this place selling apples and then we'll just go to the Inn and then we'd find the guy a place to stay and some stuff to eat!" as she did so, Bearskin handed a burlap sack of gold to Zaos—gold for the things he needed, before the man curled in on himself and slept in the cold alleyway.

@Zaos Rocyne @Alonso Thorlion

 

Zaos grinned at the chattering girl. "Dr. von Doom it is," he replied when she paused for breath. She was a lot like his guild leader in that she seemed to be able to talk forever, but her voice had a different type of energy behind it. It was rather cute, and he absently wondered if she was a teenager in real life.

He looked up - and up - as a shadow fell over him and Alpha, eye widening at the height of the player now towering over them. He had to be over 6 feet, easy. Smiling and raising a hand in greeting, focusing his attention on Alonso as 'Dr. Doom' rambled on. The man had a point asking about sickness or pain, and Zaos was about to suggest that he cast a healing spell on Bearskin when Alpha grabbed his sleeve and started dragging him away. He awkwardly took the bag of gold Bearskin thrust at him, calling out, "We'll be back soon!" as he was pulled towards the street.

Listening to Alpha's plan, he frowned. "I'm not sure it'll be that easy, otherwise Bearskin would already have a place to stay," he began, holding the bag of gold close to his chest. "I did find out that there's a public well on the edge of town we can use, though. Bearskin can get some water there and perhaps wash himself off if no one else is around."

@Alphabet Chocolate @Alonso Thorlion

 

"Yes, I remember you," the big man said to Alpha, a quick grin etched upon his face. He could not blame the girl for the enthusiasm, and the Felis would be lying if he ever said he despised a child's company. Except for the fact she should calm down and take a breather instead of spending all this pent up energy on the go. Alonso gave his attention back to Bearskin, awaiting a response before the group headed off. Unfortunate the man forgot just how impatient and aggressive children could be. He felt a tug on his person, his massive frame tilted to the side as Alpha began to drag him and the other party member off, "Hold on a moment there. Alpha!" Some part of his mind gave a mental slap at his lack of insight.

A sigh escaped his lips, halting their walk as he regained composure. The man placed both hands on his hips, looking down at his two companions, "Regardless of the fact, it'll be easier if we split up. Unless either of you have built up your physical strength to some high degree, I'll go purchase a couple buckets so I can grab the water. Carrying that will get heavy, and I trust you two are able to get food. Those two things are vital for Bearskin to gain some manner of nutrition for the evening." Shoulders rolled back, a slight kink in his body deciding to act up. It better not have been some adverse effect on himself back in the real world. "Before I forget, I'm Alonso," he said, eyes gazing at Zaos.

"Unless someone has a better plan, I'll take some gold from the pouch there and go about my business," the man continued, holding out his hand to request a few pieces of gold. Once he did so, Alonso would head off to obtain a few buckets and gather water.

Tags: @Alphabet Chocolate @Zaos Rocyne

 

Alpha grinned, reaching over to attempt and take a few gold coins out of the satchel just as Alonso had requested some for himself. "Okay!" she cheered, a jump in her steps. "I'll go get some food, Alonso is gonna get water, and Zaos is gonna find a place to stay, right?" she grinned, jumping up and down in excitement. She liked the idea of teamwork and, despite all of them going separate paths, she liked the prospect that they were all helping one way or another. It reminded her of elementary school when they'd have group projects and there'll always be someone assigned to get glue sticks and another guy who had scissor-collecting duty. She gave a fond sigh at the thoughts, pleasantly remembering her own favorite roles of being the line caboose and passing out papers for the small classroom, often tripping over backpacks and getting small bruises that would get her crying for days on end.

She was happy to notice that Zaos and her seemed to be the exact same height and, at the observation, there was a glint on her eye. It would be way easier to grab some gold out of that satchel for her grocery-purchasing duties when the height discrepancy was non-existent. She silently praised the deities watching out for her that she wasn't the only one who regrettably chose this diminutive size for herself. "Hurry up!" she whined, attempted to sling her arm over the green-haired man's shoulder and take some coins for herself. "I want some chocolate for myself too, you know!"

@Zaos Rocyne @Alonso Thorlion

 

Zaos let out a soft sigh as Alpha let out of his sleeve when the other player said for her to wait. The giant of a felis seemed to have a plan, and quickly divided their roles based on what everyone was capable of. Zaos certainly didn't have the strength to carry heavy buckets of water, so was grateful that the part had someone who could. "Nice to meet you, Alonso, I'm Zaos." Giving the felis a big smile, he added, "And that sounds like a good plan to me." He held up the bag of coins for Alonso could take what he needed.

Alpha assigned herself to get Bearskin a meal, and Zaos was left to find a place for him to stay. He nodded at he words, not minding the job. The hard part would be convincing an innkeeper to let the man stay, but he suspected the bag of coins he held could help with that. Suddenly an arm was around his shoulders and Alpha was reaching in for a handful of coins, saying that she wanted chocolate.

"Bearskin didn't give this to us so you could buy yourself a treat," Zaos replied sternly, ducking out from under her arm and closing the bag before the other faerin grabbed too much. "If you want something sweet, buy it with your own gold." Backing off, he continued. "I'll go ask the local inns for a bed, then. See you back here once we're done?"

@Alphabet Chocolate @Alonso Thorlion