warforged | [OPEN] The Redsworn Reception

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[OPEN] The Redsworn Reception

Who: The Redsworn of Ruby Sanctum + Guests [OPEN TO ALL FLIGHTS]
What: ~~Carolina~~ The Redsworn have invited everyone to dinner! Let's see how well diplomatic relations between the flights can be improved, eh?
Where: The Ruby Sanctum
When: Forward dated to 6th June.
Warnings: Fires, ~~food poisoning~~ cooking for all, shenanigans, possible bad language.
OOC: Come gets some cross-flight CR! c: Some setting options below the cut, or go ahead and make your own.

A: COOKING FIRE SHENANIGANS

Feeling peckish? Have a delivery to make? Or just want to try your own hand at serving up some grub? The Redsworn's usual cooking area has been expanded for the evening, with two extra firepits dug out to cater for additional mouths. Over one fire burns the now "traditional" starter meat of bear flank, something any newly sworn (red or otherwise) will have the pleasure of sampling first. There's also several baskets of berries, fruit and vegetables, while a pot obtained in trade from Silverglen bubbles merrily.

B: FIRESIDE MINGLE

The redsworn of the Ruby Sanctum have claimed a corner of their own beneath one of the larger trees. There's a smaller fire here set for warmth and ambience, and have logs set about for seating for those who don't like perching on rocks or roots, or don't find the comfy grass comfy - park yourself and have a chat!

C: OPEN/MISC.

Choose Your Own Adventure! Just remember: wander alone at your own risk, non-redsworn, for the Red Dragonflight will have their eye on you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Given that we're not the same species or gender, I don't think that's pawsible." She giggles, though, actually kind of surprised herself by how similar their outlooks on life are.

"I'm not quite certain, yet, but... I'll definitely think about it. Thanks, Mar."

"I think it would be a sad world where if you came back in a new life, you'd perpetually be stuck as the same gender and species." Oh, hey, now they'd stumbled across a topic he'd long been curious about, but had never really been able to raise tactfully. (Yes, Mar did have some measures of tact.) "Although, out of curiosity, what is your species, anyway?"

"Oh, I nefur mentioned? I'm a troll."

She had absolutely no idea, of course, that Azeroth contained a species that called itself the exact same thing... but was very, very different.

She's about to find out. Surprised, Mar sat up straight again.

"A troll, really?" he said, surprised but amused. He glanced over her form, with an eye towards assessing species rather than comeliness for a change, then smiled and shook his head. "Well, I'm tempted to say you have nothing in common with Azerothian trolls, but I honestly can't say that for sure. After all, the kaldorei and the Sin'dorei were once the same people to begin with, and who'd know to look at them now? But you do look quite different."

"There are trolls on Azeroth?" Well, that came as a surprise. She was inclined to agree with him, though, that they probably weren't anything like Alternian trolls.

"What do they look like?"

"There are. They're one of the oldest races on Azeroth, one of the few that were here even before the Titans came and caused so much else to happen. In fact, elves were trolls initially, but changed thanks to exposure to the Well of Eternity. So you see, we might be the same species after all," he said with a wink.

He held a hand flat over his own head, for perspective's sake. "Azerothian trolls are generally fairly tall, they're muscular, and they have long legs and arms and fewer fingers and toes. Also tusks. Much bigger on the males than on the females. They all tend to look more powerful than your average elf, say, though less so than your average orc. No horns, either," he added, considering that particular physical trait of Nepeta's was the one that would have kept him from ever guessing 'troll' from a list. "Oh, and you're cuter, but that might just be a personal thing."

"Wow."

That was about the only thing she could think to say for a few moments as she put together a mental image based on that description. She'd never seen anything that looked like what she was picturing now, but one thing was for sure...

"Yeah, I don't think we're the same sort of trolls at all."

"Who's to say? Heck, here on Azeroth we have a thing called the Curse of Flesh that's transformed numerous races into the ones we know today, like dwarves and humans and gnomes. There's a great deal more to who people are and where they came from than anyone would ever know just to look."

Wryly, he makes a round gesture in the air to indicate he's bring it all full-circle again. "Which is why I wouldn't think souls are limited by species. If I was going to guess anything, it's that we mortal races are all the same on the inside where it counts."

"I guess that makes sense... Though I don't know what gnomes and dwarves are. But how can flesh be a curse? Or is it that your flesh is cursed?"

Given that flesh makes up most of a body (she'd know, having disassembled many) she shudders a bit at the thought of it being cursed. What would the curse even do?

"Well, suppose one day trolls suddenly turned from flesh into linen. You'd probably be justified in calling that the Curse of Linen."

Mar, who had 'disassembled' any number of pre-Curse or unaffected creatures, understood perfectly. The trick was communicating it.

"The races left on Azeroth by the Titans -- the Earthen, the Vrykul, the mechagnomes, the giants, the mogu, the tol'vir, all of them were made of stone and metal, like great statues or constructs. The Old Gods who infected Azeroth deliberately destabilized their very existence... and whether gradually or immediately, they changed. The Earthen became troggs and dwarves, the mogu and tol'vir became weaker living versions of themselves, the vrykul gave literal birth to humanity. All part of the Old Gods' plan to gain complete control over the world they ruled."

"Wait, so you all used to be moving statues? That's... actually that's kind of really cool."

She took a moment to ponder what being made of rock or metal would actually be like.

"You'd be really strong and tough, but... purrty heavy and slow, I bet. Could they even jump back then? I suppawse if their legs were strong enough maybe." Being a speed-based fighter this was rather important to her. "But I guess you weren't part of that anyway. Elves came furrom Azeroth trolls, right? That's what you said?"

Mar nodded. "You see why it's called a curse. It definitely was a vulnerability, considering the ease with which Old Gods can corrupt flesh compared to stone or metal. And yes, I believe the histories and researches I've read that indicate elves descended from trolls after exposure to the Well of Eternity, although some if not most of both races would refuse to accept that."

"Why's that? Do they not like each other?" Interspecies conflict was still a pretty new concept for Nepeta. Mostly because trolls had already systematically destroyed any other species they might have encountered until they met humans back home, and by that point "interspecies conflict" translated to "Karkat is yelling at everyone".

"There are many, many different kinds of trolls, in fact. Zandalari, Amani, Gurubashi, the Drakkari... the majority of which are fairly hostile to everybody. But the Kaldorei did, in fact, smash two of their greatest empires, so it's somewhat understandable."

Hoo boy, Nepeta, Azeroth had SO MUCH to teach you about interspecies conflict.

"That is a lot! But what makes them so diffurent aside from the names? And who are the Kaldorei? Oh wait, is that the elves?"

She's not certain why there would be two different names for the same group of people, but context makes it pretty clear who he means.

"Most Alternian trolls are hostile to efurrybody else too... at least the adults are."

"Mostly minor physical differences, like skin and hair color, though of course the actual regions they controlled mattered.

"I think we're all glad you're not hostile, though. Would have made things particularly awkward." Especially in their first meeting, with all the chaos and fire and demons...

"Heh, you should see some of my furriends. They'd be really strong allies but a lot of them are... tough to deal with. Most of them would come around as long as I'm here to explain things though."

She could think of a few exceptions, but frankly she didn't ever want to see the clown again.

"Hmmm, there's not much diffurence between my kind of trolls except fur blood color."

Ah, the hemospectrum. Source of so much utter and complete bullshit in her life and the lives of her friends.

"Tougher than anyone else in the flight?" said the elf who pretty much everyone disliked or thought was crazy, present company excepted.

"From MY perspective, blood color is an odd thing to be different. That isn't something particularly typical. The Kaldorei tend to bleed purple, but both trolls and the Sin'dorei bleed red, so that's attributable to Well of Eternity exposure,. Draenei bleed blue and orcs are so dark red it might as well be black, but neither of those races are Azerothian natives. And there's no difference within the races."

"Well... some of them, yes. But you raise a good point." There was a reason she didn't have as many friends in the flight as she had hoped.

"Well, trolls, my kind of trolls, have twelve diffurent blood colors. It goes furrom red to purple, and there's this sort of system which ranks us based on them. But purrsonally I don't really go by that. It is kind of interesting that the species have both the highest and the lowest though."

She pulls on her coat. "I'm an oliveblood. Suppawsedly that makes me about in the middle."

Mar could totally sympathize with the 'fewer friends' part.

"Without intending offense to your culture," Mar mused, "I would like to voice the opinion that any system of social class that requires cutting someone open to determine where they belong in said system should be viewed with healthy skepticism at best. Olive, huh?"

He glanced in the direction of her wrists, then shook himself mentally for his foolishness. Even if her veins were visible beneath her skin, who knew how olive blood and greyish skin would combine to reflect a color back? And he certainly didn't want to see it any other way, so he'd settle for living in mild curiosity.

"I'm sure some of us would be offended, but I purrsonally couldn't care less. Though to be completely fair when we grow up all the way you don't have to make us bleed anymore to find out. It shows up in our eyes."

She pauses a moment before adding: "Not that most trolls are against making each other bleed fur... just about any reason. Which I guess makes it easier."

No one could stop himself from looking at her eyes after a line like that, it just couldn't happen. He wondered how old she was in relative terms, though don't think for a second he was going to ask...

"I'm almost starting to worry that facing off against the immense hordes of the Burning Legion is like a vacation for you."

The black-on-yellow of her eyes doesn't show off the color of her blood yet, but it's only a sweep or two away, not that he could know that. She's a juvenile, a young teenager, really.

"Well, not quite as much as you'd think. I lived out in the middle of nowhere, so there weren't any other trolls around to threaten me. Instead I fought Alternian animals and hunted them fur their meat, pelts and blood. Alternia has some very dangerous animals, so it purrpared me fur something like this purrty well."

He has no idea, no. (Hell, he only had her appearance to go on when he assumed she was old enough to flirt with.)

"That does sound like good preparation. No wonder you're having trouble here, though. You're even more used to working on your own than I am."

"Well this isn't the furst time I've worked with others either. There was a game... that word seems wrong but I don't know what else to call it. Anyway, me and eleven furriends of mine had to work together to beat the game and get our reward. And survive. That worked out okay, but they were trolls I'd known as far back as I can remember. This is so different... You know I didn't actually remember how to talk to people I don't know when I arrived here."

And that was embarrassing as all get out to admit, but somehow she didn't think Mar would judge her for it.

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