Thread: Journeys of a Demon's Daughter // Nobody x Cherubian //

The ship, if the termite-infested hunk of floating wood that Verialyn was on could even be called a ship, had been far more uncomfortable then she'd expected. It had begun with the discovery that her quarters were little more than a plank of wood hanging from a wall with a few blankets on it, deep within the hold of the ship. Then there had been the handful of superstitious sailors who thought that having a woman on board, any woman, was bad luck of the worst kind. And with the nearly constant storms reducing their speed to a crawl and making sure that everything on board was always soaked in seawater, the price being paid for 'safe passage' across the Inner Sea was just shy of criminal. But after nearly a month of stale bread and pitching decks, the city of Ael Morish was finally in view. She knew little of the city, being so far away from her usual stomping grounds. But even when it was but a speck on the horizon she could see the ships, an endless fleet of merchant and trade ships in seemingly infinite designs and shapes. Cargo ships stuffed to the brim with exotic goods, warships laden down with ballista and blades, even a few small longships and raiding craft with far more unpleasant cargo stopped at Ael Morish to trade and resupply. It was the entrypoint to the continent, endless opportunity awaiting anyone who dared to take it and endless danger threatening those who thought a large city meant a safe city. Thankfully she wasn't entering this strange new land completely blind. A lord of her acquaintance had given her a letter of introduction, addressed to Xorien ro Quaric, one of the wealthier merchants that made their home within the city. Supposedly the merchant could use some help with a few money-making opportunities outside of traditional legality, and at the very least he'd be good for enough cash to get by while she gained her bearings in this new land. At last the ship pulled into port, the greasy captain who inexplicably smelled of burnt toast was paid off, and Verialyn Kallidis began to make her way through the docks towards the city proper. The docks extended far along the coast before coming together into the massive dock market, dozens of stalls and merchants hawking their wares and luxuries from exotic places and far off lands. Strange spices and foods that filled the market with strong, delicious smells, brightly plumed birds and fierce, snarling beasts, silks and clothes of unsurpassed quality, anything and everything could be bought in the world's bazaar. There was even a large auction block set up in a corner of the market, the chains and manacles upon the block leaving little doubt what was sold there. The people around her were even more strange, a hundred cultures and lands merging together. Tall men with skin as black as coal and simple robes argued loudly with a pale woman wearing almost nothing at all, men covered in dark red tattoos haggled with deeply tanned men in leather vests and impossibly long hair. Verialyn attracted a certain amount of attention as well exposed flesh was not exactly rare here, but her casual exposure along with the massive blade upon her back made her an odd figure to say the least. The appreciative stares of many men and a surprising amount of women were accompanied by several vendor's cries, trying to sell her virtually everything. Perfume from the Vellorin deserts, pretty lady, not a man alive shall be able to resist you! Your beauty can only be matched by this flawless emerald! Stay and talk beautiful, let me show you these blades unmatched by any other!