Episode 0: Specimen Gathering - Prologue

Quest Name: Episode 0: Specimen Gathering

Quest Category: Episode

Quest Difficulty: 0

Player Participants: Faustein Kuroyakushi

Spoiler:

Planned Location(s): Uncharted Isles, West Blue

Summary:
A few of the more cra...ahem, eccentric...researchers at his home island of O'Hara have been in need of help with documentation and study of the fauna and flora of the uncharted and more remote isles in the West Blue. Since he is need of more high quality guin...er research assistants for his scientific studies, Faustein has decided he would volunteer for his own nef...er out of the goodness and kindness of his heart o' gold.

 Objectives
  - Travel to and through the territory known as the Uncharted Isles in the West Blue and document any and all fauna and flora therein. Bring back said information to clients in O'Hara.

  - Gather as many samples as possible from especially those specimens possessing a particularly mysterious nature or otherwise those which could hold potential scientific merit. Bring back said samples to clients in O'Hara.

---

Faustein was relaxing at his residence in O'Hara after returning from a recent trip. The trip had been one wherein he had to travel to one of the neighboring territories to attend to a patient. Thanks to his skills as a talented physician, he had been able to cure this patient's malady rather easily. As the hours slipped by, he started to crave his usual late afternoon nap. Unfortunately for him, right when he was about to take said nap, he received a flier with an urgent quest. Who was the client with enough temerity to disturb his peace and quiet, you ask? Well, this time, it was none other than the esteemed Council of Scholars which governed O'Hara.

"What in Heisenberg's name? A quest directive at this late hour? Those living fossils must be completely out of their antediluvian minds..."

He grumbled thus as he read over the flier, irritated that they would have the gall to disturb him. Despite this preliminary attitude of disgruntlement, his interest in the matter intensified steadily. Eventually, he could no longer ignore the siren song of his curiosity and so, he readied himself and set off. His destination, of course, was the headquarters of the Council of Scholars. Whilst en route, he mused

Hmm...a research expedition in the Uncharted Isles, eh? This should be most intriguing indeed...

---

OOC:

Word Count: 227

POST COUNT: 1

"...And that's why, not matter what, you never let anyone order you around because they're 'smarter,' than you, ya hear?!"

The discordant preaching of the weathered, old sailor's voice was matched by the sloshing of the dark yellow drink that he held in his hands. With each high and low of his voice cam an equal current along the surface of the liquid, its mesmerising movement being one that would capture Paramore's vision. Lips pursed slightly apart, she couldn't help but feel herself wanting to taste the intriguing beverage that was held before her.

Alas, with little to her name in terms of the local currency, which she had come to understand was different than the kind that was traded to her and her fellow tribesmen; Berries, was something of a necessity outside of the confines of the island of Bastille. She had quickly become acquainted with the many merchants and seamen of the port that she had managed to land her vessel on. Having arrived on the island more or less unscathed, she couldn't have had the same for her ship, which, to her knowledge, had met its end at the bottom of the local harbour.

The island of Ohara, which she had come to understand, was one that was dominated by those whose education was one that considered her own to be some form of lesser. With the little amount of coin that she was able to procure from the charitable voyagers, Paramore managed to graciously excuse herself from the table of the harbour's inn.

Brushing loose strands of hair out of her eyes, she began to explore more of the island, giving courteous nods tho those how passed by, followed by a wide-eyed smile. The land around her was so vast compared to the forest dominated region she had grown up on, her eyes focusing on the large tree that sprouted form the island's centre, wondering what exactly it could mean. The curiosity, in fact, was so great that she couldn't help but flag down the first wild-haired individual that passed her next during the soon-to-be evening that she encountered.

"Hey~ Hey~ Old guy, how high is that tree meant to be? Does it reach the top of the world?!" she asked, her eyes lit up with a fiery passion to understand the exact heights in which the landmark stretched to.

Faustein had been walking along at a rather lazy pace as was his usual habit. As he went along, he enjoyed the feeling of the gentle zephyr through his whitish-green, wild hair. He was about halfway from the headquarters of the Council when he heard a female voice. The young woman, or so it seemed from his vocal analysis, was calling him "old guy" and asking about the Tree. The Tree in question was, of course, the Tree of Knowledge, O'Hara's claim to fame...or one of them anyway. The fact that some random stranger was calling a mere 29 years old man like him old irked him. So, he turned about on his heel and walked toward the source of the voice.

As he got closer, his keen, haunting crimson red eyes examined the the offender, noting all details. It was a young woman who seemed to be in her late teens, if her appearance was any guide. He mused as he watched her examine her surroundings

Hmm, she's glancing around with that wide eyed expression...which would mean she is not a denizen of O'Hara...

This impression of her was strengthened by the fact that she was asking about the Tree of Knowledge

Furthermore, she is inquiring about the Tree of Knowledge... which every O'Hara resident would know about...

He wondered, now certain that the young woman before him was definitely not a native of O'Hara. Still, he supposed it was only natural that visitors be in awe of his home island. Its environment painted a majestic picture, and its collection of knowledge was peerless, after all. So, he replied as he approached closer still

"Greetings, mademoiselle. Welcome to O'Hara, and I hope you enjoy your stay here with us."

Normally, he would've ignored such a jibe at his age and continued on his way, being his standard aloof self. However, since she was a stranger, he felt it best to be cautious and respond to her query. As he spoke, his trademark smirk could be seen adorning his thin, firm lips.

"It's rather uncouth of you to call someone you have met just now as old, wouldn't you say? In this case, I surmise that your view was informed by my capillum album?"

He reprimanded her about her behavior, but it was to be expected, his hair was white, so he could see why she called him old. Then, he moved on to the next matter at hand.

"Ah, I see you have noticed this island's preeminent landmark already, well done. No one knows the precise height of the Tree of Knowledge, but it is rather ancient, or so I have heard anyway."

He praised her thus for being observant enough to notice the Tree of Knowledge and answered her as well. His voice was a rich baritone, but yet mellifluous one with a peculiar accent. His particular accent was a surreal mix of the one found in O'Hara and that of inhabitants of Drum Island.

---

OOC:

Word Count: 500

Appearance:

-Outfit:

Spoiler:

---

-Physique:

Spoiler:

italics w/o quotes: Faustein's thoughts

bold with quotes: Faustein's out loud speech

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POST COUNT: 2

As the man approached her, Paramore was able to gather a few more details of his appearance as he began to address her. Hid dry hair sprung up form his head, the pale colouration blending into an odd, greenish-hue. His sallow skin highlighted dark bags under his eyes, a sign of overworking himself. What was most notable about his appearance, apart from the odd colours of his visage, was the partial parting of skin on one side of his face. The dull reflection of a dark metal caught her eye, as she followed it along to see a screw that appeared to jut out from the side of his skull.

Wetting her lips as she attempted to understand what she was looking at, never having seen anyone be embedded with metal and still remain on their feet, let alone being able to hold a conversation. She began to blink in reply to the apparent scolding that she was being given, attempting to mouth out the words that she didn't recognise.

"Madem... uh..." she began, taking a half-step back before she stood her ground.

Caterpillum...." she frowned, tilting her head to the side as her brows furrowed for a moment, her muscles tensing in frustration. She was beginning to get the feeling that this man was one of those individuals who ordered those around him due to his intellect.

Taking a deep breath, Paramore took a step forward, closing the distance between herself and the white-coated before pointing a finger towards him. "You better not be taking for an idiot, anyone can tell there's a giant tree here!" she stated, before taking a breath and taking a step back in order to calm herself.

With a soft sigh, she shook her head, her fringe falling down over her eye for a moment before being brushed back with the nail of her thumb. "Has no one ever considered climbing it then?" she asked, the sudden thought lighting up her eyes. Looking over towards the tree itself, a dreamy expression fell over her face as she began to wonder what it would be like to reach the top of its branches.

"I bet it has the most beautiful view in the world!" she grinned, looking back towards the older man with a look of wonder.

He had been studying her reactions to his provocation, and boy were they amusing. First, she had this hilarious look of utter confusion on her face as she tried to discern the meaning of his words. That surprised him since he was not speaking in some esoteric tongue

I suppose not everyone outside of O'Hara would be so erudite as its denizens, oh well...

As he watched, she had made a slow but steady transition from confusion to anger. As a result, he had a bemused expression on his face and the corner of his thin lips twitched as he repressed his mirth. She had approached him in close quarters and retorted, accusing him of making light of her. After that, this fulminant sentiment had passed over her as fast as it had overcome her. After her little outburst, he followed her gaze as she looked at the tree and then looked back at him with wonder. To his surprise, she had asked him if anyone had ever climbed the Tree of Knowledge.

Is she out of her mind? Climb the Tree of Knowledge? That is a veritable act of sacrilege in O'Hara.

He had thought as he heard her speculate about the splendor of the vista at the treetop level. After letting her finish, he could no longer control his urge to laugh and so, he let loose a rumbling chuckle. The sound seemed to hang in the air for a barest few seconds afterward as he responded to her query

"Oho, my my, what an adventurous fräulein you are, mademoiselle. Now I am certain you are not an O'Haran aboriginal. To answer your question, till date, no one has ever attempted such a thing as climbing the Tree of Knowledge."

He paused for effect, and then continued, his smug, entertained smirk wider than ever now

"I would not recommend such an action, though. You see, the guardians of O'Hara can be rather strict with transgressors of the law..."

He extended the flyer with the specimen gathering quest details towards her so she could read it as well

"That said, an alternate avenue does exist for you to give vent to your boundless energy and enthusiasm, if you wish."

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OOC:

Word Count: 365

POST COUNT: 3

As she gazed up towards the uppermost branches of the great tree, Paramore couldn't help but feel a sense of wonderment fall upon her, attempting to picture herself scaling up along its trunk. Special gear would have to be procured if she were to do so. Where she may be able to obtain, and what exactly she would need, she didn't know, but she was sure that someone around her had to have had the same dream as she did. If not, this island was supposedly chock full of intellectuals who would help her achieve such a goal. If not for her, but to update their own records.

The man's odd use of language brought her back from her starry-eyed gaze. Turning her head towards him, she raised an eyebrow at the strange assortment of words that he was using, but decided not to voice her opinion this time. For all she knew, this was the local dialect of the Oharans. This thought, however, didn't cure her confusion as to what he was saying, Paramore missing certain things that he was trying to tell her as she was too caught up in his flowery vocabulary.

"Oh, you wouldn't? It must be important to you all..." she trailed off, absent mindedly accepting the flyer that was being given to her. Looking down at it, her eyes widened as she slowly read the words off of the sheet. "Are you looking for a hunter?!" she exclaimed, the sudden lurk of sadness immediately dispersing as her excitement almost lifted her off of the ground.

Coking her hand back, in order to brush the dark-coloured, patterned jacket that she wore, she revealed a leather wrapping that hung on the inside, close to the side of her rib cage, holstered around the shirt that wore beneath. Jutting out from the casing was the pommel of a well-worn hunting knife and, based off of the shape and size of the make-shift sheathe itself, it would have been safe to assume that the hidden weapon possessed a deadly curve to it.

"If you're looking for a hunter, you don't have to look any further than myself!" she grinned, her expression denoting the genuine nature of the gesture. Allowing her jacket to once again fall to cover her front, the brown-haired girl extended a hand. "Of course, I have no idea what this other gobbeldy-gook means, however, I need some way to make money to have a place to stay, but before we talk business, I think introductions are in order!" she chuckled, ready to give a firm a handshake if he were willing to accept.

"Name's Paramore."

The woman before him was a most curious specimen, as he could surmise from the vast range of emotions she had shown till then. For instance, when he had dissuaded her from climbing the Tree of Knowledge, her expression had morphed into one of melancholy. Shortly thereafter, however, she had begun to muse about how the Tree must be important to O'Harans. So he had elaborated before displaying the quest flyer to her

"Indeed, it is quite important to all denizens of O'Hara, and especially to scholars like myself."

Then, that sadness had been dispelled almost immediately by her perusal of the flyer. She had then asked him if he needed a hunter and showed him what was presumably her weapon of choice. After that, she fell silent and held out her hand for a handshake. So he obliged her since he was feeling generous

"You may call me Faust. So, you are a hunter, eh? Then, you will be an important asset to me in undertaking this venture. Thus, we have ourselves an accord."

He said, while taking her hand and gave a brief, firm handshake before letting go and continuing to explain

"Now, It is imperative to register with the Council of Scholars first. That way, we will be eligible for the rewards once we complete this quest. So, follow me and keep up a brisk pace."

With that, he ended his instruction and waited to see if she could comprehend his words and intentions before setting out for the headquarters of the Council of Scholars.

---

OOC:

Word Count: 264

POST COUNT: 4

Faustein had waited patiently, but since the woman had not responded, he took it to mean that she was hesitant to join him after all. Hence, he simply left her on the road and then headed off to the Council of Scholars to register his name with them since he would be their agent for this expedition to the Lost Isles.

"Very well, Mr. Kuroyakushi. You are hereby authorized to undertake this investigative expedition to the Uncharted Isles."

The Elders had said to him and then gave him the final instructions before setting him free

"Your main objective is to study and catalog any and all hithertofore unknown specimens in this journal. After that, it is imperative that you return here with both your findings and samples of each specimen which you have recorded in your journal as proof of quest completion."

Faustein nodded to signify that he had understood his task and after collecting the journal from them, he excused himself and headed off to charter a boat which would take him to the Uncharted Isles of the West Blue.

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