Discover Top Posts Tagged with #genasi

My Bard got kissed by a ghost in our curse of Strahd campaign.

I love them your honor.

#loafdoodles #art #curse of strahd #dnd #genasi #character art #bard #dungeons and dragons

Call of the Elements

A small boat fought against the waves in a great black ocean, threatening to capsize against every new wave. A storm bellowed with winds that churned the water, lightning setting the world ablaze. Beneath the roiling surf, echoes of distant song boiled to the surface, deep guttural moaning interspersed with clicks that shook the teeth of the blue-skinned woman at the helm of the ship. Throwing her soggy green hair out of her eyes, the Genasi woman messed with an instrument, a long cord attached to a floating buoy in the water. “Come on, come on, I need you to work! Please!” She threw a tarp over the machine, before waving her hands around the machine, a gush of water spilling out onto the deck, before the machine whirred back to life, and began to speak

“INTRUDER. INTRUDER INTO THIS SACRED TERRI -bzzzz- LEAVE” The Genasi woman fell on her back as a wave crashed over the edge of the deck, and the boat started to dangerously tip. Taking the wheel, she turned the ship back into the waves, desperately attempting to regain control. Behind her, the voice came through the static once again “YOU WILL NOT -bzzz- SHE IS MY CHI -bzzz- NOT TAKE AGAIN”

“I’m not here for your child!” the genasi screamed into the void, but she knew the beast below could not hear her. Another wave pounded against the boat, and the radio tipped dangerously from the table. Taking her hands off the wheel, she desperately tried to grab it, but it fell onto the deck, smashing to pieces. “No no no no!” She took hold of the wheel again, but in front of her, the water churned and bubbled, and a huge reptilian figure made of surf rose from the water. It cried, as a tendril of water crashed onto the boat, throwing off the genasi into the surf. She could smell the smoke of the machine hitting her nose, but it didn’t smell like burnt electronics, it smelled like… potatoes?

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The smell of fries, burning to a crisp, smothered Alinda’s nose, bringing her out of the daydream. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she shouted, “Goddamnit, Rose, check your fries!” She saw the dark-haired half-elf out of the corner of her eyes, leaning against the make table while smoke poured out of the fryer, babbling to Lureic, the bald dwarf working there about her kids' latest misadventure “Rose! Fries! Now!” The half-elf rolled her eyes, before turning back to the fryers. Alinda could see the black soot that were supposed to be shoestring fries be deposited in the waste bin, already half full. A cheerful ding chimed from the computer above the dwarf’s station, as Alinda turned back to the grill, flipping the raw burgers and replacing the weighted steel press back on top of the cooked side.

“Where’s those burgers Alinda!” she heard the Lureic behind her call out. “The customers been waiting 20 minutes already!”

“Maybe if they hadn’t wanted goddamn shoe leather they’d be ready already!” she yelled back. She hastily placed a slice of cheddar from the cooler below onto each of the three well-done burgers in the corner of the stove, covering them with a lid and gushing water into the container. She could hear the sizzle of the cheese melting as behind her, she saw Rose step back to the make table again. You're not waiting on me goddamnit, ask her where her fries are! She thought to herself.

“Four more burgers, two fries, and three tots all day!” Lureic shouted out from behind her. Groaning to herself, Alinda swept the strands of hair starting to fall out of her bun out of her face, before placing four more buns, and four more burgers on the grill. She uncovered the steamed burgers, before swinging them behind her and running straight into Rose, the burgers falling to the ground, Alinda watching as she was powerless to save them

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” The half-elf yelled as she recovered her balance. Alinda just stared at the patties, cheese side down, joining the pile of discarded lettuce and tomatoes that had fallen from the make table.

“Hey, hey, look at me” Lureic turned from the salad he was finishing. Alinda couldn’t bring herself to look up from the braided gray beard covered in a hairnet. “Just drop three more, you’re doing fine” Alinda couldn’t help but to turn and look at the screen, red covering the screen, and hoped the dwarf couldn’t see the tears being held back. She could see the young servers behind the bar, staring bored at the cooks in the kitchen, one of them even had their phone out

“You got it boss” She tried to give a cheerful thumbs up, before she heard Lureic yell “And you! Get back to your station! I needed those appetizers yesterday!” Steam rose from the grill as droplets of tears fell on the hot metal. Alinda pushed the fraying ends of hair falling from her bun out of her face, and got to work

———————————————————————————————————

Hours later, Alinda sat outside the restaurant. Above her the glowing neon sign emblazoned with the smiling visage of a yellow finned dragon, with colored words in white reading The Golden Dragon Tavern. In the fading light of the day, Alinda numbly scrolled past her classmates posting about their vacations, their exciting internships, photos with their smiling families. She could feel herself start to tear up, as she turned off her phone and shoved it into her greasy pocket. A cool breeze blew past, as she stared at the mountains off in the distance, as she heard footsteps behind her, knocking against the hard concrete. She turned and saw Lureic, cigarette in hand. “You mind if I take a smoke break with ya?” Alinda nodded, before turning away. he took a drag from the cigarette, and exhaled the smoke past his beard “You know, for only being back a month your doing pretty well for yourself in there”

“Yeah, I’m sure corporate is glad to have me back,” she said in a monotone voice. “Like riding a bike. Isn’t that what you said?”

“Aye, I did say that. I know it ain’t your ideal circumstances, but hey, it’s a paycheck ain’t it?” Alinda snorted at that last line.

“If barely able to afford my rent and wearing ratty old clothes is what you call a paycheck”

“At least it only be a little bit longer, then ye will be back in school, able to forget about us all over again.” He took another hit from his cigarette. Her hand ached with old soreness at the mention of school. The constant burn in her eyes as she stared at line after line of reading material, the pressure of exams.

“Yep. Only a little longer.” The smell of the salty water hit her nose, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

#original fiction #short story #dnd art #dnd oc #genasi #urban fantasy #I don't know how to tag stuff so hope this works