Panchrest [IC]

[Base Four]

Livak Variin sighed in relief as he dumped his belongings onto the floor of the room.

"So, we're here."

He sat on one of the chairs in the room, with his feet hangling funnily elevated from the ground from the soft padding of the chair that was apparently designed for humans. Guards lined the doorway 'for security purposes'-like he was come sort of a convict or something-he was pretty used to being around humans (those freakishly tall, skinny creatures), but the men in fine metal armour seemed more like manneqins than anything else to him. Impossible to make laugh, yeah, was probably true. Out of the windows erected a complex of marble towers so white they seemed to glimmer under the sunlight: the Asgarnian Imperial Palace.

It wasn't the first time he's been to the capital-he is fairly familiar with it, in fact. The city outside of the palace had the largest market place and some of the best customers, after all. This time, however, was rather different. He was called in by a direct command from the emperor himself.

Seekers, he recited from the letter he read not long ago. A group they were assembling, supposedly to find the source of the plague that was going on, and to elliminate it. Simple plan to make, would most likely be hard as hell to execute. He thought so as he shot another glance at the guards to verify the fact that they had not moved, and then back down at his over-complicated clock in his palm.

About time to go out and meet the people.

* * * *

"...and um, that's about as far as it gets. Here, uncharted territory, uncharted territory, gagh. These maps are actually pretty durn imprecise...no, really, I don't get the artists and why they simply blot random creatures and go 'here be monsters'. Seriously. If I get the chance to be there I'm seriously going to take out my scrolls and pen and quadrant and who those little-"

The ceremony was actually exceptionally bland, which he had half-anticipated; thus he was caught up in conversation with a group of human scholars and craftsmen about halfway through it. However, his little rant was cut short when he looked upwards to find a pair of human eyes that were accusing his rudeness.

"...alright, excuse me."

He curled the map up into a simple scroll and stepped forward into the established group of "seekers", turning his head to face every part of the crowd in turn before he began speaking to the cheering and clapping crowd wearing a confident smile just like the one he would put on his face every other time he met a group of old customers in a foreign place.

"Me Livak Variin. Traveller, merchant, craftsman, jack of all trades."

He sort of lost track of what to say after that-not much of a surprise for he missed about half of the introductions, but he decided that should be enough since half of the crowd probably knew who he was. His sentence trailed off into a wide smile, and he backed off into the group of other Seekers as he looked up at them through his two feet deficit in hight: Swordsman. Theif-rogue-thing-finder. Ridiculously powerful elven mage. Human (?) supposedly from "the North". Golem. Human girl. Monk.

"...Yer, we're kind of supposed to save the world."

Save the world. He repeated in his mind. Well this could be interesting.

[Teen Idle]

Janna turned her attention to the man who had replied to her. He was tale and pale, with long ebony hair that had an unnatural blackness to it - it was as though no darker pigmentation could be achieved. Before he had even began speaking in a tongue she could understand, Janna could tell the man was not an enemy. Nonetheless, boasting social skills equal to that of driftwood, Janna once again became disengaged with the conversation and her attention was drawn back to Vinur, whom she rubbed affectionately as though the rock were a cat nestled into her lap.

As the conversation around her continued, Janna was practically oblivious. Anyone paying her the slightest regard would notice her frequent mutterings in her native tongue, directed at the orange crystal as though she and the rock were engaged in some heavily one-sided conversation. "En, Vinur, hví þarf ég að kynna mig?" she complained like a small child questioning their mother's authority, then paused as though waiting for a response. "Ég vil ekki að vingast við þá." she persisted, as though challenging the rock, before her face dropped into submission. Gott og vel, en ég er ekki ánægður."

Immediately, interrupting the dwarf that currently spoke completely, the flame-haired Elf stood up sharply from her perch upon the rock. "My name is Janna Krrristallaðurrr. I am frrrom Vitarrria." she declared, her thick words tinged with both defiance and reluctance as she did so, clearly not agreeing with the idea of being social. "This is my frrriend, Vinurrr," she said, watching in confusion as the group looked around blankly, seemingly unable to find the man she was introducing. She cleared her throat coyly and sat back upon the rock, visibly offended by the lack of welcoming they had shown her friend. She pouted like a child as she whispered words of comfort into the orange depths of the crystal, glaring at the others from the corner of her eyes as she did so. Rudeness and arrogance was but another reason for Janna to reject the idea of interacting with other beings.

[Nron]

Zradnyk was only slightly put off by the elf's lack of immediate response to his introduction. She didn't seem to be quite all there at first glance to begin with, what with her near constant murmuring to the strange orange crystalline mass and all. When she retreated once more into her own personal world, Zradnyk clicked his tongue and shrugged, standing up straight again to take a better look at the collection of misfits he had been saddled with. The golem introduced itself as Cogitos, a book keeper and alchemical expert and Zradnyk vaguely recalled hearing of the library the golem spoke of. Truthfully he found such places to be quite boring, though he did understand the need for the mortal races to compile their knowledge in such places given their short lifespans. Zradnyk did wonder what kind of information could be housed in an Elven library. He made a mental note to try and procure some tomes of that nature once this pointless quest was done with.

Next there was another of the Human men, a bald young man wearing simple attire that held himself with an air of practiced confidence. When he introduced himself as 'a Monk they call Naba' Zradnyk felt even more distaste towards him than earlier. Monks were, in Zradnyk's experience, overbloated holy men who sought after things that were far beyond their full understanding or ability to attain. Whether or not this Monk was any different was insignificant. He was still Human after all. At the least there was a Dwarf on hand to make matters a little better. Apparently the Dwarf, Livak by name, was some kind of merchant craftsman, something of a useful profession for a group on a quest Zradnyk supposed. It would certainly help having someone on hand to maintain weaponry or discuss prices with merchants to secure discounts. Zradnyk might not have liked Dwarfs but he certainly respected their abilities with hammer and coin. With most everyone introduced Zradnyk was content to tune out the rest of their conversation. Which is why he was somewhat surprised when the Elf spoke up and introduced herself.

Janna, as she introduced herself, went on to introduce the group to her 'friend' Vinur. Whom did not appear to exist at first. Like the rest of the group Zradnyk was confused and did not understand what Janna meant, which was no doubt the reason she retreated back to her seat and proceeded to cast glares at the group out of the corner of her eyes, whispering to her crystal all the while. It was at this point that Zradnyk realized what she had meant. Oh...He thought to himself, deciding to keep his revelation to himself rather than share with the group, Most interesting... He would make a point of speaking with Janna about it in private later on. For now though he felt it best to move things along. Standing outside of the city gates was growing boring after all.

Speaking up, Zradnyk addressed the group as a whole. "While I'm certain we all have our own theories on where to find this artefakt, I do believe it would be best if we were to be on our way." He nodded down the road, "We should find somewhere to discuss this in a more secure location than the outside of the city I feel. You never know who may be listening after all."

[KonanCutie]

-"Should we not think of those places where strange events might have taken place?" The bald human started to talk, "Maybe mystical in nature? With an object such as the Panchrest, I can't help but feel that it would leave a trail, no matter how hard a being would try to hide it. But then again, I am only a monk, a monk they call Naba. Please to meet you all." The monk laughed as he finnished his introduction. As Ewen suspected Naba was truly a monk. Even though Ewen knew almost nothing about religion he could tell Naba were a loyal good hearted man. The introductions continued with the dwarf introducing himself. His name was Livak Variin, a merchant as well as a craftsman. Ewen had heard about him before during the mission in Firrhur. One of the guards there had bought a masterpiece weapon from him and told all the other guards about the reknown dwarf who travelled around the world selling his craved goods.
The elf introduced herself too, her name was Janna Kristallaður. She also introduced someone, or something, named Vinur. What ever it was it seemed to be non-exsistant.
"Perhaps elves have imaginary friends, or invisible pets! Nah, don't be silly now Ewen, there is no such thing as invisible pets. What would be the point of having something you can't see?" Janna was obviously not happy with the lack of response she got. "Elves sure are strange, I should try to learn more about them so I don't end up in awkward situations."

-"While I'm certain we all have our own theories on where to find this artefakt, I do believe it would be best if we were to be on our way. We should find somewhere to discuss this in a more secure location than the outside of the city I feel. You never know who may be listening after all." Zradnyk said.

-"You are right. I have an outpost in Sassilur. We can speak there undisturbed as well as planning our journey. It would take three hours by foot to get there but it's safe and free if we need to eat or sleep." Ewen did not know why anyone would want to stop them from saving the world, but if Zradnyk had reasons to be afraid of eavesdroppers there is probably a reason for it.

[LentWhiteninja]

The group's introductions continued with a pale man from the "North", a monk, and then an elven witch with the wildest hairdo Zorro had ever laid eyes on. This was indeed an interesting and diverse group of people. Since Zorro's suggestion was shot down the second he opened his mouth, they still didn't know where to start looking. To make matters even worse, it looks like group chemistry is going to be a problem. As far as the theif could evaluate, the Seekers were going to have trouble getting along The elf could hardly speak the Asgarnian language, and talking to an inanimate object like it was her baby spoke of her mental state quite extensively. Unless, of course, she was seeing something no one else could. There was another girl, but she didn't appear like she could talk at all, using hand gestures to communicate. Zorro made a mental note to watch out for her; it was always the quiet ones that bring the most mayhem. Also, there was a dwarf and a witch hunter. The dwarf didn't look too special, but a witch and a witch hunter in the same group ominously foreshadowed much quarreling between them.

Speaking up, Zradnyk addressed the group as a whole. "While I'm certain we all have our own theories on where to find this artefakt, I do believe it would be best if we were to be on our way." He nodded down the road, "We should find somewhere to discuss this in a more secure location than the outside of the city I feel. You never know who may be listening after all."
"You are right. I have an outpost in Sassilur. We can speak there undisturbed as well as planning our journey. It would take three hours by foot to get there but it's safe and free if we need to eat or sleep." Ewen did not know why anyone would want to stop them from saving the world, but if Zradnyk had reasons to be afraid of eavesdroppers there is probably a reason for it.

"Agreed," Zorro answered, not seemingly fazed by the pale man's accusing glare over the party, "Unless anyone has a better idea, I suggest we make our way to this outpost. Sassilur is only three hours away by foot, but there's a stable on the way if my memory serves. If we can get our hands on a carriage or some horses, we could cut our travel time in half and be able to carry much more supplies." After casting out his idea for all to hear, Zorro calmly shot a glance at the trees. The mention of eavesdroppers caused his paranoia to spike. If someone was hiding anywhere, it would be in the forest canopy. The leaves provide ideal cover, and you'd be surprised how travelers tend to never look up.

[Stein]

As the conversation progressed, Naba got a little nervous. Had the area always been this quiet? And why did it suddenly seem so desolate? The elven woman got up to speak. Now, she was an interesting one. Most people saw crazy, but Naba saw a fierce glint in her eyes, one of a woman who was simply on another wave than the majority of the land. She seemed upset that no one was able to see her friend, but it only took Naba a second to realize it was the stone that she carried. He had seen her muttering to it before.

He also had faith that she was fully competent in some areas, or she wouldn't be on the quest. The King wouldn't have made this a babysitting of the feeble minded quest for them....or at least Naba hoped not. He chuckled slightly at his joke. So, being the monk he was, he turned to her and stated casually, looking at her rock with a pleasant smile: "It's wonderful to meet you Vinurr, I hope our time on this quest is well spent." With that he gave them both one last smile and joined in the conversation again.

The Zradnyk fellow seemed a little more wary.....or critical, of their group. Naba was no fool when it came to reading the surface of people. He had to do some concentrating if it came to anything past that, but he was good at noticing facial expressions, even the tiniest flits of them, if people gave them away. But he dislodge the thought from his head. If any of their group had misguided bad blood, that was something they'd have to deal with later, as senseless as it was to begin with. He spoke up to the group.

"Well, I also condone us making haste to this outpost. And if we can find maybe a luggage mule or horse, that would be most splendid. I feel that the presence of malice might be growing in this area." He finished this last part looking over his shoulder.

Indeed, he had been feeling a growing sense of negative energy, and it had him on edge.

[Nron]

At the mention of using horses and pack animals as a means of traveling Zradnyk had to restrain a disgusted hiss. The mere thought of being made to ride on the back of one of those uncomfortable, ornery creatures was enough to make him consider simply returning to his original form at that very instant in order to avoid such an event. Zradnyk had never understood why anyone would trust an easily spooked, simpleminded animal to carry them or their belongings over any distance. He had heard that they made good war animals but given how many times he had managed to eliminate his targets simply by causing their horses to panic and throw them off he was more than a little skeptical of this statement. Of course, Humans weren't very bright to begin with so they probably had some ill conceived logic for trusting in the beasts.

"While I am certain that your 'outpost' will suffice," Zradnyk spoke up again, this time directing what he was saying to Ewen, the Monk and the untrustworthy young Human, "I do not believe that simple horses will be able to serve our purposes." From somewhere inside of his shirt Zradnyk withdrew a small booklet, quickly flipping it open and scanning it's pages before smirking slightly and returning the booklet to it's hiding place on his person. The entire process took about four seconds. "I believe I may be able to procure for us transportation more suited to our needs and current status. Unless of course you'd all prefer to sit on the rough back of a pack animal in which case I will gladly walk to our destination myself." He smirked again. "I'd probably make it there before you all honestly."

[Base Four]

"Alright then, to Sassilur it is."

Livak said as the rest of the group initiated a discussion on the topic of the trip, plans, eavesdropping, and an outpost. He has been to that particular place a while ago, and while he didn't have an exact idea where this outpost is he rather liked the idea of getting to Sassilur.

He was also going to mention the he remembers the place would take twice as long as the human suggested to get to and that it would be a better idea to at least acquire some other kind of transportation, when Naba brought up the topic before him.

That was when the Zradnyk folk started speaking with a little book in hand. "I'd probably get there before you all honestly."

Livak let out a little grunt. This person did not appeal to him from the very start of this meeting: his pattern of speech, his will of dominating the conversations, an ego-maniac-esque attitude and those ever annoying smirks directed at the rest of the group as if he was somehow superior to all the others. The attitude he can tolerate, but anything from that little spell-book he was flipping through was the last thing that he'll allow anyone to try on him.

"Objection." he stated as he looked up at Zradynk. He'd ride a mule or horse alright, or he'll walk the twelve miles himself if he had to; but he's not going to let a human mage creepily float or fly or teleport him across that distance. Even the elven mage he'll trust-he's at least heard of who she is. But just not that creepy tall fellow and his spellbook. Just no.

"You're not bringing your fancy magic into this, are you?"

[KonanCutie]

Both Zorro and Naba agreed that heading for Sassilur was indeed the right thing to do, and Ewen could see that they also shared the paranoia that Zradnyk had.
-""While I am certain that your 'outpost' will suffice," Zradnyk said, "I do not believe that simple horses will be able to serve our purposes. I believe I may be able to procure for us transportation more suited to our needs and current status. Unless of course you'd all prefer to sit on the rough back of a pack animal in which case I will gladly walk to our destination myself. I'd probably make it there before you all honestly." He ended tha last sentence with a smirk, which worried Ewen. Zradnyk had also started to flip around in a little book of his.
-"Objection." The dwarf spoke up, "You're not bringing your fancy magic into this, are you?"
"Magic?" Ewen thought for himself, "was that what Zradnyk was planning?" Ewen got bitter when he thought about it. He glanced a short second at Kal who also seemed to dislike the idea of using magic.

-"With all due respect Zradnyk. But do you really think it would be necessary to use a spell to travel such a short distance, wouldn't it be better to save our powers until we are moving out on the real journey? And I really think we could use the trip ahead of us for some bonding. Heck! I would not want to try out some strangers magic, would you?"