"Don't mind if I do!" Meirin took a seat next to Ssarak as he pointed out this would be their first time outside the college together. She wondered what exactly he meant by that, or rather, why he bothered to bring it up. She had a sly smile that poked the imagination, but she otherwise thought nothing of it. Than he asked her about Djarkel, something she had more knowledge about. 

"Well... I'm sure that anyone can tell you the basics about Djarkel. It's a land where Dark Magic is commonly practiced, such as Necromancy or Demonmancy. It would make sense for there being an influx of demon activity there. Djarkel itself is ruled by Barons, various lords or ladies who own parts of the land. They use their dark magic to expand their territories, and are often feuding with each other. I think there may be a high Baron or some such, though I'm sure that title is also hotly contested and fought over. At least they only use demons or the undead during their battles instead of sending living people to fight on their behalf. Not to say that you won't find your fair share of warriors and mercenaries in Djarkel. But if a Baron hires any living person for any job, it's likely for assassination, or other specialized talent. Djarkel itself is a depressing place, with very few refuges from it's constant state of war. But if there's only thing about Djarkel that's worth admiring, it's the character of the people there. People there are strong-willed and able to hold their own. While they might not always be united, individually each person has a source of strength that would allow them to over come any obstacles in their path. One anecdote that a native of Djarkel once told me: Nothing is fair, everything is equal". He never really explained to me what the meaning was, but I imagine that what he means is that, while one can do whatever they have to do in order to survive, it not as though you never have a chance, at least. There's always a small chance against all the odds, and that all you need to do is catch it."

Meirin thought about what else she could say. She knew a little bit of Hysteria from her travels there, but she never stayed in town longer than a day or two. Much could have changed since she had last visisted, but she mentioned what stood out to her.

"As for Hysteria itself, it's honestly a rather unassuming city. It's sort of a trade hub into Djarkel, hence why our caravan would be heading there. It has large stone walls surrounding the city, carved from gray stone from the mountains. But the plain stone only serves as an empty canvas for various culture to blend in. Hysteria is known for it's very colorful characters, that is to say, everyone over there is a bit mad. Not that they're angry, just... Strange. It's almost surreal. I haven't met anyone in Hysteria who had any strong feeling against outsiders, though I have seen a lot of freakish people there who I sometimes think might be insane. Oh, but don't think they're dangerous! Hysteria has it's own community of enthusiastic, if also a touch crazy, artisans and craftsmen. Their strange way of thinking gives travelers a good impression of the fairly bizarre mindset of Djarkel, but also serve an example that their dark and almost horrific visage does not make them evil or even all that bad. It's actually a bit charming how quirky and enthusiastic they can be despite how bleak their land and lives are."

Meirin looked down and crossed her fingers together. She certainly said a lot and she was starting to feel a bit self-conscience about it. In truth she didn't know much about Djarkel since she lived in the monastery most of her life, and she'd prefer if she could talk about that instead. Alas, they weren't heading towards the mountains so it wasn't really necessary. Trying to pull her thoughts away from home Meirin had a few questions of her own about the mission. "So... What do you think is causing the demon attacks? I mean, what do you think Lucilia wants us to find? I can't imagine that the demons have any particular reason or agenda to fulfill for attacking the caravans."