To say that Isabel stood on the edge of the ruins would be inaccurate, because the ruins never ended. All of Crumbleport was an amalgamation of ruined, ancient structures, tumbledown but more recent buildings, and brand new construction. The "ruins" stretched from the coast, well into the jungle, and as Crumbleport shared no borders with other principalities, nobody had ever bothered to define exactly where it ended. And yet Isabel stood on the edge of something. Maybe it wasn't the edge of the ruins, and maybe it wasn't the border of Crumbleport, but it was some imaginary line. Some line that, it was understood, marked the barrier between safety and uncertainty. It looked no different from the rest of the town. There was no line, no sudden dropping or even a sudden increase in foliage. Nearest anyone could figure, the watchtower stretching out of the trees to her right(held up more by magic than by mortar these days) was the furthest one could walk without being prepared for danger. Isabel was as prepared for danger as she could be. She had practiced a few spells, and the Bottle on her back had just one prepared spell preserved inside of it. It was a kinetic field, which she could activate at a moment's notice, to protect her from attack, or a structural collapse or something like that. The rest of the Bottle's cells she left empty, to capture ancient magic for further study. She also carried a brand new leather bound notebook, held on a chain from her belt, to keep track of anything she needed to notate. Currently the only words in it were the day's date at the top of the first page. She wished she could bring a scribe student. When working at the University, there was an abundance of scribes in training who were perfectly willing to write down anything you said just to practice their calligraphy. But none were willing to go where she was going. Isabel took a final breath of safe air and then stepped forward, eyes scanning wildly around as she did so. When nothing happened, she took another step, and another. She smiled, pulled her notebook from her side and wrote: "Three steps in. Not dead yet." Then she continued walking.

Devon watched Isabel head off. He shook his head with a smug smirk. They won't likely see that one alive again. That was how life was in crumbleport. They stood on the grounds of untold evil waiting to grab you at every turn. Devon wasn't afraid though, evil was supposedly in his blood. In his lineage. He was looking for the answers, but he needed to go looking to know for sure what the truth really was. He strode through the ruins deciding it best to head to the tavern. It was run by dwarves to no ones surprise. It was called "The Stone Cellar" and it was very popular. He could use a drink of rum right about now.

Jack sat inside 'The Stone Cellar' at a table by himself. He had several documents about the ruins of Crumbleport. Deciding where to start is one thing but it's best to learn about the place before stepping in. Learning of its origin may help get an idea of what to expect and better prepare yourself. He was looking through them wondering where to start and what horrendous beasts he would find down in the ruins, especially on the deeper levels when it really gets underground. "This place really is more than just a maze isn't it. The entire place was covered in ruins. Choosing a place to start was deffinetly a tough decision. One misstep and it was over. Jack looked around to see others that looked like they wanted to check out the ruins. Some were here for the treasure, some for knowledge, and someay even find great power. Jack was looking for the ancient secrets hidden within. Who knows what lurked within those ruins. Jack was waiting and preparing for his long journey into the ruins of Crumbleport.

Devon sat at the bar, ordering himself some rum to drink. Looking behind himself, the pale man noticed Jack immediately. He stood out like a sore thumb, his armor, and his documents scattered about before him. This man wanted to explore by the looks of things. The thought had crossed Devon's mind immediately; he needed someone to travel with. Devon needed a party of his own if he intended to be successful. Being lost wasn't something he was used to, but all the same, he didn't want to be alone when he tried to discover his true lineage. Devon must have been staring for quite some time as he noticed a few people glance in his direction. Devon turned and took a drink of his rum. He wasn't sure he wanted to bother the knight, but in the same instance, he was curious if he'd help.

From the top of a broken pillar, gleaming yellow eyes watched the approaching human. Pretty sure it was human anyhow. Well, well, well, what were they doing here, hm? Walking around her ruins like that? Probably another wannabe 'professor'. Those people were so boring. The 'raiders' were a bit more interesting, but also a lot louder and meaner. Rarely did anyone come out here that she thought was actually fun. Not that it ever stopped Ekra. She giggled, jumping over to a stone rooftop filled with holes and dodging past them. A little further up was a trick she had set up a while ago, one that had used up a fair amount of rope and time. She knew it'd work though. She watched the human, crouched on her perch as the human slowly began walking along the decaying pathway, pausing to write something - Ekra would have to grab it, she was fond of flipping through those; sometimes they even had pictures - before continuing on. Her smile grew into a grin as the human got closer. Right when the human was where she needed to be, Ekra yanked on the rope nearby. Ahead, suspended from an overhanging tree, a spiky log dislodged and immediately swung downwards. Fast enough to catch attention, certainly fast enough to be seen, aimed right at the human's midsection- And then, not a foot away, crumble into harmless wooden chips and sawdust. Ekra's raucous laughter tore through the quiet ruins.

Isabel cried out in surprise, and thrust her hand forward. The Bottle whirred as it discharged the prepared spell. A wave of force emanated from Isabel, blowing the crumbling bits of wood away from her at great speed. Isabel smiled and lifted her notebook to write again. K-field worked like charm. Disintegrated booby trap. Must prepare new one. She checked the ground for a loos bit of rock or a string that might have set the trap off, but found nothing. That meant, she reckoned, that it had been set off by some sort of magic. She lifted her gauntleted hand and started turning the dial on the back of it, trying to find traces of the magic for capture and study.

"Tricky's trap. She near." The voice came from almost directly above Isabel, and a glance upwards would reveal a short figure, her clothing similar in colour to the forest around her. More notable at the moment was the fact that she was hanging upside down from a tree branch, seemingly completely at ease dangling with her knees hooked over the thin sprig of wood. With a slight swinging motion, she released her hold and began to fall, the branch springing back upwards without her weight. It looked like she was going to land heavily off balance, but as she hit the ground she crumpled into an inelegant but seemingly quite effective roll, if the way that she quickly sprung to her feet after the nearly fifteen foot drop was any indication. She didn't stand straight, instead her posture was more hunched, her center of gravity closer to the ground. Curious eyes peered up at Isabel, the Halfling's head tilted slightly. "You, Smarty out learning, yesyes? Here-" she gestured to the surrounding area, "safe most like. Tricky put traps around, scare ruin people." She peered closer, squinting slightly before creeping forward a bit, moving almost as though she was ready to drop to all fours. "You... IS Smarty, yes? Supposed to meet a Smarty here."

After witnessing one of the usual traps being activated, and the victim of it managing to escape its menace, Amber sighed. She was familiar to this side of the ruins, the harmless side. But not with the other, much more dangerous one. It remained a mystery to her, though she heard rumors of it, they were nothing but rumors only, with no real evidence. She had always wanted to explore that side. Find treasures and monsters, perhaps. If not, then that's fine too, considering her curiosity that knows no bounds would've been satisfied at least a little. She was positive that there was something of importance in the ruins though, if not then why would it be so dangerous and protected? But still. However she wanted to just rush in the ruins and explore it without a care in the world, she still had to find others and form a team. She'd most likely die if she ventured alone. Which was why she stood there in front of the door of the tavern she so frequented, 'The Stone Cellar'. Despite repeated efforts before to form a party, she still had no companion, not even one. None were willing to trust her, as Amber was pretty infamous after all. Even though she was polite with them, most shooed her away right as she approached them. Still, she hoped that at least a handful would, and maybe one would be sufficient. She was lonely. And as such, with dread, she pushed open the tavern door, the noise that had been mostly blocked out instantly blaring up in her ears. Chatter and laughter filled them, along with the clicking of glasses against another. Drunks were here and there. It was a normal sight for her, but she noticed some people whom she hadn't seen. There was one, particularly, with a huge bulk, wearing fine armor, and having document papers scattered in front of him on his table. She lit up a little, hoping maybe he would accompany her. So she walked up to him, then politely asked her usual question, "Hello sir. My apologies for interrupting you. It seems that you would be exploring the ruins, I see. Say, would you mind if I tag along?"

Jack just finished looking through his documants and had finally decided where he was to start looking into the ruins. He went to stand up when he was cut off by a voice. Jack turned to see a small thin girl. She appeared to be a thief of some sort. There was no doubt in that. "I suppose another person would be fine. First I have to ask, what are your skills? Judging by your appearance, I can see that you would be a quick and nimble fighter but what skills a could you offer that will help in the ruins? Take a seat." Jack said as he gestured toward the other side of the table. "Tell me about yourself." Jack sat there for a second. "Now that I think about it, that sounded fast. I apologize but I need to know I can trust you."

Amber was surprised. She didn't think the man would consider her question. It brought a smile to her face as she pulled out the chair beside the man then sat on it, after being given the permission to do so. He asked a question, to which she would've answered, if not for him continuing on to ask more questions. She thought for a second before answering. "I'm Amber Vladimire Thatcher. Just Amber is fine. You might've heard of me before. As for the ruins, I have done my fair share of research on it. As for skills... Well, for the ones that are quite helpful in ruins, yes, I can fight, and I do know some first aid, the basic ones at least. I do have much stamina, and strength is fine too. Would there be more specific skills needed for exploring? Also, as for trust... If you trust me, then I'll trust you. So you can depend on that," she answered the man.

Isabel stared wide eyed at the.. person before here. I took her a moment to organize her thoughts and try to pick apart the stranger's words. It was difficult to decipher her meaning, but Isabel got it after a second.

"Er, yes. I am a student of CU. Are you Chak? My guide?"