An So We Begin

The Convent Of The Sisters Of Light is pleading for help from the people of the realm. Our orphanage has been plagued with unique case of Cinder Sickness that all attempts to cure have failed. We have consulted both near and far and believe that we now know how to heal our poor children but we lack the strength to collect the ingredients we so desperately need. We are searching for strong and caring individuals to help save the lives of these innocent souls. Please contact Sister Agnes in the Village of Gorlton’s Apothecary for more information. We promise a great reward in exchange for the materials that we need.

Messengers had been instructed to place these following notices both near and far throughout the realm in hopes that at least some would come. The messengers had left several days before and all had returned and informed the Convent that they had completed the task at hand. Sister Agnes, an old and devoted nun that was a member of The Convent Of the Sisters Of The Light paced the Apothecary Shop, slowly running her fingers along the folds of her habit. The children of the orphanage they looked after were sick and there was nothing that seemed to help. Cinder Sickness was usually a disease, though while painful, could be cured by a simple healing from a priest or priestess but this epidemic was different. They had been able to slow it but not cure it and the children were in pain.

The disease started out as nothing more than a high fever but it quickly had progressed to tiny cinders and sparks coming from the childrens eyes and mouths. Some of the children that had had it longer had progressed to having small lesions on their skin that would have flames coming from them. They had even lost one that had been completely engulfed in flames as the disease reached its most dangerous state. Sister Agnes wondered how many more they would lose and it weighed heavily on her heart.

The sisters had been able to locate the cause of the disease, a cult that had summoned a demon not far from the orphanage had caused the initial break out and thanks to a local religious order had been taken care of but a cure as of yet had not been found. Their only hope lay in an old manuscript that the old Apothecary had that spoke of a similar outbreak that had happened the century before but the ingredients for such a remedy were rare, so very rare and they were not something that would be easy to come by. Their only hope was that a group of adventurers would be willing to take on the task. The nuns of the convent were skilled in many things, fighting the wilderness was not one of them.

“Think any will come?” Sister Agnes asked as she looked out of the window of the old shop and looked out over the town. The hour was early, the sun breaking over the horizon slowly. The village was quiet; only a few were up and moving about, starting their daily tasks. Beyond the village were fields and tree lines that formed the edge of a vast forest that surrounded the village and famers fields. Mountains could be seen off in the distance and every so often, from miles away, the smell of salt would waft into the village in the early hours of the morning from the Cove.

“Give it time Sister,” the apothecary said as he looked up from the manuscript that held the ingredients that would need to be collected. He had spent the night writing the list over and over again on pieces of parchment to hand out to those that came along wanting to try to help. Sighing slightly as he looked at the list, these were not easy things to come by and they would need a full group to go through with this that could work well together. Some adventuring parties took years to trust each other and work well together. To find such groups were as rare as the ingredients themselves. He just hoped who ever came through the door and caused the little brass bell above it to ring as they entered would be up to the task.

“Time is something we do not have much of,” she said as she stood there waiting, looking back out the stained glass window of the shop before turning away and wandering aimlessly through the room.

Sana Rawn

The sun had just begun to rise and the sky was still a cool blue as the first rays broke through the window of the rented room of the village inn. An irritated sound escaped Sanas lips as the light came into the room, turning her head she buried it against a rather large and defined chest as she pulled the covers over her head; a habit she had formed over the last couple of months of travel anytime the sun interrupted her sleep. “Make it go away,” she grumbled as she curled up closer to the large figure that was probably already awake lying next to her.

The pair had arrived the night before rather late and the village was completely locked down save for the inn thankfully; Sana had tended to the horses as Hugh secured a room for them for the evening. They had caught the notice a town over after months of travel trying to escape a desert and some rather unsavory creations; together they decided they would check out what was going on and offer a hand. It would be nice to try to help some children instead of some megalomaniac in an area that could only be described as hell. Now there were somewhere lush and it was a welcome change to Sana; though she still swears that she will be picking sand out of pack for the rest of her life.

By the time they got to the room Sana had barely managed to undress from her traveling gear before passing out at the foot of the bed. She was not sure how she had managed to end up using Hugh as a pillow but she figured he had moved her while she slept. Now the sun was disturbing that sleep and she was far from happy about it. She knew they needed to get up, get some food and head over to the Apothecary but she hadn’t even heard a rooster crow yet, so she figured she still had time.

“Cock-A-Doodle-Wake-Yo-Butt-Up!” a rooster crowed from outside the window.

“Son of a….” Sana mumbled as she pulled the covers tighter over her head.

Fiona was most fond of traveling in the morning, while the air was cool and the wilderness was just beginning to wake up for the day. The towns and villages were still sleepy, people having yet to rise from their beds in droves to flood the streets with noise and activity. She'd always wanted to see the world, but learned quickly enough that she wasn't a city girl at heart, much preferring the peace of small villages, and the open road.

Of course, she had a companion at the moment, a man who quite often disturbed that peacefulness. Tobias was quite the talker, a man who thought himself quite a bit more charming and handsome than he actually was, though Fiona had to admit that he did have his moments. While she was a bit negatively inclined towards him due to his less than honest qualities, the pair had built a rather odd little friendship, built off of their mutual assisting of one another about a week back.

Fiona had encountered Tobias being hauled along the road by a trio of thugs, working for a local boss known as Green-Grin Greg. Not being one who let bandits freely drag people around, Fiona confronted them, and bested them in a quick fight, freeing Tobias. After learning a bit about the area from him, Fiona rather boldly made plans to deal with the local criminal, believing him to be weakened after losing some of his men. Her bravery, as she was learning, tended to venture into foolishness, and she found out quickly enough that she was no match for the bandit leader. Beaten soundly in a fight that was hardly fair, Fiona was taken prisoner, only able to escape through a clever lie spun by Tobias's silver tongue.

They were an odd pair, vastly different of mindset but tenuous friends all the same, and Fiona had convinced Tobias to come along with her and help with this contract she'd originally been on her way to complete. He seemed sympathetic to the plight of the orphans, and the reward enticed him as well, she knew.

"This should be the village," she remarked, pointing up ahead. "Gorlton's Apothecary. I wonder who else we'll meet." As far as she knew, the notice had been sent far and wide, and would likely draw some other interesting adventurers. Fiona was looking forward to meeting them, and learning a thing or two.

Hugh found himself woken by a beam of light letting itself into the room and a smaller framed figure curling up next to him. He relaxed as this person snuggled up close to him, burying her head in his chest and complaining about the arrival of morning. He understood fully, but if it weren't for her being there in bed with him, he might be up and walking around. He was very much awake, as he had gotten some very good sleep the night before, and he had gotten very used to having the frame of Sana Rawn against him whenever he slept.

He rolled his frame over, facing Sana, and letting her bury her head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and let his chin rest on the top of her head, closing his eyes, and taking a slow breath in and out. He brought one hand up to her hair messing it up a little bit, not that it was in any particular style at the moment. They had been sleeping, after all.

Hugh was looking forward to some kind of breakfast. Maybe fried chicken eggs with bread and cheese. Of course, that had been the meal he had made regularly while both of them were on the trail, though not chicken eggs, away from that hell hole down south. They needed to get away from people they could no longer stand the presence of and a war that had no purpose.

Maybe the inn was making breakfast as they laid there, if that was even a thing for this town. After all, it would be wonderful. Breakfast in bed might be better, but Hugh didn't particularly like the idea of someone coming in the room and bothering him and Sana. That would go without saying, as he would feel very annoyed by someone bothering their intimacy. Pillows and any heavy objects within reach would surely find its way flying towards any intruders at whatever route they took to enter.

For now, Hugh was enjoying this moment. It brought a smile to his face how annoyed she was by the light, but he had been no less perturbed by it when he awoke. Now he felt like he was protecting her from it. "Mmmmm, good morning sunshine." He chuckled at little after his words. He was not a morning person, but today he had been the first to wake up between the two of them.

Tobias stepped up next to his companion to observe the village in front of them, a yawn escaping from his mouth. A lot of things perplexed him about Fiona - her blind trust, her foolhardiness, her bizarre sense of moral imperative, how her hair seemed to always look good even if she was tramping through the woods or swordfighting bandits - but her penchant for traveling in the morning was one thing he felt he would absolutely never understand.

Truth be told, he couldn't put a finger on why he'd even followed the girl to this place. It wasn't like he owed her anything - she'd saved his life, he'd saved hers. Square. That would have been the end of it, if it weren't for all the damned 'conscience' feelings that came from the thought of sick orphans and his 'friend' on her own. Feelings were always making his life difficult.

The thief surveyed the village before him briefly before nodding sharply. "I don't trust it. Too quiet and nice looking. Demon cults, definitely demon cults. Most of the people are probably part demon. Especially the ones who're polite, they're the demony ones. I bet they have organized crime, too. You could cram an entire gang war in a corn field. I've seen it happen." The thief stalked off to pick up his bags.

"Also, I still think this 'job' is a trap and we're both going to die. Just so we're clear on that. That's still where I am." Shouldering his possessions, the rogue set off towards the village, grinning widely. "Your turn on the horse, Angel of War. Let's get on with it."

The road always seemed longer when a destination was in sight, Hanzo had noticed. It was the anticipation of reaching the landmark, observing what it held and seeing what new things there was. The monk would be lying if he said he didn't approach this with a bit of apprehension, not just in not knowing what to expect, but in that whatever he found could assail him. Not that it was a thing that frequently happened, but it didn't stop Hanzo from dreading it. Things could just change so instantly...

The town itself was not a place that particularly stood out, in terms of construction. It was a simple village adjusted to the temperate climate of the northern areas, boasting a small bounty of farmland and their own local monastery. What was of note, however, were the events that took place here: a mysterious outbreak of the so-called Cinder Sickness. The apothecary lacked the necessary ingredients to fashion a cure, and could not spare the manpower to seek them out themselves; they hailed adventurers far and wide to come to their aid and help create a cure for the Cinder Sickness.

Naturally, being the willing and empathetic soul he was, Hanzo endeavored himself to help. It was no matter for him to travel the distance to get here, but when looking to take on a job like this, Hanzo always found himself buffeted with a burden of time, or the seeming lack thereof, rather. That's one thing that never changed - needing to travel more rapidly when time was of the essence always felt strangely unnatural to him.

Regardless, the monk had made it to the village in due time, with the first glimpses of the sun's face peeking out over the eastern horizon. Already a select few others were up and about, either going about their routine duties or seeking out the apothecary offering the critical job. Hanzo himself decided to spare a bit of time to lounge about in the village briefly, to give himself a view of this place for memory. At least, if he would come to need anything in preparation after taking on the job, the monk could learn where to find it.

Vaeri wandered out of the forest, her cloak a bit wet from the dew and covered with a few stray leaves and looked around her to find herself at a random spot outside of a town she didn't recognize, but knew to be her destination. Despite the fact that there were perfectly usable roads for her to travel through, the elf found it more comfortable to travel through the brush. It reminded her of home. She also had been traveling under the cover of night. It was easier for her to see others in the dark than vice versa, and alone in the forest it would be difficult to follow her, so it tended to be safer for Vaeri travelling this way than how most people did.

Vaeri stifled a yawn as she stumbled her way through the town. Unfortunately, her method of travel dictated ruining her sleep schedule in comparison to how the rest of civilization functioned. Any time she would enter some sort of settlement she would have to readjust her habits so she could conduct her business.

A few weeks ago while helping out a nearby farming village secure some wolfsbane they needed for medicinal supplies, Vaeri had found one of the notices sent out about the cinder sickness epidemic lying on the road in a puddle of mud. And after reading about sick children needing her help, she couldn't not go to aid this noble cause. It was a week's worth of travelling, but Vaeri had made it. She pulled her cloak close to her body and walked into the Apothecary.

Apothecary Shop

Sister Agnes continued to pace through the shop and the shop keeper continued to write out the transcripts as they waited. The soft chime from the brass bell echoed through the silent room as the door opened and the nun spun around on her heels to see who was entering. She hoped that it would be someone answering the ad. Tilting her head to the side as she saw the woman she wondered if she was just there as a normal patron or if there was more too her.

The old man behind the main counter looked up and placed his quill back in the well before clearing his throat. “Welcome to the Apothecary shop of Gorlton. I am the Apothecary Wylsen, what can I do for you today?” he said in a cheerful tone as righted himself from his hunched position.

Sana

Sana pulled herself closer to Hugh, hiding under the sheets as he shifted position; lacing her legs with his as she did so. As he messed with her hair she smirked and bit his chest playfully. “You’re gonna mess up my beautifully styled bedhead!” she hissed but she wasn’t upset, well she was but it wasn’t at Hugh. Right now she wanted to put an arrow right through the roosters’ vocal cords and half wished Vivian was there with one of her annoying darkness spells to get rid of the sun. At least where she was she wouldn’t trip and fall on anyone.

As he said good morning to her, she tilted her head back and slowly pulled her head from beneath the blankets and grumbled. “Morning..” she said before she yawned and pulled the back of her hand over her mouth to cover it before tucking the sheet proper under her arm to cover her chest as she rolled onto her back and stretched slightly, arching her back deeply. As the rooster crowed again she narrowed her eyes and stormed out of bed, taking the sheet with her as she wrapped it around herself and walked over to the window to see if she could locate the beast that had dared interrupt her sleep.

Seeing it she looked down and spotted a rock that had been lodged in her boot from the day before travels and picked it up, a cold smile coming across her features. Taking aim she flung the rock like she was skipping it on a pond. “Bwak!” the rooster called out as it struck him in the back end near the base of its tail feathers and ran off, half flying as it did. Sana laughed slightly, “HA!” before shutting the window and pulling down the shade so she could get dressed without having to worry about anyone seeing her. Turning she had a look of amusement on her face and nodded. “There, the bastard has been vanquish!” she said before giving herself a pat on the back and wandering over to the bed; sitting down on the edge. “Guess we need to get dressed and find some food.”

Fiona couldn't help a laugh. She'd found Tobias's excessive compliments rather annoying at first, and while she still wasn't too fond of them, she had to admit that they were a little endearing. She certainly wasn't going to tell him that, though. She watched cautiously as he dismounted; she'd thought for sure that it would take longer for her horse to open up to him, but he seemed to be doing well. She didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed by that.

"Not everything is wicked and evil, you know," she commented, smoothly pulling herself up onto her horse. "I happen to think this looks like a nice village. A little like home, and where I'm from, no one is part demon. We'll be fine." She knew she could be a bit uninformed at times, blindly rushing ahead when her confidence got the better of her. Perhaps naïve was even the right word. Tobias had seen it for himself, when they met, but right now she felt certain about being relaxed. This was a good cause, for good people, and it even had a good reward tied to the end of it for Tobias to look forward to.

"Let's stop by the apothecary first. We can get something to eat afterwards." They'd had a meager breakfast, and she had some food leftover, but now that they were in a village again they could likely find something better to eat. Business came first, though. Fiona pulled her horse to a stop outside of the shop, dismounting and leading the way inside, where she found the apothecary greeting an elven woman. She waited until she knew she wasn't interrupting anything, and then introduced herself.

"Hello. Tobias and I are here about the notice, regarding the cinder sickness. My name is Fiona."

Mortosh walked his skirt dragged behind him he stopped and stared at the village in front of him he looked around and saw a sign and "Welcome to" (That Odd the name seems to have been Scratched off) "Zam Wake Up We Have Arrived" Feeling his shoulder Pocket shift he stared and Saw Zam's Head pop up out of her hidey hole her eyes hidden behind her Bangs (If i Had A Heart It Would Have Died twice Right Now) Mortosh Thought as he began to walk into town "Morty did you really have to wake me up i was having the most amazing dream ever" said Zam as she looked up at the void where his face should be "The One About The Land Of Sugar And Cake?" Zam Nodded in conformation "YEAH!!!"if The town people weren't giving the duo odd look before they sure as Trew and his love the Undead where giving them now

"Not So Loud Zam People are Staring At Us" "Let them Stare Mort they don't know that they are dealing with GREATEST HEALER OF ALL TIME" Zam Yelled at the Towns Folk With a Non existence sigh and a chuckle Mortosh gave up trying to calm her down "If You Don't Stop That Yelling Your Not Getting Your Sugar Cube" Zam looked at him with shock "Your lying" She accused "There Only One Way To Find Out Now Ask That child Where The Apothecary Shop Is Zam" She Flew out of her Hole and asked the child where shop is "She says it that way" Zam Pointed Straight Ahead "now Where is my sugar Mort?" Mortosh walked in the direction that Zam Was Pointing to "You'll Get It When Reach The Shop" "I better" Zam Said As she lowered herself back into her hole and Mortosh just Continued walking towards the shop

Deep in the mountains there was a horse. It was black in nature with spurs of white in its fur. Currently the beast was tied to a tree, this tree was rather close to a cavern, which was known to the villagers to be the home of a beast of a rather unknown nature. The villagers knew that it had large fangs, which it had used to rip sheep in two or tear into fences or trees and any manner of other things they had around their villages. This was the job, a job which was taken on by a rather mysterious wizard.

The townspeople called him mysterious, well, any wizard was mysterious to them, but this one seemed different compared to the rest that they had met in the past. He didn't care what they paid him and he didn't seem to care what they had wanted him to do. They knew that a wizard had been slaying monsters in this region, they figured that it was him. The rumors said that he never bargained and haggled with the price for a job and was completely willing to take a pay cut. Sometimes he didn't even go to the people that offered the job, he would just slay it.

Meanwhile in the cavern... There was a cloaked man lying on the rocky ground unconscious. Him and his cloak sprawled about, his staff was a few feet away. It appeared that he'd been knocked out. Or that is what it would appear as if there wasn't a monster, also, unconscious on the other end of the cavern, about thirty feet away. In front of the wizard was a dissipating, glowing, appendage - his source of light.

"Arg... It would appear that we knocked each other out simultaneously." The whipery voice came from the, now conscious, man the man was stirring. He clambered to his feet. "Just in the nick of time, I was almost too slow. My Arm of the Heavens was just swift enough to strike him as he struck me. I presume we were both knocked out." He said all of this aloud for some reason. I shouldn't have spoken aloud His reasoning was quickly realized. The monster began to stir. "Blast, I knew it wouldn't be enough. I'll have to try it... Though, it may not work. I don't know how hard it's skin... armor is." He didn't have time to consider the possibilities, he recovered his staff.

The monster had already regained its footing. It's fast... The monster was about twelve feet tall and could move incredibly fast for it's size, so fast that it is hard to really get a good look at it until it stops completely. Either way, it was coming now, bearing it's fangs and enormous claws. Melvus shot his hand out, the arm had dissipated completely by now, from it erupted an arm of pure light. It seemed to catch the monster off guard, it slowed down slightly. Melvus shot across the cavern as the arm grabbed part of the wall and pulled him along at an incredible speed.

The monster hit the wall... No, it turned, the dust was from it changing direction. The arm had dissipated again, Melvus held his staff up, from it launched a shining spear, it shattered into many tens of smaller spears, the monster brought it's arms up as it charged, the spears didn't seem to have an effect. Melvus brought his staff into both of his hands and from his right hand shot an arm of light, bracing him against the wall, in less than a second he was hit.

When the dust settled the image was of a cloak wearing wizard, holding a staff up with a glowing hand against the wall behind him. In front, no, on top of him was a monster which was much larger than he. His staff held its mouth at bay and there were ethereal swords around him, many of which held the beast's claws in place.

Vaeri was about to speak up when two people both clad in leather armor walked in, a girl with hair that reminded the elf of the bright autumn leaves and a man with black hair who appeared less confident than his traveling companion. Well, she assumed they were companions since they came in at the same time and the girl knew the other's name.

"It appears that you two are here for the same purpose as I," Vaeri comments softly before she turns towards the Apothecary, "I came here to see about taking part in the request your association put out. Are we not too late?" The thing about making choices on what you do based on paper you find in a mud hole is that you never really know how long that paper's been in that mud hole. Maybe they had already resolved that problem weeks ago and had just forgotten to take down all the notices. There were more people here too, but it could be a coincidence and they both came to this village for nothing.

Zarxire walked into town, his cloak pulled over his head to cover his horns. "Nice place, wouldn't mind living here if it wasn't so fucking cold." He then noticed the apothecary building the notice described, hopefully no one would reveal his identity and maybe, just maybe, it was warm. Zarxire entered the building and noticed two human adventurers and one elf. All of them being average height for a human, he slightly towered over them at 6 ft. 2 in. but had a much leaner stature than the three. He walked over to the table the Sister was at and sat down, "Don't worry, I watched them post the notices myself. There is no way any group of adventurers could travel far enough for rare ingredients in only a week."

Zarxire looked towards the Sister and made sure to keep his cloak over his head. "My name is Zack, I'm a trained wizard and know much of the land. I'm sure with these fine people helping fight off the monsters, we could definitely find the ingredients you seek. If you'll have me of course." Zarxire looked back towards the three, one was obviously a trained fighter, the other seemed to be more fit for the streets, and the last one smelled distinctly of holy magic and a bit of bloodlust. This group seems to be interesting already, wonder who else will show up.

Hugh felt Sana pulling herself closer to him and lacing her legs with his. It was more than comfortable to be like this. He was quite happy and relaxed, which is why it came as a bit of a surprise to Hugh when he felt a little bite on his bare chest. "Ahh!" Came his surprised exclamation. "Heeey." He said, in a little more of a disappointed tone. It didn't really hurt. It was more like being playfully bitten by a kitten.

He brought his hand to her lower back and just rubbed it for a little, before she rolled away, and he followed suit, though his hand still was under her body. When she took the sheet with her, he felt a sudden coldness as all he was wearing was his small pair of shorts that he wore under his hosen. Sana had taken the covers off the bed, even though all she had intended to take was the sheet, and it had made sure he was uncomfortable.

"Ack!" He exclaimed, as he jumped up to a sitting position at the edge of the bed and stretched. He looked to Sana, seeing as she was up and about, and making her towards the window. She stood there and stared for a second, before acquiring a rock and hurling it out. The faint sound of a chicken feeling pain was heard, as Hugh raised an eyebrow. The mystery of what just occurred was quickly revealed as Sana spoke of how she had vanquished the bastard. This brought an amused smile to Hugh's face as he looked on at her. "Cruelty to animals. I see." He said, teasingly.

He stood up after her words about getting dressed and moved towards his pile of clothing and armor. "Yes, it appears to be about that time." He stared at his clothes for a moment, wishing more to enjoy a little extra time with her. His thoughts were filled with a little bit of fantasizing as he started putting his pants on and pulling them up till they were snug. He hesitated to put his shirt on, thinking he could go over and maybe enjoy a little more time alone with Sana.

He relented and started pulling all of his clothes on, finally finishing with his boots. He just left his armor off, rather preferring to be in a more casual business attire, even though he usually wore the same thing. He stood and straightened his clothes out, wiping any dust that was accrued from the pile his raiment was in on the floor. With the accomplishment of his task, he inhaled deeply and thumped his chest in a way of pumping himself up to meet the day.

He strode over to the side of the bed where Sana sat in a sheet. She looked as beautiful as ever, if not a little comical to him. She was nonetheless breath taking and the image of her with bedhead holding a sheet to cover her body brought a contented smile to Hugh's face. He stood over her, leaning over to kiss her forehead, holding the back of her head with his hand and running his fingers through her hair. He placed his lips on her forehead and took in a breath of her. Leaning back out of the kiss, he stated "I'll be downstairs getting breakfast." With that he backed away, his hand tracing through her hair, before turning towards the exit and walking slowly towards it, feeling the sleep deprivation from some of the last few days.

In one swift motion, the wizard's shining appendage shot from behind him, enlarged itself, taking hold of the beast's head pushing it back. The swords took advantage of the monster's shift, causing it to lose it's position, and swiftly sliced the monster's mitts into fleshy stumps protruding from its wrists. Meanwhile, the wizard was relieved of the weight of the monster.

Melvus took a step back quickly positioned his staff touching the meaty torso of the beast. From in-between the monster's large shoulder blades shot a spear of pure light which broke into many smaller spear, they hit the wall at the other end of the cavern and disappeared. The monster fell to the cold ground of the cave, dead. The job entailed returning with one of it's fangs, he unsheathed his sword and began slicing.

About thirty minutes after the monster's demise, Melvus emerged from the cave with a hand over his eyes staving off the brightness of day. He'd gone in a few hours earlier. His horse was still in place, he didn't know its name - he'd borrowed it from the village. His was still there, they had offered a horse for use during the job. He mounted after untying the beast and began the descent down the mountain to the village.

It didn't take very long to get back to the village. It was a mountain village after all, though it wasn't as high as the cavern was. He entered and was greeted by stares from the villagers. He hadn't realized, he wasn't soaked but he did have a notable amount of blood on his cloak. He hadn't realized that the swords must've sprayed a good amount of the drying, red, fluid about. No matter, they know what I've done... Too bad though, there wasn't anything there - this was all for naught..."

He presented the fang to the religious leader in the village who compensated him. As he was exiting the church, he didn't like churches too much - he saw them as places people went to before they passed away in some attempt to gain favor with their god so they may go to the afterlife. Anyway, as he was leaving the church, he took note of a poster near the door. The posting spoke of an orphanage which had been stricken by cinder sickness. I'm going to use this as a break from monster slaying... Unable to cure it? Hmm... That's about six leagues from here...

Melvus washed his cloak in a stream outside of town then proceeded to make his way to Anges' Apothecary.

Time passed, slowly but surely enough, and the vague traces of light from the rising sun eventually blossomed a full turquoise sky, with the distant ball of light climbing ever higher. The monk's own pacing about lent him a good idea of where most everything in the town was - there wasn't much to behold beyond the church, its apothecary, an inn, and a couple of market shops. As activity burst out in the village, many of the people getting up and about, Hanzo took a cue to head to the apothecary now, as no doubt there would already be a few patrons looking to get in on the offer.

He was quite right about that, at least. As Hanzo carefully opened the door, a tiny bell above him rung out in an almost jovial clamor, and a few faces within turned to regard the newcomer. The monk could see that a small but apparent group was yet gathered, with an elder Sister paying witness to them - and too, there seemed to be a few more people outside heading towards the apothecary. Hanzo let himself in after a short-lived moment of pondering to prop the door open for the other newer arrivals.

For who was already present, the job offer seemed to have mostly attracted mercenaries, it seemed. The two 'average' humans, a male and a female, were garbed in basic adventurer's gears and armor, visible weapons at their possession. The man, however, seemed to be second-guessing either himself of the operation here, something the lady brushed off.

The other two looked to shroud themselves in cloaks, though they were notably separate unlike the humans. Towering about them was a man with a hard yet smooth voice, very certain in huddling his cloak about him. Maybe he wasn't used to the colder weather - but then again, Hanzo could almost feel something else with him. The other lady, however, was distinctly elven in her looks (from what Hanzo could observe) and seemed to make her holy presence more apparent.

Hanzo folded his arms at his waist, preceding a slight bow and a nod. "I happened to be in the area when I heard of this outbreak of Cinder Sickness - but I didn't imagine quite so many people would take on this plea," Hanzo softly remarked, taking another glace to the door as he did so in expectancy of more patrons walking in. Quickly turning back, he added, "I would hope that my own offer of service is not unwelcome to you all."

Mortosh Walked Through the door he heard the ring of the bell above the door Zam Flew out of her hole toke her time survey her surroundings. he saw several people already in the shop but for some reason he didn't like being near the elven woman (Maybe It Was A Mistake Coming Here) he thought he was about to turn back and head out the door when he felt his doubts disappear he looked up and saw Zam hovering over him (your not getting off that easy Mort) She said to him through there link ("You Casted Calm Emotion Didn't You?")

Zam just grinned he just chuckled and walked towards the front desk ("Zam can you tell her that we came to help with the Cinder Sickness") Zam Flew in front of Mortosh "hello i am Zam" she pointed to herself "and this is Mortosh where here to help out with the outbreak"

Sana

Sana looked over to Hugh and shrugged at his comment about cruelty to animals with a smile gracing her lips. “He’s lucky he isn’t breakfast,” she said in a coy voice as she sat there and watched him as he dressed, letting out a low whistle as she did. She enjoyed these little moments that they were able to steal throughout the day; even more so now knowing that once they started with another adventuring party their time alone would be cut to almost nothing. Tilting her head back as he came over to her she rose a brow and sighed happily as he kissed her forehead, her hand reaching up and running along his arm. “Alright, I will be down shortly,” she said as he pulled away and began to head to the exit.

As he did so she rose and let the sheet drop as she turned her back to him and gathered her things to get dressed. Sana, unlike Hugh, preferred a more natural approach when it came to sleeping; at least when she knew it was only going to be the two of them. Glancing over her shoulder she a Cheshire grin graced her lips as she shook her hips playfully before hurrying to get dressed. The weather was too cold for her usual attire so she opted for some items she had picked up in their recent travels; pulling on some moderately thick and pale leggings before sliding her loose under shirt of the same color and material over her head; pulling it down and tying the laces. After which she slid on a short and dark skirt, tucking the shirt into the waistband. Sliding her boots on, she laced them up before doing the same with her corset and bracers; quickly picking up her thicker cloak and draping it over her shoulders.

Taking a moment she wet her hair lightly and ran a comb through it before grabbing the rest of her gear and heading out the door. Walking over to Hugh she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Order for me will you, I am going to check out what’s going on with this notice,” she said quickly as she laced her quiver of silver arrows across her back and attaching her second set at her waist. “Should only take a minute,” she added as she darted off and out of the inn, slinging her bow over her shoulder as she did before pulling the hood of her mantle up.

The Apothecary Shop

Wylsen smiled at the new comers as they began to come in and directed them towards Sister Agnes who was more than delighted to see people beginning to show up; a bright smile crossing her old features as she held a hand out to each one in turn to shake it gently. She didn’t care their ages, what they wore or what they looked like. They were there to help the children she cared so deeply for, so no matter what, they were a blessing in her eyes.

“Thank you so much for coming. I was beginning to worry that we might not have anyone show up,” she said as she greeted them. She was about to continue as the soft chime of the bell above the door rang again and a woman stepped into the door, the hood of her mantle covering her face. The only things really showing was a quiver of silver arrows and a bow that were obviously elven made. Pulling back the hood of her mantle and pushing her cloak back over her shoulders revealing she was anything but an elf. Sana popped her neck some as she looked over those that had already gathered.

“Hope I am not late for the party,” she said as she closed the door behind her and stepped forward. Sister Agnes shook her head and extended the same greeting to Sana that she had the others and reintroduced herself. Sana smiled and shook the old nuns hand. “Sana Rawn, marksman, at your service Sister. My apologies if I am late, I arrived late last night and the town was locked up tight. So grabbed some sleep before making my way here from the inn. My companion will be joining me as well on this,” she said as she lowered her hand from the shake.

“Companion? Another?” Sister Agnes inquired.

“Yes another, is there a problem?” she asked as she perked a brow. The sister once again shook her head.

“No, not at all, I just went from thinking there would be no one to help to seeing so many and now word of yet another. It puts this old heart at rest,” she said. Sana laughed slightly.

“So, tell us Sister, what’s going on?” Sana asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well, we have had an epidemic of Cinder Sickness that isn’t responding to the usual cures and we are in desperate need of help gathering what we hope can be used to create a true remedy. We have already lost one child sadly, we hope to lose no more,” Agnes said as she sighed remorsefully. Sana shook her head as she stood there.

“Okay, what do you need?” she asked and Wylsen stepped out from behind the counter and began to hand out the parchments with the list of items they would need. It read as follows.

Tear of Eyewing
Feather of Pegasus
Claw of Hellhound
Whisker of Gnoll
Blood of Mist Dragon

“This is not the complete list mind you but what isn’t listed there we already have. These items, well there are a bit harder to come by,” Wylsen said as he handed the sheets to the group. Sister Agnes looks nervous as he did so.

“Wow….okay,” Sana said reviewing the paper. “I can see why you need a group. The gnolls really aren’t an issue but the rest could prove problematic,” Sana said truthfully. These were not common items from common creatures. These were rare, very rare. In all her years adventuring she had only run across half of what was on the list.

“You can’t do it?” Sister Agnes asked in a disheartened voice that made Sana chuckle slightly.

“Now I didn’t say that Sister,” she said with a soft smile and the sister let out a relieved breath.

Mortosh sat at a table Zam sat in front of him and was munching on her promised sugar cube but he was staring up at the ceiling ("We Are Really Doing This? Aren't We Zam") Zam Briefly stop gnawing her cube and looked Mortosh in confusion "what are you talking about Mortosh?" he stop staring at the ceiling looked down at the petal and said ("This Zam This Whole Curing This Outbreak And In The Process Where We're Going Save The Children Of This Village This All Just Sound So Ludicrous And Here We Are An Undead Cleric And A Petal") Zam just nodded in agreement "it does when you mention it" She Took a quick bite out of her cube before she continued

"but we sorta do this all the time" Mortosh Nodded ("But We Usually Just Deal With One Person But Now Were Saving Almost An Entire Village") Mortosh gave a non existence Sigh "can you tell me why the elven woman bothers you" ("So you noticed my unease did you? but to answer your question she A Cleric") "how do you know that?"
("Its the Pattern on her dress it means she a fellow cleric") he looked at the woman in question who busy speaking to a man and woman ("But Shes Not A Follower Of Trew") "Should i keep an eye on her" Mortosh Shook his Head ("No If We Were Show Distrust Anyone Of Not Our Faith Then We Would Be Not Be Here Just Go Back to Your Cube")

Since Melvus had left the mountain and made headway toward the Apothecary shop, the sun had already set on the world, rendering total darkness. Only the occasional torchlit area of the road was visible. An incredible amount of crickets were audible.

In front of the horse there was a glowing arm, Melvus had thought to use his Arm of the Heavens as a light-source. His horse's hooves clopped along as they made their way. Hm... I remember why I began using heaven-based magic...

Fourteen years ago Melvus was seventeen. It was during this age that his entire family and village had mysteriously disappeared. After a short while, he found work with the faction Aesil in the nearby city, Drisbane. They had experienced a civil war and with the royal family dead, save one little girl - Princess Efrida - the city was in chaos.

The four factions, Goetia, The Guardians, Palace and Aesil had been vying for power. They had agreed that skirmishes were too dangerous with the citizens. They held one on one or two on two battles instead, battles between champions of each faction.

Melvus had joined the Aesil, also known as the descendants of the Angels. Melvus didn't care much for it, but he did use it as a time to learn. During this time he learned three specific spells from an older wizard within the Aesil faction. These spells were Heaven's Wheel, Arm of the Heavens, and Rain of Light. They were all appropriately themed. He'd also learned a few spells on his own, Ethereal Wings was learned from a book. He vividly remembered all of the times he'd fallen and broken something before he could control his flight. He also learned Deflection from a book.

Melvus noticed that the sun had broken the darkness as it rose over the horizon. It's majestic rays, tearing through the, once overwhelming, darkness of night. The sound of crickets died down and his shining arm dissipated. He could see the town. It didn't have walls and the only notable building from this view was the church, its spire seemed to scrape the Heavens. It wasn't really quite that tall.

It didn't take long for Melvus to find the shop the poster had mentioned. He turned the doorknob and as he pushed the wooden door in, he noticed a door chime. Inside were many people, they had lists in their hand and an older woman had been talking, she looked like a nun. "I'm not too late for this am I?" His voice was as whispery as ever as he held up the poster he'd seen in the church.

This was bad. Tobias had managed to take up position leaning against a wall viewing the doorway, the easier to see those who came in. And he did not like what he was seeing.

First, the hooded woman who'd been there before him and Fiona. She smelled strange, like the woods, and her cloak was covered in dew. This plus the high cheekbones he'd managed to catch a glimpse from evinced to him that she was an elf - he'd need to see her ears before he could be sure, however. That wasn't what scared him, though - what frightened him was the look he'd gotten at her face. Anyone else would have looked at her and seen a ravishing beauty - Tobias, however, was an old hand at sizing people up, and his eyes were drawn immediately to the web of scars covering her face in thin lines. She was not someone to mess with.

Next, the red-skinned 'wizard' with the barbed tail. What was there to say about him besides what he had whispered to Fiona when the man had finished his introduction? "Fiona. Demons. Polite demons."

Then, the bald man. This guy had a shaved head, was wearing some weird clothes Tobias couldn't even describe, and was totally ripped. Either he was a demon cultist, or worse, some sort of... what was that word again? Monk? Didn't sound right. Whatever.

The most recent arrival was the best. A woman, tanned and beautiful, with a recurve bow over her shoulder. At first glance he could see a whole lot to like and nothing to distrust - he'd have to try harder later.

Oh, the old woman was talking. Tobias probably should have been listening to that, but he'd been too deep in thought about his prospective companions. As the nun went around passing out parchments, Tobias accepted one and began scanning it immediately.

A small whimper escaped his mouth as he read the words. "Eh... heheh... is this all literal? Like, like, is, is 'Blood of Mist Dragon' like, a flower or, or do you mean that there's like, literally a thing called a Mist Dragon and you need its blood?"

Tobias rubbed the back of his neck as a newcomer entered the room, carrying a staff and wearing some sort of robe. Sorcerer. Brilliant.

"Uh, followup question. How much exactly are we getting paid?"