Drizzak

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The chill of the early morning did not seem to affect the short figure emerging from the treeline as it entered the village. The activity beginning to arise within the settlement seemed to pause slightly as the figure passed by, garbed in hide and what appeared to be the skin of a bear, complete with paws for a mantle and head for a hood. The figure beneath that hood was shadowed, face unable to be seen save for one stand-out feature. The figure was smiling. It was smiling wide. Wider and wider as it pulled the crumpled bit of parchment from beneath its cloak and brought it up to its face. The notice from the Convent of the Sisters of Light.

It took only a moment for the hood to fall and reveal the long ears, jagged fangs and luminous eyes of a rather strange goblin. He seemed to dance from foot to foot as he looked around. Drizzak was out, back in the world. He was roaming the wilds once more. It was time for adventure, for glory, for combat and for him to make his mark on the world. And what a mark he would make. Crumpling the paper, he turned in circles to look over the village. Eyes of scared and confused villagers fell on him as he began to cackle. To shriek laughter as he looked around for his first destination. The Apothecary. The house of healing and spell drinks. He felt an odd yearning as he whiffed the chemical smalls on the wind.

Like a rabbit, he hopped and bounded over to the door and pushed it open with a great huff. The light of the sun behind him made him seem like a figure worth revering. Almost as if he were preordained to be something fantastic. The goblin stood in the light, giggling madly as he checked the whip at his hip, and the sword at his other. It was time to ride again. The carnage would begin soon, as would his story. He only needed to find this 'Sister Agnes', and with a shrill bark, he spoke.

"WHERE IS SISTER-LADY EGGNESS?!"

Fiona had positioned herself with her back to the wall next to Tobias, and found herself suddenly glad she had someone she at least sort of knew going into this. She'd been expecting a few others to take up the call for this job, but not this many. They were of many different varieties; quite a few other humans, but some less common races as well, some of which she had simply never seen before, having only left her secluded corner of the world a short few years ago. It was enough to make her feel a little small, being the beginner adventurer of the group.

Hooking her thumbs under her belt, she listened to Tobias's worrying, resisting the urge to roll her eyes again. "Well, at least they're all on our side. We're working together in this, remember?" After being handed the list of materials, she studied the ingredients they were being asked to collect, and was suddenly glad for so much experienced company. Fiona hadn't even heard of most of these, and knew less about where to find them. Certainly some of the others were herbalists to some degree, or more experienced with this. Her role was clearly going to be one of protection on the way to these things, and any battles that were necessary in actually collecting them.

"Think of it this way, Tobias," she said to him. "Since we're all a team, no one should have to do anything they aren't equipped for. No one will ask you to fight any dragons for us." She lowered her voice then to ensure that only he would hear her. "But look at this group. What if someone we meet needs to be persuaded of something? Most of them don't look like the sociable type to me. You could be really valuable to us." She smiled slightly, hoping perhaps to reassure him. Thief or no, he was a friend by now, and Fiona did like the idea of having a friend along for this.

"I'm Fiona, by the way," she said, to the group at large. "If we're doing introductions."

Well, quite the gaggle of characters had come in since Vaeri had talked to the clergyman. A large man who introduced himself as a trained wizard, an oddly dressed man with a shaved head, a skeleton with a living flower growing inside it, and a tanned human woman carrying elven arrows. Vaeri was almost certain that she couldn't trust everyone here, but for now she remained silent. Careful to keep as much of her body hidden in the cloak, the cleric took the handout given to her. As soon as she finished looking over the note her hand slipped back underneath the cloak.

Vaeri was about to comment on the surprising list of ingredients necessary (she didn't know what a Mist Dragon was, but it wouldn't like having its blood taken) when the door opened again, this time to a human dressed in scholarly robes carrying a staff with a gem on top. He was likely a spellcaster of some kind. Perhaps another wizard.

This line of thought was cut off by another entrant, a small green thing with a wicked smile demanding to know where "Lady Eggness" was. It carried on its person a whip and an exotic curved knife. It looked mostly harmless. It was then that the first human woman who had walked into the shop introduced herself. Well, it was only polite to follow suit.

"I am Vaeri Dryearurdrenn, pleased to make your acquaintence."

The Apothecary Shop

Sana glanced over her shoulder as another entered and perked a brow; this was turning out to be a rather interesting bunch but she had dealt with much odder in the past, even in the recent past. At least it seemed no one was a Lich. She could be thankful for that. Sister Agnes smiled at the new comer and shook her head.

“Not at all,” she said quickly as Wylsen walked over to the new addition and handed him a piece of parchment with the list of items that they needed. “We can use all the help we can get in this matter it seems,” she added as she looked around. When Tobias asked about the dragon blood Sana turned to look in his direction and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a dragon they are speaking of and they need his blood,” she said before turning back and looking over towards the Sister as Tobias asked about payment. The nun took a breath and walked over to the counter before facing them.

“The sisters of my convent have only instructed me to get the word out. The payment will be a great and rare one but unfortunately that is all I am at liberty to say at this time. I am sorry but well…” she said as she looked a little nervous. Sana nodded slightly as she stood there.

“You don’t know us and have no idea if we would rob the convent blind without collecting the items if we got the chance?” she stated flatly.

“Well…. Yes actually,” she admitted. Sana nodded, her suspicion confirmed and she held her hand up.

“I understand, doesn’t matter anyways. I’m in and my companion will be as well,” Sana said in a reassuring voice. The look of nervousness fell from the sisters features and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank you so much,” she said as she reached up and shook Sanas hand. Sana just smirked slightly.

“What, am I going to tell a nun no when it comes to trying to help kids not die? Not really much of an option. I doubt I could sleep at night if I just walked away,” she said before being cut off as she heard the chime of the bell once again and then suddenly she seemed to freeze in her place with her back to the door as she heard someone ask for Sister-Lady Eggness. Her face getting an oddly confused look on it as she slowly turned her head; a brow rising sharply as her eyes widened finally seeing the creature that was speaking.

“Holy shit,” she said before her hand flew to her mouth and she looked at the nun. “Sorry,” she said out of embarrassment before turning her attention back to the little one. “Drizzak!” she called out as she walked over to him and sunk down to one knee. “How? Why? Well I will be damned!” she exclaimed. “I never thought I would see you this far north,” she added before the look on her face became even more confused. “Where’s your cloak?” she asked as she tilted her head to the side. The nun stepped forward and cleared her throat slightly which got Sanas attention and she rose to standing position.

“You…know him?” she asked quickly in a nervous tone. Sana smiled as she nodded her head.

“Yes I do. We traveled together once,” she said before explaining further. “I was once nearly sacrificed by a Lich, he was one of the ones that saved me,” she said in a grateful tone as she looked back over towards the one she referred to as Drizzak. “And this Drizzak is Sister Agnes that you are looking for,” she said as she motioned over to the nun.

“I see,” the nun said as she walked over and held her hand out to Drizzak to shake his. “Pleasure to meet you,” she added as Wylsen walked over and held out a piece of parchment with the list of items they needed.

“Drizzak, looks like we need to find a dragon,” Sana said with a chuckle before looking back over at the sister. “Is there any other information we need or supplies you will be providing?”

“I, well… No actually. I am sorry but our convent,” she began but Sana held up her hand and nodded.

“Understood,” she said before walking over to Wylsen. “I will need vials, bottles and corks to hold the items in, enough for each member of the party to collect each item and some to spare just in case,” she said. The man nodded and went to collect what they would need.

“Um, Sana was it?” the nun asked.

“Yes?” she said as she looked over.

“I, well the convent cannot pay for this..” she admitted sheepishly.

“I got it,” Sana stated flatly as she pulled a silver arrow from her quiver and placed it on the counter. “That should cover it,” she said as Wylsen came back with a crate of what Sana had requested and shook his head.

“This one is on me,” he said with a smile on his face as he picked up the arrow and handed it back to Sana. Sana nodded as she dropped the arrow back into her quiver and collected what she and Hugh would need before turning on her heels.

“Thank you,” she said as she began to head for the door before turning to address the group. “You all divide the rest of the items that are left between you and then I suggest we all eat before we head out. Feel free to join me at the inn,” she said before looking over at Drizzak. “You should come to, Big Brut Pally Hugh is over there waiting,” she said with a laugh before pushing her way out the door with her items and strolling towards the inn to find Hugh, let him know what was going on and to get something to eat.

Making her way towards the inn she pushed the door open and glanced around slightly; seeking out Hugh as she pushed forward and stepped fully into the inn itself.

It turned out that Melvus wasn't too late, he did draw quite a bit of attention though. After him, what appeared to be a goblin barged in shouting about some Lady-Sister Eggness. One of the other adventures promptly cursed then apologized greeting the little fellow. The wizard stepped aside for this. After realizing that the creature wasn't a danger, Anges, the nun, stepped forward and shook its hand. Melvus took note that she hadn't shaken his.

Tear of Eyewing. Procuring that will be a challenge. Melvus has seen one before, it was stuffed for decoration. They also needed to find a pegasus, a hellhound, a gnoll, and what seemed to be the most exciting item on the list, a mist dragon. These were all rather rare... and rather dangerous. The mist dragon, alone, could easily drown them if they're not careful.

Melvus took his items from the counter, the vial, cork and the likes. He made his way out of the door, the sunlight once again causing him to cover his eyes. Sana, the woman who seems to be taking charge suggested that they eat before departing. Melvus also though this was a good idea, he hadn't eaten since the day before.

Pushing the door to the inn open, he was greeted with the smell of ale, wine and other alcoholic beverages. There was also the smell of freshly cooked food, it made his stomach growl. He bought some food at the counter, took his seat at a table in the middle of the inn and proceeded to eat his breakfast.

While he ate, he took notice of a rather unpleasant smell. I bathed earlier... Oh... My cloak still reeks of blood... I'll have to wash it before we leave. He realized that, that must've been the reason he'd drawn so much attention.

Seeing The Woman leave brought Mortosh's thought to the other character in the Shop who soon would become his comrade in arms the elven woman who introduced herself as Vaeri still unnerved him it was something about her appearance if not that it was the fact she was a cleric most of his encounters with other clerics always ended badly for him. the other two where an odd duo maybe an even odder then him and Zam. Perhaps all his unease of the elven woman was unwarranted maybe it would ease his non-existence nerves if he where to Properly introduce himself to them ("What Do you Zam Think Should we introduce our self?")

Zam Who seemed to ignore his question had just finished her sugar cube and so Zam was laying on the table with a satisfied grin Mortosh just chuckled at the sight ("Did You Enjoy Your Cube Zam? Zam nodded as she stood up and looked up at the void where Mortosh face was. "you know what Mort i think we should do that" he looked ("So You Did Listen!!!) exclaimed Mortosh in a faux dramatic manner Zam responded likewise "Of Course why would you ever think little of me that just cruel Morty!!!" she said while posing in a dramatic fashion finally nether could anymore of each other antics and just lost it. after having calm Mortosh Asked Zam he really should do it in which she asked if he was going to ignore them during this entire quest. Mortosh rose from his seat and Zam flew into her hidey hole on Mortosh shoulder he began to approach the group He stopped in front of them And Zam flew out of her hole and Said "hello i am Zam and this Mortosh" who only waved at them

Hugh heard the slight sound of cloth crumpling to the floor, he turned his head to see a far less than clothed Sana shaking her hips. He stopped and leaned against the door with his body half way turned towards her, giving a contented sigh as he watched her get dressed. He had a rather stupid smile on his face, as his mind seemed to run wild with thoughts of her in his arms and the two of them enjoying something good together.

With the little kiss on his cheek, he felt a little bit like a child. He stood away from the door as she headed downstairs, letting him know of her intentions before heading out. "Alright, I'll be downstairs, then, when you get back." He said, as she darted off out the door. He ran his fingers through his hair and stepped out, his pipe and tobacco in his hand. There was likely to be a bit of fire downstairs he could use to light his pipe, so he didn't need the old friction bow and dowel.

He walked down the stairs, heading into the main area of the Inn. His arrival at the main counter was greeted by host of the Inn, who invited him to be seated. This was followed by Hugh obliging the host and asking for whatever they were serving for breakfast that day, and for them to bring out two plates of it. "And two cups of coffee!" He finished, gruffly.

Looking around for a quick moment, he picked out a table situated between a wooden pillar and a window facing the street. "Take it over there!" He said, pointing to the table. The host nodded and Hugh made his exit from the counter towards the hearth. He took out at leaf of tobacco, rolled it up, and brought it close to the coals that laid at the edge of the hearth. He only needed a few seconds before it lit up and he jammed it into his pipe, stuffing another leaf in after it.

This process was then followed by him puffing on it till it gave rise to solid plumes of smoke, making the room get a little more hazy then it had been before. He began inhaling and exhaling it slowly and subtly, so as not to start choking on it. After it was satisfactorily going, he headed over to the table he had chosen out earlier, and took a seat.

Hugh simply rocked back in his chair, and put his feet on the chair adjacent to him, enjoying the tobacco he had. It was especially nice, since there were so few customers around at the Inn this time of day. He could enjoy the peace and silence of an empty shop. It was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening and closing, capturing Hugh's attention. One of his eyebrows went up and the other eye squinted as he looked over towards the door to see who had entered.

He was relieved to see that it was Sana and his face seemed to brighten up, especially with the new presence of a smile on it. He stood and raised a hand, waving over to her. He looked something like a big kid as he waved at her excitedly. "Over here!" He called out.

Well, Vaeri knew the names of 8 of her companions now. Well sort of. Tobias, Zack, Fiona, Sana, Drizzak, somebody named Big Brut Pally Hugh, and Mortosh & Zam. Vaeri wasn't very good with human names, they tended to mix together in her head, so she assigned a word to each name that would help keep them together. Tobias' word would be worried. He did not appear to be a relaxed man. In fact, he was worried enough about payment to inquire about it almost immediately. Payment hadn't even crossed the elf's mind. Zack's word would be tall. Fiona would be scarlet. Vaeri always liked that word more than "red." Red was such a dull word, and Fiona did not look to be dull so far. Thus she would be scarlet, even if it did describe her hair better than the former. Sana's word would be mouthy. She sure did talk a lot in the 4 minutes she had been in the shop. Drizzak, Mortosh and Zam stood out enough that Vaeri was confident that she would remember them without needing to resort to having a keyword associated with them. Big Brut Pally Hugh was certainly distinctive enough to stick in her head, and she hadn't actually seen this person so even if there were need to add on a keyword, the cleric would have none to add.

Aside from the names, Vaeri took note of the robed man who walked in, took a bunch of items and then left without a word to anyone, the fact that they were being supplied with free vials and corks from Wyslen and apparently everyone was invited to the inn. After the rude scholar left, she stepped up to the crate and picked out enough vials to feel confident she would have enough to carry back to the Apothecary.

"Thank you for your gift, good sir." Vaeri said and performed a small bow of thanks to Wyslen. Vaeri stepped away from the counter and opened the bag at her hip, placed the empty vials and corks in before shutting it again. The cleric opened the door, but waved goodbye to her future travelling companions before leaving. Sana had suggested that everyone eat before leaving, but Vaeri had already eaten dinner before arriving in the village, she was in no rush to eat. Now where was this supposed in?

True enough, the activity picked up as a few more souls entered the shop, looking to invest in this quest. By the words the Sister provided, so few others had attempted to take up this job before they had all arrived today - a curious coincidence, Hanzo supposed. Nevertheless, the staff passed out to each willing patron a list of just the rare ingredients they would need to find, with the assurance they were provided with everything else.

...'Tear of Eyewing'? 'Blood of Mist Dragon'? These were indeed exceptionally rare ingredients to find at all, and at first Hanzo found himself unable to quite fathom what sort of concoction would require these things. But, then again, the monk did know that Cinder Sickness was not exactly a 'natural' sort of plague, so perhaps that called for an unnatural sort of cure.

One of the more mysterious ladies that had arrived and made herself known within the group asserted that this job wasn't impossible. The roguish man was far less certain of that, him too being notably perplexed over these special extractions to be obtained. And then the situation simply grew more diverse, with a blood-spattered sorcerer that simply arrived to take a list and some containers, followed by an impish... imp? No, a goblin, rather; whatever the case, Sana was certain they had met before, apparently having been fellow adventurers in some past crusade.

Of course, all the strangeness did not stop the rapidly-forming party from eschewing courteous manners. Taking a quick cue from the mystical Sana's introduction, the fair crimson-haired girl introduced herself as Fiona, sparking a chain of names given out by each member:

Tobias was the cynical-sounding man accompanying Fiona, based on a few off-hand comments. The boisterous goblin was Drizzak, according to a surprised and then reassured Sana. The elfin maiden in holy garb was Vaeri, as she personally announced. Having arrived late, it took Hanzo a bit to piece together that the blaze-skinned tall man was called Zack. The strange undead with the yet stranger companion was Zam, and his companion Mortosh- no, wait, it was the other way around. Was it? Who was what, there? He had lost track in all the commotion. The monk furrowed his visage while racking his memory for the proper arrangement.

As Hanzo tried to relieve the pressure by claiming a few of the vials for his possession in the group, Sana moved to the exit, offering the group the idea of staying at the local inn for breakfast. The monk rolled over the prospect in his head, and decided it would be proper to accept and join in.

He came fully back to reality about when Sana mentioned that "Big Brut Pally Hugh" would be there; unfamiliar with her slang and having missed the context, Hanzo shot a brief look of puzzlement at the entrance where the gypsy had been standing, only to spot her already out the door. He breathed a quiet sigh through his nose and shook his head, somewhat exasperated over the turn of events that were playing out. "Quite a group we have assembled here," the lone traveler audibly mumbled.

One final thing still nagged at his mind, though- "Before I forget myself, you may call me Hanzo. I am just a traveling monk who happened upon this plight, looking to give whatever aid I can."

Tobias's eye spasmed as he surveyed the new arrivals. A goblin with a nasty-looking shortsword and a zombie with some kind of pixie-flower... thing. What was worse, nobody else seemed too concerned by this - the other human woman (Sana?) was even pleased to see the goblin; apparently, the two went back a ways. Well, a reason to distrust her had just landed in his lap, as though in answer to his prayers.

And what was even better, the nuns wouldn't let slip what the payment was! And once again, nobody seemed bothered by that! Everyone assembled was apparently prepared to march off to do battle with Mist Dragons and Eyewings on the vague say-so of a nun who only promised 'something valuable'. Bloody adventurers.

Well, he'd promised Fiona he'd take a look, and take a look he had. And guess what? He didn't like what he'd seen. Too much danger, not enough security, too many weirdos. Hell, he'd even mollified his conscience - there were enough people here to handle the job, enough actual adventurers. The orphans would be just fine, and Fiona... she knew what she was getting into.

As the others began to filter out to meet up in the inn, he was just opening his mouth to tell Fiona about his decision when her words from earlier appeared in his mind. "But look at this group. What if someone we meet needs to be persuaded of something? Most of them don't look like the sociable type to me. You could be really valuable to us."

She was right, even if she knew not how. These people, the wizards and warriors, the goblin, the elf, the demon, whoever 'Big Brut Pally Hugh' was, they all had something in common. They were bloody adventurers. Insane, the lot of them, all of them willing to blindly trust and run around fighting other people's battles for some misguided sense of heroism. They were going to get killed the first time someone offered them a trinket to slay a lich or fed them poisoned meat or in any way attempted to play them. If they were going to get anywhere... maybe they'd need a healthy dose of fear, cowardice, paranoia. Maybe they needed someone who wasn't an adventurer.

Dammit.

He turned to his companion and gave his best winning smile. "Well, this has all been informative. Suppose we'd better go meet the others at the inn, get to know each other? ... Don't turn your back on any of them." With a wink to the nun, the thief grabbed a few vials from the stockpile and, without looking to see if Fiona was behind him, made his way over to the tavern.

"Behold," he announced as he entered the... aromatic establishment. "The warrior and the tramp!"

Fiona had never really been worried. Maybe a week ago she would've thought Tobias would bolt on her at the first sign of trouble, but after he didn't take the first few opportunities to scurry off, she figured he wouldn't take the rest. And she did honestly think he would be a valuable addition to the group, even if he didn't help much against any enemies they might face. So far the group appeared to be nothing but combat and magic experts, and while she supposed a few of them likely had some hidden charm... she doubted it would be the goblin, at any rate.

Making sure to grab her own share of the supplies the nun had laid out for them, Fiona thanked her and exited the apothecary behind Tobias. The group seemed to be mostly making their way to the inn for some proper breakfast before they set out, and Fiona was too tempted by that to resist, he stomach grumbling on the way over. She was willing to bet the innkeeper was a bit overwhelmed with all the sudden guests, many of which could probably eat a great deal.

Having gotten used to Tobias's mannerisms by now, Fiona largely ignored his introduction of them, and briefly searched the inn's current occupants for a place to take a seat. In the end, she picked out a spot closest to the monk, Hanzo, as he introduced himself, and took a seat, catching the inkeeper when she could and ordering something simple to eat. She had to admit she'd never met a adventuring monk before, and found him interesting.

As Zarxire looked over the list, he thought about all the books he read. He knew where to find all of these but some would be damn near impossible. "Hellhound, you can only find those in the abyssal plane of hell. Those things are extremely strong, not to mention the items we'll need just to open a dimensional rift to travel there and back." It seemed like nobody was paying him any mind though and so he simply followed the group to the inn. When he entered he noticed a mountain of a man about as tall as Zarxire was but much more muscular. There is no way this guy is human. On that note, Zarxire made sure his horns were covered and then re-adjusted his robe to cover his tail better and walked over to him. "Hello, you must be Hugh. I'm Zack, naturalist, historian, planist, behaviorist, and wizard. I have studied many books on many things and I hope my advanced knowledge will be of help in finding these," He hands Hugh the list he was given, "Quite the rare and interesting items. I hope we can retrieve them all before it's too late."

Zarxire took a seat at the table Hugh was at, making sure to leave a space for Sana to sit beside him. "For those that came in after I introduced myself, I'm Zack, a trained wizard hoping to make a name for himself. I look forward to working with you all." He looked over the weird bunch that assembled after he had shown up. Mostly humans but there is an elf, a goblin, a skeleton, and a small fairy of sorts that I have never seen before, perhaps it's in one of my books that I brought with me. Zarxire brought out his book on exotic and rare monsters and skimmed through it, to most it would seem as though he was looking for the creatures on the recipe list, but he was truly trying to find the fairy.

The Apothecary Shop

Apothecary Wylsen made sure to hand over the items to the various people that had come into the shop to aid in this venture and this seemed to put Sister Agnes at some ease. There were many people that had come into the shop asking and even talk of at least one other that would be joining. She wondered though how many would actually venture forth now that they had all the information she could provide at the time. The looks on some of their faces worried her; the looks of at least one was cause enough for concern but she was in no position to be picky right now and she figured there at least had to be some good in them to even show up.

Some left as they gathered their things, some stayed and one even seemed to fly sudden out of a hiding hole on another. It startled the old woman slightly, not out of fear but just because it was simply not something one saw every day. “Hello Zam and hello Mortosh,” Sister Agnes said to both of them and waved back to Mortosh, not sure if she should shake his hand or not but she had a warm look on her old features. “Thank you for helping,” she said to Zam and Mortosh before addressing the few that actually still remained in the shop. “And to you all as well. I wish I had more information for you, like a place to start,” she said as she turned and sighed. Wylsen just reached out and gave the sister a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I am sure these folk are capable, what is it you are always telling me Sister? Have faith?” he said with a gring before turning his attention over to Vaeri and nodding. “Most welcome indeed and thank you for being here to need him. Have a safe journey,” he said before going back about his business and turned over towards the one who introduced himself as Hanzo. “Here you go Hanzo,” Wylsen said as he handed over the supplies that Sana had made sure to request for each of them. He felt kind of foolish not thinking that they would need these before she had mentioned it but at least someone had it covered it seemed.

“Thank you for your help Hanzo,” Sister Agnes said with a smile before looking over towards the door and wondered if anyone else was going to come in or if there was all there was this day. She would stay though just in case and remain there in the town until they returned.

The Inn

Sana glanced around as she entered the inn wondering where Hugh had gotten off to; hearing his voice her head turned and she couldn’t help but chuckle at his waiving her over. It was early, the place was quiet and there were not that many people in there and yet he was calling out to her as if they were in the center of a crowded city. In Sanas mind even if they had been surrounded by people and drowned out by noise she doubted he would have had to go through so much to get her attention. He stood towering over most at six and a half feet tall in his bare feet, he was very broad of shoulder and well built, hardly one that would get lost in a crowd; but there he stood waiving her over like a big kid. She had to admit he was rather endearing when he acted like this.

Stepping over to the table he had claimed for them by the window she placed the bottles and vials down she had collected from the apothecary before being able to give him her full attention; taking a step to him, she rose up on tip toe as she kissed him softly. “Miss me?” she teased before sitting down at the table and explaining what was going on, pulling out the rather interesting list of items they would need to recover and handing it over to him as the host brought over their food and coffee.

“Seems we have a rather interesting group going on. Haven’t caught all of their names yet but figured would learn them on the way,” she said as she unlaced her cloak and let it fall over the back of her chair. “Not sure what to think of them yet, but guess we will find out,” she added before she took a sip of her coffee; then turning went to point out those that she had seen in the shop. “That one,” she said pointing over towards Melvus and then turned as Tobias entered with Fiona and introduced themselves. “And those two,” she said before looking back over towards Hugh. “And of course Zack here,” she said with a smile towards him and a welcoming nod.

“There are more,” she said before glancing out the window. “And even one from the Oasis,” she said as she glanced towards Hugh out of the corner of her eye, wondering how he would react to hearing there was someone there from their last adventuring party.

The host walked over to Tobias and Fiona as they entered. “Yes, what can I do for you today…Um,” the host paused as he looked them over before looking at Tobias. “I take it you’re the tramp?”

Main Street Of Gorlton

The small village was beginning to wake up fully; the people were going to and fro taking care of business. Some were leaving the inn after resting for the night; others were entering to get a meal. The shops were beginning to open such as the weapon smith and armor next to the apothecary and a general market the next door down. The stables were being tended to by a younger lad while an older man with a pipe leaned back and puffed on it. The town seemed to have enough to get by but if any were to check as to what was available they would find it was nothing special.

All weapons were the most basic as well as armors but at least the smiths did well with what they had and they could repair items if needed. The stables were rented out to people that had their own mounts but there were two horses that were for sale; again about as average as they came. The general market had dried foods, water skins, wines, cooler weather clothing, packs and ruck sacks, grooming items, rope and several other items that one would usually find in such a shop. A rather mundane town to become a victim to such a plague for the local orphanage but then again, perhaps that is why it happened there, because it was so very average and there seemed to be nothing special about it.

The arena was rather large, there wasn't a roof, the sun was high in the sky - it was noon. The temperature was low enough to keep snow, Melvus knew why. He happened to be standing on one end of said arena, on the other was a... another wizard. Many called him the Beast of Goetia, one of the rival factions in Drisbane.

"Fabricant of Goetia versus Melvus of Aesil!" The announcer had a magically amplified voice so all of the spectators could hear him. The factions were battling over territory in Drisbane. A simple stepping stone to the crown. "Let the battle begin!"

Without hesitation, the opposition grew and morphed until he was fifteen feet tall. "Ah, frost giant form..." Melvus said under his breath. He had studied his opponent and was sure that his opponent had studied him as well.

Goetia was known as the most evil faction. The vast majority of their members were, in fact, evil. The Beast of Goetia charged Melvus. Here he comes... Melvus kept his eyes on Fabricant.

"Would you look at that!" The announcer was suddenly excited. Melvus soon understood why, his opponent had changed again, at the last second. He now took the form of Frost Drake. He exhaled frost and slashed with his claws. Melvus had been reading recently and had found an interesting spell, it was called Shadow. The caster could no longer be touched or seen, but he couldn't touch anyone else either and could only keep it up for ten seconds, about.

As Melvus was going to be hit with his opponent's attack, he could no longer be seen. He quickly made his way behind his enemy and around him appeared tens of swords, about forty, they spun and revolved. "It would appear that Melvus has a new spell up his sleeve! How did he do that!?" The announced was caught off guard, the crowd cheered.

Melvus stepped forward and his swords began slicing the air around him, horizontally. "Fabricant has changed again! Now he is in water form!" The swords sliced through the water that was now the enemy wizard's body and did not damage. Melvus unsummoned the swords, to conserve energy. He unsheathed his own sword.

He extended his other hand and from it shot an appendage which gave off a warm glow. This was as Fabricant changed back to his original form, he was an elf. A corrupted one, at that. The glowing hand took hold of him at the waist, wrapping its figures around his body. It lifted him and smashed him into the wall. Melvus moved the hand to see his opponent. He wasn't there.

"I didn't want to say anything! But it seems that Fabricant has changed again! No wonder they call him that!" The announcer's voice came and Melvus realized something. He cast Ethereal Wings and took to the air, looking for the other wizard... The wind blew and Melvus woke up.

The sound of music filled the wizard's ears. His head was resting on the wooden table in front of him. "Where..?" He said under his breath. The his nose caught a whiff of alcohol, food, smoke. His plate, empty of food, was still warm in front of him. I mustove been out for a few seconds... That's what you get when you don't sleep... There's Sana, she was the talker in the shop...

Melvus got up from the table and made his way to the table near the window. There were three occupants, a rather large man, maybe it was the Hugh fellow she'd spoken of earlier. There was a cloaked man, he looked like the spellcasting type and smelled like a fire, though that could've been the inn. This, there was Sana. "I neglected to introduce myself earlier... My name is Melvus Garth. I'm a wizard by trade." He took a seat at the table intending on discussing the job.

It was refreshing to Mortosh to be treated with such kindness was a rarity the woman kind words and smile truly put him at ease and made him believe that this journey would not end in tragedy. he nodded and told Zam to thank Sister Agnes for him he garbed the supplies While going to return most of them not being in need of most of them Zam convinced him otherwise so he toke all the supplies and headed towards Door Zam flew into her hidey hole who then proceed to adjust herself so her head was popping out her hole. Mortosh opened the door and looked back at the now almost empty shop the only ones left where The Monk,Sister Agnes and the Shop owner with a wave goodbye Mortosh and Zam left the shop.

It had been a few minutes since he had left the shop and Mortosh was simply wandering around the village Mortosh was wandering he then heard Zam Inhaled deeply "By Trew is it good to have some fresh air the air in the shop was getting very stale" Mortosh Looked at Zam with concern ("Do You Need Your Flowers Zam?") Zam shook her head "no not now just give me them when we find the inn" ("Are You Sure?") "yes Mort i am sure o.k lets just find this fucking inn" Mortosh Just nodded then he realized something he has no idea where the inn is

Hugh's ecstatic waving was suddenly interrupted by this character wearing a cloak whom introduced himself as "Zack" and a whole slew of other things that went in one ear and out the other, except for the last one; wizard. "Oh, uh, I'm-" The wizard quickly handed Hugh a list of items, thoroughly perplexing him. "Okay, yeah, I guess they are rare." Hugh looked over the list, not really sure what many of the items were, or whether or not they were rare. He could only agree with the man currently speaking.

Hugh's confusion was relieved when Sana finally came over and stood up on tip toes to kiss him. What she hadn't seemed to realize was that Hugh had shortened himself while she was setting the vials down, so as to receive a kiss. It was kind of a habit he usually did without noticing. Normally she would drape her arms around him, or he would lean down and kiss her. He decided not to wrap her arms around her and show a lot of affection since they appeared to have company and that might be a little putting off for the newcomer whom identified as Zack.

"I did miss you. So very much." He said with a loving smile. He seated himself as she did, and listened intently to what she had to say. She directed his attention too and fro, looking from person to person, identifying them as members of their latest group. She caught his attention more with the words “And even one from the Oasis”. An eyebrow arched upwards, as he looked towards her, not really sure what to expect. There were people he liked and people he hadn't liked. His mind raced through different faces of who it might have been. His face went back to normal, and he finally said "So who might it be then?"

He suddenly held up a hand, "Hold on." He stood up, "You haven't eaten anything or had anything to drink!" He suddenly said, looking towards Zack. He looked around, to different areas of the room till he spotted the exact person he was looking for. "Barmaid!" Came his summons to a rather young looking female working at the inn. He waved in the friendliest and most frantic looking way he could muster. Little did he realize at that moment he was so much of a tower of a man, that he didn't need to try so hard to get the young lady's attention.

Of course, his actions were a little put off when another wizard introduced himself by the name of Melvus Garth. "Alright, take a-" His words were cut off by the man taking a seat, "... yeah." He directed his attention back to the barmaid, hoping his summons worked.

Vaeri kept her hood up as she wandered through the village looking for the inn. This village was a quaint place, it almost reminded her a tiny bit of her hometown. The quaintness was why she had to keep herself concealed. This place no doubt saw little traffic from non-humans, and even taking that out of account, Vaeri was well aware that her appearance had a habit of unsettling people. So instead she walked around in her cloak, looking slightly less suspect. After all, a clergyman of a deity unknown to the locals would get by a lot easier if everyone who looked upon him didn't think him a cultist.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, the elf stopped where she stood and looked around. To her right was the Apothecary. She had made a giant circle. She never had this problem finding her way forests or her hometown. Humans and their 2 dimensional settlements. It made finding your way around so much more complicated. Trying to find where you were in relation to the rest of the town was nearly impossible since buildings blocked everything else around them. Back in Lianyu you could look up and down and get so much more information based on the levels above and below you. Frustrated, Vaeri enters the Apothecary again and approaches the counter.

"I'm sorry to bother you again, but could you please direct me to the inn? I haven't been able to find it on my own."

Tobias spread his hands theatrically and smiled at the barmaid. "Very astute of you. The tramp will have a mug of your very finest swill, if it isn't too much trouble," he said, biting his cheek to resist the temptation of the girl's delightfully unsecured coin purse. His itchy fingers could doubtless swipe it without her noticing... but in a room full of adventurers, it was probably best not to chance it.

He scanned the crowd inside the inn warily. Mostly his prospective companions, really. Fiona had moved to sit by the monk/demon cultist - Hanzo was his name. Sana was kissing and then speaking to someone new, a large older fellow - perhaps that was 'Big Brut Pally Hugh'. Tobias took a moment to register the hope that 'Pally' didn't stand for 'Paladin'. He never got along with paladins. The demon was sitting with them - apparently he wanted to be called 'Zack'. Also speaking to them was the sorcerer, who looked a little weary, like he'd just woken up from a nap.

Well, that seemed to be the highest density of his new 'friends'. If he was going to begin ingratiating himself with the people who'd be slaying Mist Dragons for him, that seemed like a place to start.

The rogue moved through the crowd and plopped loudly down at the table. "Cheers, adventurers! Tobias, for those who missed me: pickpocket, common scoundrel, dashing rogue, incorrigible trickster, defiler of a modest amount of daughters (all entirely willing, I'm not a nutcase), career criminal, con-man, cat-burglar, oh-so-loveable coward, savior of silly girls that get in over their heads, and now, prospective adventurer!" The thief leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table. "Charmed. Oh, and if any of you are bothered by the 'career criminal' thing... I can run faster than you."

Lob had parted ways with his friend at the temple. She had handed him the copy of the notice and a sprig of herbs she had bought from the apothecary the night before. It was a bit like a doting mother sending her child off to the school as she put her fingers through his orange mane one more time.

"Follow the smell, hand them the note."

He sniffles the healer and her rose oil one last time before taking in the new scent of the lavender. In his primal mind he can almost see the spectral line that is its scent leasing away from the temple. With all of four posessions to his name, he lopes about close to the ground to take in great lungfulls of air. But the closer he gets to one building, the more it reeks of so many other smells! Some are good and some are bad smells. The soot of burning, Man in oiled leather, Strong scent ofwoman who had scent of man on her, Woman and steel, Man and beastblood, DEATH!

That scent of decy brought him out of his reviree to look with his eyes an not his nose as he looks in the door of the place full of dried plants. Woman and leather, Man and sweetsmoke, and... The six-six savage in black hide armor stared down the goblin in bear mantle with wide eyes before he let out an exclaim:



He then looked out at the rest and held up the notice that brought the rest to this point in their collective life stories. Rocking back on his heels a bit he squatted down to a less menacing posture and explained as best he could.

"Good find, smell dog."

Then again, what is life without its little challenges?

---

It seemed that the small goblin had arrived a bit too late to receive the instructions given out by Sister Agnes, but all the same he knew that the presence of others would be a help as it always was. Drizzak, at his basest, was not the greatest listener in day to day interaction. In combat, you bet he could hear a fly parping, but when it came to talking of tasks and duty he always just shouted for more gold until he got it. This was one of the reasons why joining up and following seemed to be the best thing for him right now. Others could listen where he did not, while he barked at people for more gold. It was a brilliant plan. Flawless. Absolutely flawless. He almost wrung his horrid, clawed hands in glee as he giggled to himself.

This group of interested adventurers seemed so much bigger than what he was used to, however. Sana, he recognized, but allowed her to leave freely as he assessed the others along for the ride. Apparently Hugh, big armor holy man, was here too, which was a fact he was neither overjoyed or wary of. Was Hugh the one that threatened to make him swallow his teeth or... hrm. It didn't matter. They could fight and both knew him. That would be valuable. But these new faces. So strange as they came and went. The Holy Robey woman, the Fancy-Dressed Puffy Man, the Man with the Shining Head, the Firehair Swordlady, Tailman Badlook, Capebook Paleman, Blue Robes man and Small Blue girl and finally the newest entrant Orc McLarge. He did not know names. He did not make note of them. Drizzak was too distracted by the smells and sights to be seen around the Apothecary's Shop.

The rumbling of his stomach gave him a start, and spurred him to move. He couldn't eat glass tubes and metal skellingtons. He needed meat. He needed tasties. To take a chunk out of a villager simply wouldn't do, but Sana couldn't have gone far. She would know where food was. The dancing people always knew. The exclamation of Orc McLarge shook him slightly, causing him to turn his head to the side and look at the towering half-orc. Drizzak, strangely, remained silent as he sized up the great, 6'6" green man as if he were just his size. His wide, jagged smile was now just a slight sneer as he growled. "You too big. You get hit first, Drizzak bet. Nasties always munch big first."

With a slight chuckle, he adjusted his bearskin cloak and turned to the door. "Drizzak hunger. Meat. Want." As succinct as ever as he barged out the door and followed the scents of food, finding his way to the inn. He barged right through that door too and found the familiar face of Sana once more. A familiar setting, this was, as he shuffled onto a stool far too high for him and barked at Sana. "WHERE FOOD. WE GET FOOD, YES?"