@Lucius Cypher

Ethan had just barely been in the town for a couple minutes when a small group of children spotted him and was soon upon him. They were selling utility knives and are trying a bit too hard to sell the knives to him. "Let me take a gander at the quality of what you are selling." Ethan lets his walking stick lean on his shoulder as he reaches over into the box and takes one out to inspect the quality of the knives. Ethan's brow furrowed and his mouth frowned at the low quality of the knives the boy was trying to sell. 'Ten silver pieces for a low end knife not even made of not simple iron? A robbery in broad daylight!' He looks again to the young leader, to see if there was any malicious intent behind those eyes. It was not an uncommon tactic for the leader to distract their mark while the underlings would pickpocket and steal from the mark. He places a free hand over his satchel containing most of his belongings, protectively, as he discerns the intent of the child. The burns on his hands, the rather forced smile, and over the top sales pitch of the folding knives told him that this was not an attempt to distract or deceive him. Rather the boy was genuinely trying to sell him his knives.

Ethan could have refused the overpriced knife but the children pulled at his heartstrings. Their faces reminded him of his brothers and sisters he had to leave behind when he had to run away. Ethan tried to hide his grimace and put on a fake look of satisfaction, cleared his throat to catch the attention of the children and their leader to what he was about to say. "Ten silver pieces? Thats an outrage!" The looks of fear and nervousness made Ethan chuckle internally. He was not a mean spirited individual, it was just he enjoyed teasing his siblings in the past from time to time and tried to recreate the feeling in this distant land. "A knife of this quality deserves at least twenty...no...at least a gold piece!" Ethan said with an over-exaggerated voice. It did not take long for their shocked expressions transformed into one that beamed with relief and joy. The sight warmed his heart as he pocketed the knife he took and grabbed a shiny gold coin and gave it to the leader. "Nice doing business with you, sire. Now be on your way and go buy yourselves a warm meal or something." Ethan tips his fancy hat at the children and grabs his walking stick before walking past the group and heading to what he assumes to be the general store of the town. It would be likely that Sips' ingredients would be bought from there. He would simply pick it up and move to the next nearby town.

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That. Is. AMAZING. This girl didn't seem to be wearing any armor or even have any weapons on her person--in fact now that he looked closer, without her jacket all she was wearing on her upper body was some kind of cloth wrapping around her chest. He gulped, but now wasn't the time to ogle. But despite her lack of equipment, she was wrestling this mighty, gigantic beast--and she was WINNING!

This was exactly what Antaeus wanted for himself! He had been born with this large, sturdy body that had caused his family nothing but strife...but if he could use his strength like this, to do great things worthy of fame and glory, he could prove himself! He could be a hero! And if he was a hero, he could right wrongs and protect people, and do good for everyone...including his father.

He crept out to the edge of the branch and tensed his legs. He took a deep breath.

As soon as you hit it, grab that jacket and wrap it around the beast's face! He pep-talked himself, slowly raising his arms and standing up on the sturdy wood. Maybe I can blind it, or choke it down...Or even help the girl topple it...But I've got to go--now!

With the same focus he used to put his all into smashing through rock and soil, he exhaled and leaped for the White Stag, arms outstretched towards that black mantle--!

@Lucius Cypher@Pyromania99

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"I only have a hard time being polite to fiends and idiots who flirt far too much." Livia scoffed in response to her sisters jab, but ultimately let it go. She had better things to do than to give herself a headache by dealing with Katherine. Taking the book from Maeda, Livia quickly read the title and flipped through a few of the pages before listening to the Arachne's advice. Well, that information saved her some trouble. A walk outside the city by herself, though, seemed entirely dangerous.

"Thank you for the information, Maeda." Livia replied, doing her best to ignore the obviously flirting with a mild frown. Private lessons? That was such a thinly veiled proposition she almost laughed. Of course she was flirting with Katherine. Why wouldn't she, after all. Her sister dearest was oh so pretty and beautiful compared to her. Oh, how she wanted to sometimes just - ah, that was a no good thought, that. She wasn't quite so annoyed with her sister to wish her a painful death...yet. Never break a potentially useful tool. "That said, if you wouldn't mind watching Creme here for me while I am away, I would be quite thankful." Livia continued, picking up the kitten from Katherine's lap and placing him on the floor. "I'd rather not take the chance something happen and either of us end up hurt. That said, I shall be taking my leave now. I'd rather get there and back before sundown."

With a polite nod and a wave, Livia exited the teachers office, exiting the school building shortly after and making her way down the street. First order of business was potentially securing help of someone so she wouldn't have to cross the roads alone. She was hardly capable of fighting any sort of wild beasts...hm. Perhaps that Orc, Nartur, could help.

The Drow blinked twice. Given the treatment he had received by the guards, he had half-expected the place to refuse him service upon stepping in. The woman didn't seem to be harboring any sort of hostility, and he could not perceive any sort of reason as to why this particular barmaid would have any ill will beyond his race... Yet he still felt the strings of caution fret at his mind. The only reason why he imagined this woman would be treating him with this kindness was because, as long as he was doing business, they couldn't care less if he came in here and murdered someone. A quiet sigh escaped from his lips as he skimmed over the menu. The options were quite overwhelming to the young Drow, and for a moment he felt some of the cause of excitement dissipate a bit. He drummed his fingers a bit on the bar, reading over everything to himself for quite some time... Wait a second.

"Rooms are 5 silver a night, you say?" Darunia coughed under his breath. Apprehension grasped at him, as he felt himself falter. Staying in one place for so long was such a foreign concept to him at this point that it almost made him afraid to even consider staying here through the morning. The Drow bit his bottom lip nervously, looking up at the barmaid, then back to the menu, then back to the woman again. How long should he stay? Should he even stay? He set the menu aside and rubbed his hands together in thought for a moment, tuning out the world around him. Asking people for things was something he would have to do if he wanted to rise for power, but being so vulnerable made the fairly young Drow feel great apprehension. Was somebody listening? What if one of HER lot was here somewhere in the bar? What if that gang had tracked him down and was lying in wait? What if somebody here was watching?

"Could I look into purchasing a room for 10 nights? A-As well as a bottle of that Dancer and Prancer, if it's not too much," Darunia slowly asked, a smile creeping onto his face. "Please," he added quickly.

Beneath an almost-forced smile, Darunia could feel his heart pound as he spoke. He could not for the life of himself figure out why that was, and it terrified him a little. There was no reason why he should fear this woman, or anyone in this tavern for that matter. He needed some time to collect his thoughts... Yes, that was it. Some wine to calm his nerves and commemorate his first steps in this new life, and a brief moment of mental rest to quell his doubts. Confidence would keep him on his feet, even if it would likely be just a hollow mask at some points. He'd seen some societies of non-Elves retreat to their homes after a particularly long and stressful day, simply to fall asleep. Such needs were beyond Darunia's kind: a simple self-reflection and contemplation on life was all that was needed in order to get what other races needed in several hours. Ironically, he was quite desperate for the relief of such at this moment. The road here had been long and harsh, especially in the harsh gaze of the sun.

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Katherine smiled at Livia's jab back. "Oh, you. You know as well as I that I'm more celestial than fiend." A small quip that went largely ignored, of course. So, she just watched as the Arachne and her sister talked. So, Livia was tasked with going to kill an old auroch. Well, that should suffice as energy, though Katherine had a weird feeling about powering something with a creature's soul. It seemed a bit... Dark. Well, she had of course heard of this before in her studies... But she never really thought to witness this.

As Livia left, Katherine was ready to do her own part of the task. Before she left though, she walked over to Maeda, grabbed her hand, and gave it a kiss. "Perhaps I could take of your private lessons later, for now though, goodbye." With a slight curtsy, she turned and walked out, practically chasing Livia.

It didn't take long to catch up to Livia. "Hello again, sister dearest." The Aasimar said as she started to walk towards her "younger" sister. "Now, before you assume I followed you to this "gods-forsaken frontier" as someone so elegantly put it once... I didn't plan on it." In as short a time as she could, she described to Livia her situation. Of the voice that seemed to inhabit her head and how it was connected to the headaches she had for years, though she cut out the "my favored" portion of the conversations. Livia still had that inferiority complex for some reason. She always was able to grasp thing better so this confused Katherine.

"Anyway, I only came here because I was forced to, though you being here is a bonus. While our sister is quite the beaut, I only ever felt... 'kinship' while I was with you. I sort of went to that school cause I thought you'd be there." She continued. Her little monologue was over rather quickly, and she looked to Livia for a reply. Hopefully not a depressed one this time.

Shem'et slung the haversack on her back and waited for Barthem to appraise the gem she'd given him as currency. She knew it was worth about 10 GP so she wasn't worried she might come short of the amount demanded for the items. The tabaxi looked around the shop while the merchant worked the gem with his magnifying glass. She kept ignoring the peacock of an elf that had stepped into the shop. Somehow she felt that man would be incredibly high-maintenance and she had a task to complete, she could not be held up by colorful individuals demanding her attention.

When Barthem put the gem down and declared its worth at 10 GP Shem returned her attention to him. The merchant was already counting out her change and telling her about a little side quest she could do for him. He needed some herbs gathered from the forest and he would pay her by the pound. Well, since I'm going out in the forest anyway, might as well. Shem'et looked carefully at the drawing of the plant in question. "Of course, Master Barthem. I'll be happy to gather some of this herb for you!" The tabaxi gently scratched her year, pondering. "As for helping you seep the herbs in alcohol... I'm afraid I can't help you there, as much as I wish. Brewery is not a craft I'm trained in." Shem'et shrugged. "But maybe you can find someone interested to take you up on that offer while I'm out hunting for the herb. I'll grab as much as I can, but I have to leave room in my bag for Master Bookie's requested items as well." Shem started to leave, but then hesitated and turned back to look at the merchant once more. "I'm sure you get enough customers in your shop, maybe one of them would be interested... or at least know someone who is." The crafter finished and exited the shop.

---

As soon as Shem'et stepped outside the gates of the town she took the road Master Bookie had indicated on the map. But before really travelling any distance she stopped and took in the landscape from far left to far right as far as her eyes could see. She took the parchment out and started sketching out the topography. The road, the forest in the distance. At first the sketch was pretty barren. With only a road and some wavy lines indicating the treeline. Shem made frequent stops along the way to add new features to the map. Like land-markers and some such. She tried to use her feline keen eyesight as best she could as to add as much detail to the map as she could.

Shem wasn't a cartographer, but she knew her way around drawing a design, as she did it often enough for some of the more complex inventions she and her master were working on. The tabaxi hoped to do a good job of compiling this map as it would serve the town well. Not only to establish a more detailed route to the iron sands deposit, but to list any anomalies and things to look out for on the map itself. A true and proper map!

@Lucius Cypher@Pyromania99

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At first, Livia didn't even acknowledge Katherine's presence as the fiend followed after her. She wasn't really in the mood to put up with her, but it seemed her sister had something to discuss. She almost simply ignored her as she moved along, but Katherine seemed quite insistent. What followed was not quite what Livia expected to hear. She knew of Katherine's migraines, but never really thought much of them beyond a simple natural occurrence. As far as she was aware it was a perfectly normal condition that her sister had had ever since she was adopted by the family.

"Do I take you following to mean you'll be following me everywhere and thus wasting time?" Livia sighed, changing direction to the general store. The only mildly interesting thing her sister added to it, was the voice. Odd...were those normal for Migraines? She couldn't think of a reason it wouldn't be, yet she couldn't think of a reason why they'd be normal either. "And for such a simple reason. Katherine, your migraines are utterly normal. That voice is likely just a side effect of them." This reasoning wasn't really helping Livia's mood. She wanted to believe Katherine. Compared to Marise and her younger brother Katherine was the least likely to try and pull something over on her...but it was difficult to think of any reason that it wasn't just her migraines playing tricks on her.

"If you're that concerned, ask a medical professional about them." She said, the pair arriving in front of Barthen's store. Walking inside, Livia continued. "...I suppose if you'd rather I do something about it, I can inquire further if you really are that concerned about it. I wasn't able to bring my books or research notes with me, but I could perhaps find something useful here given enough time...but we can discuss it later after we finish the tasks at hand." Once inside properly, Livia took a moment to take a look around the store. It seemed a simple enough place. A general store that seemed like any other. Well, she was only here for one thing so she might as well ask the owner, Barthen about it.

"Good afternoon," Livia approached the shopkeeper with a small smile. "Barthen, I take it? Miss Maeda said you have a shipment of Kafei seeds and may have some Hashish resin in stock?"

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@Lucius Cypher

"Well I'm glad to hear I did good so far, but I would imagine this was just the beginning. Kael responded with a chuckle.  Sure enough, the large man that Ashley had been speaking to earlier returned with a set of armor and a few large bags.

”Of course, a proper militaman doesn’t fight empty handed protected with nothing heavier than a cotton shirt. This is your trainie armor! Fits almost like a proper set of armor, though it’s more heavy than protective. Wear this so you know how to get used to wearing armor in the long run. It might not feel like too much of a burden at first when you’re just standing around, but you’ll definitely notice how much harder it is to move when you actually have to run. You’ll also need these.” Ashley said with a grin as she produced a wooden sword and shield from the bags.

Piece by piece, Kael put on the trainee armor. Like Ashley said, it didn't feel super heavy standing still, and didn't actually offer much in terms of protection.  It was better than nothing.  Taking the sword and shield from Ashley, Kael took a ready position, excited to try running in full gear. "Let's do this!" he exclaimed with a wild grin.

On Ashley's mark the half-elf took off, determined to prove his worth. However, several steps into the sprint, Kael realized just how hard carrying so much really was.  Armor impeded his every step, the weight in his pack constantly shifted in an erratic manner, thankfully, the sword and shield weren't too bad. 

What he ended up doing didn't look like much of a run... It looked some thing like a increadibly hasty hobble, complete with erratic changes in pace.  By the time he made it back to Ashley, he'd felt thoroughly humiliated.  "So.... uh, how'd I do that time?" he asked with a grimace.

The child seemed unphased by Ethan’s criticism to his craft. He was not unfamiliar to people insulting his handiwork and putting him down; even his own father gave him no support in his work, usually just berating the boy for wasting his time playing with Fire than doing something productive with his life. Of course it was rather disheartening knowing that despite his best, inexperienced efforts, he wasn’t going to get a sale.

And then Ethan gave the lad a hold Gold coin.

The boys were so surprised at the money that they spent the whole time admiring the gold coin, forgetting to even give Ethan a knife. This was the most money that this lad had ever seen; his parents were always worried about their silvers and here he was with a whole gold coin. He wasn’t even sure what he could buy with a gold coin, but it was certainly exciting. The other boys clamored around it as they left Ethan as he head to the village’s general store. Unlike Barthen’s this store has far less in variety; mostly it was simple farm tools like shovels, sickles, and axes, though they also sold local produce as well. Wheat from the fields, corn still in their husks, and cheese milked from auroachs.

Currently behind the counter was a young man, probably around Ethan’s age. Though unlike Ethan he seemed smaller, more meek. When the two crosses eyes he spoke first. ”H-Hello there. Welcome to uh… To my shop. How can I help you?”

@Searat

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He shoots. He scores.

The jacket ripped as the horns tore through it, but even so it was more than enough for Antaeus to effectively blind the White Stag, causing it to go into a panic as it now had to deal with both this highly aggressive girl, and this mysterious assailant. Even so it fought, shaking its head victoriously and kicking his mighty hooves towards Antaeus. He could feel the force of the hooves as they brushed past his legs and loins; how even though they missed him by inches, he could feel the stag’s beastly muscles that could crush his bones with a casual swipe.

This surprise didn’t just hit the stag, but also the girl. Antaeus’ sudden arrival and weight onto the stag nearly made the girl lose her grip, so she tried to use the chance to slam the stag into the ground. However the stag, still fighting valiantly, was able to hold his ground even as these two smaller humans were grappling it. But it seem that for just a moment. Both sides were on a stalemate. It was almost evenly matched. But unless Antaeus can quickly turn the tide, it wasn’t going to end well.

”What was that? You better not have torn my jacket!”



@Zeroth

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Taking possession of the kitten and a kiss, Maeda waved goodbye to the two sisters as she returned to her class. There were a few villagers who took notice of the two new young ladies, rather impressed for their foreign, sophisticated beauty. While there were a few handful of village girls who do their best to look pretty, they didn’t quite have the same level of beauty. Many looked on with envy while the men looked on with lust. Of course none approached as they reached Barthen’s and continued about their business.

Barthen was just cleaning up after his last customer when the two ladies came in. He seemed rather unphased by their appearance but treated them like a merchant would treat any customer; respectfully. ”Welcome to Barthen’s Bartered Goods, how can I help you?” Wasn’t long before a young lady with sleek black hair approached and mentioned she was here on Maeda’s behalf. This got his attention as she asked for Kafei Seeds and Hashish Resin, which made Barthen raise his brow and whistled. ”Well, I certainly do, and if it’s more Maeda I won’t ask why she wants it, but that’s some mighty expensive tastes she’s got there. Yes, I have a bag of Kafei Seeds, 10 gold per pound, as for the Hashish Resin let me go look in the back.”

Barthen left for a moment to look for any resin left over, giving Livia and Katherine some time to discuss more matters personally. At some point Barthen returned shaking his head. ”Unfortunately it looks like I’m all out. Yeah, suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, the miners tend to buy up all of it when my caravans come back. They need it for their workers after hours you see. I’m not expecting another caravan back until the end of this week, and I imagine that Maeda wants the hashish urgently, huh?”

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

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The barmaid raised her brow as she went to retrieve the bottle. ”Certainly sir… That will be five gold for the rooms, and ten gold for the whole bottle of Dancer and Prancer, unopened.” Normally when offering drinks people buy them by the cup, but if someone wants to buy a whole bottle worth then she wasn’t going to say anything. Sips may even let her have a cut for somehow selling a whole bottle, instead of just the usual tips she might receive from particularly drunk customers. Off to the side the co-owner of the shop, Revas, watched Darunia. The half-elf didn’t seem particularly too interested in the drow, indeed up until now he was watching a drunken rabble further away to ensure they don’t get too rowdy, but someone buying a whole bottle of Dancer and Prancer caught his attention.

Revas wondered if this drow as the adventuring type, the one who throws around their money and weight under the assumption that if they really had the mind to, they could kill everyone in the village in under a minute. That type of person was the type that Revas was here to stop preemptively. Being a drow just made such stereotypes even worse. He said a few words in sylvan and began detecting Darunia’s surface thoughts, glancing to find out what’s on the drow’s mind, hopefully not treachery. Not enough to awaken any sort of alert, just enough to know if this man is about to do something he’ll regret.

Either way Revas appeared to be doing nothing but sitting on his chair watching everyone borely. Suddenly he’d stand up and go to one of the patrons, grabbing him by his hand. ”Alright that’s enough drink for you, get out of here.” Revas commanded one of the drunk patrons. Of course he resisted at first, thinking this just a game. But it was no game. With a simple flick of his fingers the man was out cold, and with a snap he was being dragged out of the Drunken Dragon to rest in the shade outside until he would be sober enough to go home on his own two feet. Revas then returned to his seat and continued to watch the other patrons.

@The Large Dumbo

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As Shem’et was vaguely making her way up the mountain and towards the riverbed, she tried to keep an eye on her surroundings for both danger and landmarks. The Frontier was almost untouched, save for the obvious signs of travel where a road will one day be formed. Even at her slow pace it wouldn’t be long before she would arrive into untamed forest, full of brush, trees, briars, and more. It also wouldn’t be long before she may realize that she might have marked down the same unremarkable tree as she had before, more so if she had marked them with chalk.

Indeed, barely ten minutes inside of the forest, and the best she could do is continue arriving to the same destination as she did before, even after walking in what appeared to be a completely straight line the entire time. On the bright side as she was walking around she’d find the herb that Barthen was looking for! And yet something appeared odd about it. It looked like some creature had already found this herb and started to eat from it. The stem was bent and the flower had been torn off. Granted, it was the stem closer to the root that was needed for medicine, but regardless it seems like someone else had been here recently. And not too far from where the herb was was some sort of wooden pipe...

@ihinka

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Kael would find it incredibly difficult to run in his armor, even in a straight line. In fact running in a straight line seemed harder than simply letting his body’s momentum carry him; the armor got in the way of his movements and the back, while secure on his back, flopped around like a dying fish. Even the sword and shield, relatively light in his hands at first, would begin to give him sores and blisters as they rumbled in his hands with every step. The three pound sword and five pound shield might not seem like much at first, but it would be a much heavier burden when you couldn’t use your arms to help maintain your balance and had to keep a tight grip on them.

All in all, Kael took a little over thirty seconds to reach Ashley. ”Thirty seconds. About what I’d expect really. A lot of people like to brag about their speed but they can only pull it off when they’re almost entirely naked. True speed, strength, and stamina comes with a burden. Speaking of which, it’s onto the next part of the training.” Ashley led Kael further away from the main training ground, taking him out of the garrison and to a watch tower that only reached the second floor of the garrison.

”If you think running in a straight line is tough, wait until you have to fight somewhere that isn’t a flat open field! For now, let’s see how well you do with this next run, and then we’ll test your strength. I want you to run up these stairs and back as quickly as you can without tripping or stopping. No jumping either! Trust me on that one.” The watchtower was only two stories high but had the staircase going from one corner to the next, with fairly steep steps as well, almost a whole foot before reaching the next step. And Kael would need to do this while in full regalia.

”Don’t forget to hold onto your sword and shield! Can’t fight without your sword and shield.”

@Guy0fV4lor

@Lucius Cypher

Ethan entered the general store and took a quick once over of the merchandise being offered in it. There were mostly farming implements and other produce. Though what caught the attention of both his eyes and stomach was the wheels of cheese in the display. 'Oooh, those are some fine looking wheels of cheese.' He thought to himself as he imagined how good a slice of that delicious dairy product would be on a warm slice of freshly baked Rye bread and a warm bottle of mead. He raises both of his hands and pats his cheeks slightly. 'Focus Ethan, focus.' He internally chided himself, he was here to pick up the ingredients ordered by Sips. He can eat dinner when he got back to Frontier Town. He turns to face the young man and offers him a warm smile and a friendly tip of his fancy hat before speaking to him. "Good day! My name is Ethan. I am the courier sent by Sips to pick up his order of ingredients."

Overhearing the conversation between Barthen and Shem'et brought Jarynth much excitement. This was the first opportunity where he could actually put his skills to the test! And not only that, but he might possibly be able to understand the lay of the land, as well! Without a second thought, Jarynth made his way for the counter, unbuttoning his coin purse as he prepared his pitch to Barthen. Clearing his throat, he began...

"I am Jarynth Robincrest, Baron of Berries, Vintage Virtuoso, and Friend to All! I come from the Winemaker's Guild and I was directed to seek you if I wished to do business. I've overheard your plight, however, and if you require aide in fermentation, then allow me some time for a demonstration! But first, I would like to accompany your Tabaxi friend, if both you and her don't mind... Oh, but I may need protection, yes? If you are selling any sort of swords, then that would surely suffice!"

Without a second thought, Jarynth placed ten gold coins on the counter. "This should be enough for what would suit me, yes? Something light enough for me to use quickly, and short enough for me not to worry about narrow spaces! Oh, and if I don't look the type to use a blade, I must remind you that I have proudly trained in the martial arts of my people! Not that I'm bragging, or anything... I would rather brag about my bowmanship, anyway. I am well-read as well, so finding these reagents of yours should be easy for me!"

As soon as the transaction was made, Jarynth quickly thanked Barthen for his time and business before rushing off to follow Shem'et. Working in the field is so exciting for the bubbly Elf man, especially if it meant learning more about this new land he has found himself in. Whether he would instantly get lost, however, was another matter entirely...

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Katherine listened to Livia... It didn't seem like she believed her. Well, it was a bit crazy. "No, I'm not going to follow you all the way. While you went to get the Auroch, I was planning on checking the other places out. After this I planned on checking the Underhaven, though I wouldn't complain if you wanted to come with me really quick. In case this place doesn't have the Resin, I can go check the mines." At about that time, they arrived at the store and Livia initiated the conversation.

Ten gold for the bag of seeds? Well, she had less than that on her person. If her and Livia could split it halfway, they'd get paid back later anyway. "Well, Livia, what say we split the cost of the seeds since Maeda mentioned she'd pay use back later." She took out five gold from her repurposed component bag and held them out to Livia and then placing them on the counter top. "Ten gold, right, my good man?"

Darunia watched as the man was ejected from the tavern. Looks like this is where the rabble gathered... Well, that couldn't be helped. He was a bit surprised that people would be drinking at this hour. It may be typical in Drow society to be drinking at sunrise, but he was under the impression that those that were not of his kind typically waited until the later hours of the night to engage in such activities. Should he still stay here? With a grimace, he thought to himself about how unlikely it would be that he could find respite anywhere else. This place was hungering for enough gold to be taking his own, Drow touched coin, and for that he would have to be grateful. A distant thought briefly considered heading outside to pilfer the man's belongings, but his common sense rejected the idea. Getting into trouble was a swift way to get an unfavorable reputation in... whatever part of town this was supposed to be. He hadn't really paid too much attention to his surroundings on the way here. Anyways, news travels fast. One incident would certainly bring ruin to his new future here, especially as a Drow.

"Rowdy lot, eh?" Darunia mumbled with a chuckle. "Is business usually this good at this time of day?" Darunia chuckled wryly, an equally dry smile creasing his face as he drew his finger in circles on the bar. Fifteen gold... This was way too much. He'd have to skip the wine, he supposed. A real shame, too - he had no doubts that the fine object before him would be a great way to celebrate the new life before him. In fact, he was almost heartbroken over the fact that he would be missing such a great opportunity.

The wine within the bottle also looked pretty good, too, he admitted to himself.

"So, ah... Fifteen gold for all of that?" Darunia frowned. It was not a frown out of malice, nor was it one to elicit pity from the barmaiden. "I'm afraid that will leave me a bit closer to the position of a beggar than I'd like. Perhaps in the future, I'll have the chance to enjoy such a divine drink - Elven wine is quite lovely, after all." He chuckled again, his nerves tensing up just a little. Of course Elven wine would be expensive, it's an export for a reason. It had been forever since he had last been graced with a sip of wine from his own kind, but even he remembered their exquisite taste. They were most certainly not for the common tongue, after all. "Forgive me for wasting your time, but I'll have to settle for the rooms," Darunia apologized. He could probably find more suitable places to get a tool to defend himself with than here, anyways. Bottles made good weapons in a pinch, but he needed something that would help him out in several situations. Reaching into his purse and placing the five gold on the table, he shoved it towards the woman before him, using a single digit to push all of the coins in unison. Celebration would have to wait, it seemed.

@Lucius Cypher@Pyromania99

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---

"I was planning on visiting the orcs by the mines anyways," Livia sighed as Barthen went back to check for the Resin. "I suppose we'll be doing this together then." That was fine as well, she supposed. Her sister could have some uses. She was more concerned with the price of those seeds. Ten gold!? How expensive could seeds be!? Livia frowned. It seemed like a good deal. She wasn't quite so sure of the price, but it seemed Barthen was being honest. Likely mentioning Maeda reduced the price slightly. Still...she was more concerned with the fact it'd take up all her gold immediately and she'd almost have nothing left to work with. She could perhaps press her luck and try to get a better deal, but it'd be best not to test ones luck too much.

"Very well, ten gold it is. I thank you for going easy on the pricing." Livia sighed, taking out five gold pieces from her satchel and handing it over to Barthen. "You would be correct. Maeda needs the Hashish Resin as soon as possible. We'll be using it to assist us in investigating those ruins in the mines." She briefly explained. "She mentioned that the Orcs at the mines may have some, but they could be unwilling to sell. You wouldn't happen to know of anything that could make them more agreeable to trade, would you?"

She hoped the snake venom wasn't too expensive. She'd just have 5gp left after this, and she was hopefully planning on using that money to potentially hire some help when traveling from here to that village.

---

@Lucius Cypher

Well shit. Running in a straight line with all of this year on was hard enough. But now he had to run up these increadibly steep stairs? This was gonna suck.  At least there were less present to witness his humiliation this time around.

However, that wasn't going to stop Kael from trying his hardest. Tightening his grip on his sword and shield, the aspiring warrior sprinted up the stairs, driving all his power into each and every step.  The whole way, his pack flopped, jiggled, and shifted as if it had a mind of its own.  His armor only made the labor harder.  Each stair felt like a mountain as Kael fought against his cumbersome armor. By the time he had reached the top, his hips were on fire. With a sigh, he quickly turned and bolted back down the stairs to Ashley, nearly falling twice on the way back. 

Thank the gods they were going to test strength next.  That was much more his forte.  "What's next Ashley?" he asked with a tired smile.

Shem'et tried her very best to follow the road while keeping an eye out for any landmarks she could add to the map. She had thought that it wouldn't be that difficult drawing a map, considering she often had to sketch schematics for various crafting inventions. As it turned out, it was way harder than she'd imagined. She was stopping more often to get her bearings and when she finally arrived at the treeline it was all she could do to walk in a straight path. And yet somehow she had the feeling she was going in circles. Did I get lost?! The crafter couldn't get even a hint of where those iron sand deposits were.

Luckily, though, she did manage to spot the herb Barthem had asked her to look for. But something was off. It looked like something had been nibbling on it. The stem was bent and a flower had been torn off and lying on the ground. Shem immediately unsheathed her claws and took a fighting stance, her feline eyes scanning the immediate vicinity. She noticed some sort of a wooden pipe not too far from the herb, on the ground, but she remained vigilant and decided to leave it for later inspection. Her safety was of more pressing concern at the moment!

---

---

Gods almighty, please help me! What kind of deer was this!? What kind of quest was this!? Antaeus's heart beat a thousand miles a minute and he felt like everything was happening under water. This was no thrill of adventure or rush of battle, yet nonetheless his body had reached the peak of Fight or Flight and every hair on his body stood on end. All he could think to do was get away from those hooves, and right now he knew only one way to do that.

He kicked his legs and pulled at the sleeves of the jacket clutched in his fists, his knuckles growing as white as his terrified face. If Antaeus had been any other lad confronted with something so obviously out of his depth he likely would have just frozen up with fear. If he had been any other, more foolish, young man he might have whooped in excitement or yelled threats at the Stag or tried to do something heroic. But he was neither of those and yet still felt just as likely to die at any possible moment. He had experienced cave-ins, collapsing sinkholes, tunnel floods, gas leaks, any number of things. Confronting death face to face was not entirely brand-new. And yet. How did heroes do this, all the time!?

But these weren't thoughts, just the barest sparks of objective observation by his subconscious as he acted in what felt like the only way left available to him. He could barely respond to the girl as he tried to swing around the White Stag's broad neck and get onto its back--who cared about the damn jacket at a time like this!?

"Focus! Keep its hooves pinned!"

If it was standing on its rear legs and she could keep those front hooves from lashing out, and if the jacket was wrapped around its head so it couldn't get its jaws around her, maybe the girl would be safe from the White Stag's thrashing. Antaeus already knew from experience this animal would likely kill or maim them with a single blow, and if the latter it would just finish them off or leave them for something else. If he could tie off the sleeves he might keep the creature muzzled and blinded...but he had to climb it first!

---

Oh, so there was an open orientation for newcomers in this town. And he had missed it. Well, it wasn't too big of a deal for himself. "Vouchers? For what, if I can ask?" As Sihlas straightened himself up and pat some of the excess dirt and dust from travelling off his robes, a large Tortle approached Dormic and gave a quiet greeting to the man. "Well, nice to meet you Dormic, Ntaj Yaj," The young scrholar would give a nod toward the Tortle when he said his name, ""I am Sihlas Arche, a scholar and wizard's apprentice from a long ways away. Is there somewhere more comfortable we can talk? I have not been able to rest well these last couple of days."

”O-Oh, Sip’s new courier. Okay.” The young man left the counter for a moment, going into a backroom to dig around for a few minutes. After some digging around and a crash the young man came back with a small satchel, tightly sealed. ”T-T-This is for S-Sips. Twenty-five pounds of h-h-herbs and spices. D-D-D-Did he need anything else?” This boy was awfully jittery. A couple of the village boys were looking inside of the shop now, curious about Ethan and his generosity. The boy who tried to sell Ethan a knife wasn't there, at least he wasn't one of the boys peeking in. "And uh, awfully l-l-late to be doing these runs, innit? It's gunna get d-d-d-d-dark in a few hours...."

@Searat

---

Jarynth dealt with Barthen’s quickly, getting a short sword from the merchant before he too set off to help Shem’et gather herbs and sand. And like Shem’et, he was able to find his way through the mountains, but unbeknownst to him, he won’t have it so easy coming back. At least along the way he was able to find both Greenwarish and Ironsand, at least some traces of it. The iron sand was black and gritty, like sleet, and while he didn’t find a particularly large amount of the stuff he could get a general idea of where more of this sand must have ran off from. As for the Greenwarish he found the same one Shem’et had, and of course, something else found the two of them.

Suddenly bursting through the woods was a flash of glowing green light. It moved quickly, so quickly that neither of the two would have seen it easily, but following it was a large rock, and after that rock, a large half-orc. He wielded an oar as a club and looked particularly ornery.
”Go ahead an' run! I LIKE a movin' target ye chimp faced back bitin' gutless kidneywipe!”
He picked up another rock off the ground and was going to toss it towards the flying light when he noticed Shem’et and Jarynth. He got into a defensive stance and glared at them. ”Who’re you? Ye from da Frontier Town!?”

@Black Keys@ihinka

---

Barthen accepted the combined coin for the seeds, wondering if Livia and Katherine even knew what Kafei Seeds and Hashish Resins were used for. But he kept his mouth shut, figuring that there was some reason Maeda sent them for this task and he wasn’t about to get in her way of whatever it was she’s got planned for them. He simply handed them the seeds and looked to Livia when she asked him about the orcs. ”Well, they usually make their own hash, but I guess they wanted to try foreign hash for once. They usually don’t mind sharing with people they trust, and I’m sure for a couple of pretty ladies like you they won’t mind enjoying your company with it, but I’d recommend against that. Hash is a powerful drug and for those who aren’t used to using it, well let’s just say that hopefully you don’t get sick. If you want to buy it from them…” Barthen thought about it and seemed to have a bit of a struggle.

”Well… Honestly I’m not sure. But try and talk to their boss, Nartur. She’s usually more agreeable than the rest, but she’s still aggressive in her own way. Just don’t back down or show any weakness. They try to make themselves look bigger and tougher than they really are but only Nartur has any actual guts among them, so if you can prove yourself to her they’ll gladly deal with you. As for impressing her, that I don’t have any advice for. She’s a tough nut to crack and she always has to look tough in front of everyone. Best I can suggest is that you appeal to her own sense of pride and honor, that might get a foot in the door.”

@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist

---

”We usually have a few folk around here for lunch, but the only reason they’re getting drunk this early in the day is because the mines are closed. Something about a crypt or whatever, has most of the men on edge so they drink.” The barmaid put the wine away as she took the gold and went to retrieve some keys. By now Sips himself had returned, wiping some grease off of his hands onto his apron. He noted Darunia but didn’t say anything until he reached his stool, sitting on it and turning to the drow. ”Howdy there stranger. I hear that you brought a room at my fine establishment. Good choice! Mind if I get a name just so I have you on our registry?” By now the barmaid returned with the keys, but wouldn’t hand them over until Darunia awnsered Sip’s question. He was the boss after all.

@The Large Dumbo

---

"Twenty seconds. That's actually... Pretty good. Most take thirty or more, assuming they don't trip and fall in the process. You're showing a lot of promise Kael! Now then, follow me, I'll show you to our water area." Ashley took Kael to a shaded part of the garrison where there were two large barrels full of water, as well as a few wooden mugs. Everyone seemed to have their own, but Ashley took one of the mugs, wiped it down, and filled it with water for Kael. ”Drink up and breath. We’ll work you hard but that doesn’t mean we want you dying out there. The next test is going to be simply lifting weights. We’ll start small, about three pounds or so, but gradually increase them.”

Ashley demonstrate the movement she wanted Kael to do, which looked like a slow punch before pulling her fist back into a ready position. ”With each weight in hand I want you to do some shadow boxing, that is just punching the air, with twenty punches for each hand one after another. Right, left, right left, twenty times as fast as you feel like doing it. Once you do twenty we’ll have you go with heavier weights to do another twenty until eventually we’ll change it up to a different type of weight and training. This training is meant to condition your arms to using weapons like axes, hammers, or swords, rapidly without tiring them out. We use heavier weights because in a battle, blood, fat, and other things can weigh your sword down. It’s not unusual to have so much gunk on your blade that it gains a pound or two, and in battle you can’t waste time cleaning your sword.”

Once Kael had rested up a bit Ashley will lead him back to the training yard where he had did his sprints, and along the way Ashley had three sets of training weights. They looked like training swords, but much thicker; the three pound one was almost dagger sized, while the five pound was about the length of a shortsword, while the ten pound weight was as long as a longsword but three times as thick. Ashley handed Kael the three pound weights. ”Go whenever you’re ready. Pace yourself too, you have more to do after the three pounders.”

@Guy0fV4lor

---

As Antaeus jumped onto the back of the Stag, who was struggling against him while still wrestling against the white-haired girl, she groaned in pain from the weight and fatigue of fighting this beast. But with a loud battlecry, something would happen that would surprise the beast and possibly Antaeus. ”DOOOOOOOOOORIYA!” The Stag kicked and bucked as his feet was lifted off the ground, with the girl raising the entire beast over her head. It had made the mistake of trying to jump and shift it’s weight to crush the girl, but she instead carried that momentum backwards, to slam the beast headfirst into the ground, fortunately after Antaeus had mounted onto it’s back so he wouldn’t have also gotten crushed by this suplex.

But that wasn’t the end of it. If Antaeus looked at her, he could see that this woman was positively fuming. Perhaps this was the “woman’s scorn” that he may have been told of as a child. Whatever the case, this woman was not satisfied with just this one attack. Nay, even after she had slammed the beast into the ground, she grabbed the stab by the legs and in one deft motion, picked him up and slammed the stag into the ground again. The stag had less height to fall, but it was still shocked and dazed at this woman’s herculean strength as she seemed to have forgotten about Antaeus and she continued to brutalize this beast like a monster known as a lady.



@Zeroth

---

”The vouchers would allow you free room and board at the local inn for the next few days. In fact, why don’t we go to the inn and continue our conversation there?” Dormic led Sihlas and Ntaj back to the Drunken Dragon, passing by a passed out patron along the way. Dormic raised his hand in greeting to Revas who simply nodded at him as they took a table for themselves. One of the barmaids came by and handed the three of them cool, clean water. ”Clean water… One of the simplest drinks one can have, but the fact that we have plenty of it is a testament of our town’s prosperity. Water purification is not an easy task even for other coastal cities, and the water around the town is actually salt water, not fresh.” Dormic swirled the water around his cup before looking to Sihlas.

”In any case, what brings you to these lands sir Arche? Interested in studying something in the Frontier Town, perhaps hoping to discover something of your own?”

@Kangutso

@Lucius Cypher@Pyromania99

---

---

Livia took the seeds quietly. She was no botanist, but she did know her magical reagents to a degree...and she certainly couldn't think of a reason for Kafei seeds to be used in something relating to familiars. She hadn't thought much of it when she was given the task by Maeda simply because she was wary of the spiders intentions. After getting it from Barthen however, she had become slightly more suspicious. She knew Hashish Resin could possibly help with the attunement process for a familiar. Did...did Maeda just send them on a drug run? While they seemed like they were vital components needed for the ritual, Livia didn't like being used as a drug mule. She was going to have to say something to Maeda when she returned. She was right to be wary of this spider it seemed.

"I see, thank you again, Barthen." Livia replied as he finished speaking. "I am not particularly into recreational use of these things - so I'll have to pass if they offer." She had better things to do than get high on some Hash. It seemed she was going to have to speak to Nartur after all. Fine with her, really. She had intended to see her anyways so she could kill two birds with one stone. "I know of Nartur. We met briefly in the Mayors house shortly after I arrived, but thank you for the advice. If there will be nothing else, then my sister and I will make our leave." With seeds in hand, Livia turned to leave. As soon as the two had left the store, she'd turn to Katherine.

"Katherine, be useful for once and go to Underhaven and get what Maeda wants from there. Dealing with the Orcs might take some time and I'd rather finish these tasks sooner rather than later." Best to split up the tasks now as well. She doubted they'd get into trouble, but it'd be best not to stand out too much. With a brief goodbye and asking around a bit to find where the Orcs were, Livia headed up the street to the barracks. Finding them wasn't the hard part. The hard part was going to be convincing them and finding Nartur. She wasn't going to be intimidated so easily by an Orc, so if they tried they'd be sorely disappointed.

Once she reached the Barracks, she walked up to the first person she saw.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Nartur?"