---

Within the Republic of Laith, one of Samare's northernmost nations on the Western border, lies the town of Malston, a popular stop for adventurers and explorers as it's the westernmost town within Laith to have an establishment belonging to the League of Explorers. It's a small town, built on a hill overlooking the grasslands of Laith, and is within a days' travel from the unexplored western lands.

Outside of the town, past the farmlands, is grassland with an occasional patch of woods. A small stream runs through the land here, marging into a river somewhere in the unexplored lands. Within one of these patches of forest, to the north, is the ruins of an old temple of some kind. It has already been thoroughly explored, but it's a popular hangout for local kids, though rumour has it that there's a hidden basement that is used as a lair by bandits.

Within Malston, there are few buildings of note. There is an independent inn/tavern, known as the Silver Piglet, a market square, and of course an Explorer's Guild courtesy of the League of Explorers. Beyond that, most other buildings are either townhouses, shops, or farmhouses.

The local Explorer's Guild is of unique design. While most are standard two-storey buildings, with a tavern and stalls to do business on the ground floor and inn rooms on the top floor, this structure has a watch tower League members can use for free. On a clear day, one can see the forest that mark the beginning of the unexplored wildlands off in the distance from atop this tower. Furthermore, it only has one floor, and has traded in the tavern area for just a few rooms, as the building was built with the help of the owner of the Silver Piglet, in exchange for the Explorers' Guild not getting a tavern as to not steal away customers.

The Silver Piglet, meanwhile, is a two-storey building, with the ground floor dedicated to being a tavern/restaurant, while the top floor (and part of the ground floor) housing rooms for guests. Many of it's guests are League members as the Explorer's Guild usually has rented out all it's rooms, though it often is home to independent explorers as well. It is the best place in town to get some food or a drink, as well as getting some rest. Because of it's popularity, it's also common for people to put requests on the noticeboard inside if they are looking for people to do things for them for payment, and often recruiters recruit people for expeditions here.

It is within this town that our story begins. It is this town that everyone's travels have brought them to, one way or another. The day is nice, it's the middle of spring, and the weather is pleasant. There's a gentle breeze, and the sky is clear, no sign of rain. Locals are minding their own business, and the Silver Piglet is quiet during this time of day, with just a handful of people there.

At one of the many tables within the Silver Piglet tavern establishment, center aisle and directly West of the building's entrance, sat Victoria by her lonesome and her equipment sprawled about upon, more than a quarter, of the table's surface. Her backpack took precedence over one of the remaining seats surrounding the circular platform, essentially leaving three more vacant. Though Victoria was both observant and considerate; her eyes would dart away from her work now and then and study the patrons within the tavern, along with those outgoing and arriving, noting their movements and anticipating their trajectories. It was just in case if a group of explores decided to rally at her table, prompting her if that moment came so she could relinquish one of the seats. Although it was unlikely anyone would bother her at her claimed spot. The tavern was quite tame at this time of day and only a dozen or so patrons were present. As such, the number of open seats and unclaimed tables were considerably plentiful.

Victoria took a moment to down a portion of the alcoholic brew, still bubbling and accumulating froth, within her glass mug.

She had just gotten back from a solo expedition not too long ago. Her task, as of week ago, was charting a few possible paths leading Westward, particularly into a thick forest-rich and unmapped sector called Dalton. A temporary name really; only a placeholder picked by an earlier group who had discovered the untouched area. The job itself was fairly easy and paid well enough. She was there evaluating the density of the forests, the flora and fauna that inhabited those woods, and the safest clearing to venture through. For five days, she would camp back near familiar and already established roads before venturing around those, notably dark, woods and only briefly probing further to gander at the topography and biology behind the imposing foliage.

Unfortunately, there was very little regarding the out of the ordinary where she researched. No new plants or undiscovered species were present at the time she wandered around. Perhaps the only thing that did capture her interest was a segment of the forest which was consumed by what appeared to be a thick and complex tendril-like mass of thorns and vines. Upon stumbling across the natural fortification, it had intrigued her about how silent the woods had become, how the sounds of the wind nor the cries of smaller creatures suddenly died down. The atmosphere had become quite eerier, to say the least. But Victoria knew better than to venture any further, especially without any back-up. From there, she and turned and left the way she came. After a day of travel, she arrived at the town of Malston and beelined to the nearest and only tavern, the Silver Piglet, to recuperate and finalize her report.

Victoria picked up one of the articles of paper she had doodled and notated on before referring to a large map spread out on the table, detailing the explored regions and, to a lesser extent -- which was a nice way of saying empty and completely white; the unexplored and mostly-empty Dalton area. Upon conferring with her notes and pinpointing her search area, she scribbled another couple of paragraphs of detail into her report. Victoria, undoubtedly still exhausted from her trip, placed the feather pen within its inkpot and eased her self into a stretched within her seat before finally exiting a yawn. Looking back at her mug with almost tired eyes, she noticed it had been thoroughly emptied with only a handful of froth resting and dispersing at the bottom. She perked up and waved down one of the roaming waitresses.

"Another round, please!"

Jack

---

Jack sat in the corner of the Silver Piglet, downing his (tenth) pint of beer. He was trying to drown out the absolute disaster of the last expedition. How the bloody hell did they miss that a rogue mage was active in the area?

---

---

You know, there are probably worse situations to be in than being hung upside down over a magically mutated spider monster, but in the moment other thoughts don't seem to come to mind. The only saving grace was that the one controlling the beast fell into the typical villain pitfall of monologuing.

What was it about these guys and monologues? I mean, here it was probably understandable, the crazed lunatic had probably not had any interaction with people for some time. That tends to happen when you breed spiders that eat people.

He had been caught unaware as he was exploring the temple. Apparently the Spider Mage Bittertooth had chosen to make the remote place his lair. He was completely overwhelmed by the organised arachnids and captured.

While Jack was thinking about this, and ignoring the monologue, he was working away at the spider silk keeping him trapped. Just a little more and... there.

"And furthermore, those League bastards who called me crazy will... WHAM" The Mage was interrupted by a flying kick to the face, courtesy of a now free catman.

"Sorry, but I'm not really in the mood to deal with the ravings of a lunatic."

The mage grabbed his jaw and pulled it back into place. "You dare injure the mighty Bittertooth? DEATHFANG, KILL HIM!"

Oh right, the giant spider. Jack completely forgot about that for a second. Summoning his Shadow Blade, he launched into combat with the monster. Despite the cutting power of his weapon, the creature's carapace was like steel. Fortunately the arachnomancer was merely cheerimg on his creation, so could be put out of mind.

The only real weak spot was the creature's eyes, but he would be damned if he was getting near that. After dodging for a solid minute, he decided to use a Chill Touch to at least partially blind the beast. In his mind, one of the lines from his studies came to mind.

"If you cannot break the stone, let it break itself."

Translation, use the enemies strengths against it. Jumping on the back of the spider, he grabbed it's head and forced it to charge to try and get him off. While he was at it, he finished the job of blinding the creature to put his plan into full effect. The arachnomancer saw what he was doing, but when he tried to heal the creature Chill Touch prevented it.

It took a couple of tries, and some major damage to the walls, but he finally managed to get the giant spider to crush its master. As he did so, the creature and it's brethren let out a sickening scream, as they began to fall apart. As Jack was on top of the giant spider, this naturally meant he got covered in the guts of it.

---

Even with Prestidigitation, it took five tries to remove the smell of spider guts from his clothing. Fortunately the rest of the mission was simple, and he retrieved the Cursed Blade Skulltaker. He also made a note to kick the arse of the region's scout for missing the fact that a bloody Raid Class threat was in the temple. If the creatures hadn't been linked to their creator, he'd have been in deep shit.

@ShiningSector
Also inside of the Silver Piglet, the door opens, a short Halfbeast meandering in to look around emotionlessly. With a faint sigh, she looked around, noticing what appeared to be a mage calling for another round. Silently considering her options, the girl shook her head, ears twitching slightly, sitting down not at the same table as her, but rather at the nearest table. As the waitress stepped over to refill Victoria's drink with a friendly smile, the halfbeast leaned over to gently tap on her arm, sending a shiver down the waitress spine at the cold touch of the leather gloves, stating calmly "Excuse me, could you get me a glass of water?" She handed the waitress a few crusted over coins, and the waitress blinked, then smiled and nodded. "Of course! Just let me handle her, sweetie."

The waitress filled up Victoria's glass with a fresh round of ale, careful to avoid spilling over what Victoria was writing on, before meandering over, returning shortly with a glass of water for the halfbeast, who took it with a faint smile. Saying nothing, the halfbeast merely studied Victoria's map, and the paragraphs of text. She honestly didn't seem to be doing much, just out of range of her aura affecting Victoria.

---

As people sat around the tavern, minding their own business, the day proceeded like normal. The tavern's waitress walked from table to table, serving the tavern's few patrons as they took the time to take a break.

It was at that point that a woman entered the tavern. An Anubite, about 5'9 tall, dressed what appeared to be a mix of a fancy green dress with a darker green cloak, though the cloak's hood appeared to have been torn off, likely because it would not fit an Anubite's ears. The woman's ears were short - for an Anubite, that is - and she had silver eyes, partially concealed under her pitch-black hair. She carried an annoyed look on her face as she stepped into the build, glancing around at the building's patrons without saying a word, before gesturing to someone outside.

Entering the building after her was what appeared to be a man in full plate armour; an unusual choice for something to wear on a day-to-day basis, but something about the figure seemed... off. The armour seemed flexible unlike regular plate armour, but the figure's movements were... rigid. Stiff and a bit slow, but not from the weight of the armour nor because of the large backpack they carried on their back. The woman looked at the armour-wearing figure for a moment, then gestured towards the noticeboard. The figure simply nodded, and made their way over to the board, pulling out what appeared to be a sheet of paper. They held the paper against the noticeboard, then took a pin, and hammered it through the paper and into the noticeboard with their armoured fist.

Once the paper was stuck to the noticeboard - covering some other requests in the progress - the armoured figure took a seat in the corner near the noticeboard, seemingly waiting. The anubite he had accompanied, meanwhile, had already vacated the building, nowhere to be seen.

---

LOOKING FOR COURAGOUS SOULS

Searching for couragous, experienced, or ambitious people seeking to earn some cash, fame, or simply to explore. Task will take an extended period of time, but success will be properly rewarded. Safety not guaranteed, defenceless folk need not apply. Thieves need not apply. People prone to dying need not apply.

Interested?
Inquire further at the knight that pinned this.

Jack Thorne

---

Jack looked at the noticeboard, then to his drink, and back to the noticeboard. Let's see, a new notice placed in by a mysterious knight and a short-eared dog. Probably something dangerous.

Opening his coinpurse, he could count his money with one hand. The bastards skimped out on paying as he apparently damaged the artifact by crushing it with a giant spider, which was a load of dragon dung. The thing was enchanted to be unbreakable, he'd checked using Identify. He may have been a tad upset, as he proceeded to beat the Rava-Loving hell out of them before dragging them to the higher ups of the Guild.

Turns out, they were wanted scam artists, known for tricking adventurers into obtaining artifacts, before claiming they damaged the artifact and refusing payment. Sadly, their bounty was mostly spent on paying fines for assault, even if it was warrented.

Deciding to chance things on this new mission, he got up to take a look. Aaaand it was feck'n bull. No details, just a promise of treasure? I mean, he liked exploring, but seriously this sounded more like a con. He decided to interrogate the knight.

"Okay, what's with the vaguery." Jack askes, sitting down at the Knight's table, "I need actual details about whatever this thing is before I just jump in headfirst. That kind of thinking gets people killed." He unconsciously rubbed his damaged left hand as he said that last part.

Upon her mug being replenished with another fill of ale, Victoria immediately gave a chug of the alcoholic stuff and released a satisfied sigh afterward, an amused smile emanated off her face. Setting the glass mug down and shifting it aside, she resumed writing out her report. Although she didn't look it, Victoria remained observant of the circumambience within the tavern. While the waitress had poured her a full mug, she could pick up on the voice of another patron who also requested the waitress's services. This was not anything uncommon and Victoria was unresponsive and uncaring about it. It wasn't her business. However, what did spark a curious thought was the slight yet sudden wisping chill that resonated from behind her; from where the patron's voice emanated from. Although it was a non-issue, she did find it somewhat odd that the temperature had fallen that brief moment.

During one of her earlier expeditions when her tenure as an explorer was still growing, one of her party leaders, a veteran adventurer she had not seen for a while now, educated her and the rest of her group how to detect hidden passages or to sense the presence of creatures with elemental affinities. She educated Victoria on how to attune herself to the different auras emitting around her, which proved useful for descrying hidden trap spells or said elemental critters lying in wait. Of course, their leader was a fan on some of the old-school methods. Their preferred method was literally, feeling, everything around them. Their initial statement on the, weird, the technique was easily lost on the other group members, Victoria included.

Despite that, everyone eventually came to understand what she had been on about. After their team had found themselves at a narrow dead-end and nearly half a mile underground, their Isrilian leader had opted to silence every one of their worried bickerings. Everyone complied. Victoria would observe her mentor waving their arms and hands inches away from the corridor surfaces. Such an unusual display would doubtfully cause everyone to question the act were it not for their party leader easily towering over them with muscles to compliment her intimidate stature. Everyone continued to comply and maintain their silence. Victoria would eventually find out later on that the Isrilian had been attempting to pinpoint a subtle crack within the walls where a cool breeze as flowing through. Upon detecting the fracture, their leader, with one powerful punch, collapsed the weakened surface and revealed an oasis on the other side of the crumbling walls. No one doubted her for the rest of the trip, where it was out of being proven wrong or simply out of fear of being decked into a coma.

While Victoria was not within range for her aura to adjust and respond to chilly visitant, she had a few ideas of who or what was seated behind her at an adjacent table. She entertained the thought as he tidied up on her report and surmised that her fellow patron was a snow spirit. Though her attention to the reports restricted the tempting urge to verify her mental guess and turn around she was confident in her prediction.

After wrapping up the guild documents, fate would apparently present her with another oddity. She was already aware of the anubite glancing around, which seemed kind of suspicious right off the get-go though Victoria didn't seem offset about this, It was the addition of a man in full-plate armor however that held her attention. It was not often she would see someone bearing such visual durability in public unless they were expecting a fight. What seemed more abnormal for sure was his movements. Despite being in full-plate, the segments of his carapace shifted fluidly with each motion of their arms down to their feet. It was obvious to her that the get-up would hardly prohibit any maneuvers the figure could perform. But that then begged the question; why was he acting as if trotting through the muck? The only clue that manifested itself was the notably large backpack the stranger was lugging with him. Victoria narrowed her speculative eyes.

After subtly observing the two, the anubite directed the armored figure to the noticeboard to which the man marched over and plopped what seemed like a flyer onto the board before seating themselves nearby without a word. Weird. Victoria glanced back to where the anubite was last standing, but to her surprise, she was had vanished without a sound. Really weird.

Genuinely curious about the notation written upon the pinned paper, Victoria rose from her seat and was just about to make her way to the noticeboard until her gaze met with the patron's who looked over her and her work, "Wanna check it out?" she asked the half-beast-turned snow-spirit, gesturing toward the noticeboard. At least her assumption as partially correct.

Upon walking to the board, she was also joined by another half-beast, also curious about the notice. She read through the vague job offering, though only arrived at a multitude of questions as to what this particular job was entailing, especially when it was seeking 'courageous souls' and curbing those 'prone to dying'. She really had to wonder who wrote this stuff. As it so happened, the half-beast previously beside her vocalized his, and her own, thoughts upon the seated knight. Victoria postured her hands over her hips, away from her secured cutlass, and awaited the reply from the knight.

Victoria tilted her head to the snow spirt, "How much do you want to bet Sir Knight over there will want us to accept their terms before spilling the beans?"

@Ypnosi

The halfbeast took an occasional sip from the water, swishing it around to keep a layer of ice from forming, though constant frost was covering icing over the outside of the mug. Noting the Anubite, she watched her for a moment, studying the dress, and the Anubite herself, noting the rather irritated expression.

Soon, though, her gaze flicked to the knight following her, blinking at the stiff, rigid movements, tilting their head, an ear twitching atop her head. Perhaps animated armor? That would explain the silence, and rigid motions... plus the power behind that armored fist fit behind a magical construct... Interesting. Rude, though, there were notices underneath that.

Glancing at her fellow patron nearby speaking to her, the halfbeast blinked a few times, tilting her head, before silently nodding, figuring she likely didn't need to speak where simple movements would suffice. Speaking wasn't particularly difficult, but it was more effort than a nod. Standing up, she took her water with her, to slowly drain, letting the cool liquid into her mouth, and slide down her throat smoothly. Her chill aura was more obvious from right next to Victoria, the cold chill settling over her undeniable.

Studying the notice, the halfbeast tilted her head, a frown on her face, shaking her head. She supposed she was a little prone to death... but then again, everyone was. She had just died once before. At least, she thought she had. It was a little fuzzy, but from what she had heard of her 'kind', she had to have died before. Wasn't everyone prone to dying though? In fact, if one was prone to dying, that would mean they'd have to have died commonly... This entire train of thought was irrelevant. The halfbeast quickly shook her head. Right, right. Tangents. Looking to Victoria, the halfbeast was silent for a moment, before nodding, tone quiet and near emotionless. "Perhaps. If they can speak at all, the motions remind me of magical armor..."

She gave a start at that realization, then frowned. How did she know what magical armor was like? Did she recognize the armor...? She hadn't felt any sense of familiarity towards the armor like she had to her current garb, when first she awoke... No, no, she must have just seen animated armor at some point before. Either way, she steps over to the knight herself, sitting at the table next to the knight's, but near enough for her aura to settle over both the other halfbeast, and the knight, waiting for their response.

---

The knight looked on in silence as the trio approached the table he was seated at, making no effort to greet them in the process. It stared quietly at Jack as he asked for details, then turned it's gaze towards Victoria, and finally settling on the snow spirit for a few moments. It then returned it's gaze to Jack, and began to speak in a monotone voice, slightly muffled by his helmet.

"I do not know why my mistress chose to word her request in the way she has, but I was told that I was to answer most questions to the best of my ability, so that is what I will do." It stated.

"My lady has reason, and evidence, to believe that she is in possession of several artifacts that function like maps leading to ancient relics of great value. She herself does not, however, possess the luxury of having the time to pursue them. That is why she seeks to hire people to track said relics down for her. She has in the past hired three other groups to do this job. Two came back with valuable treasure, though both had suffered losses in the process."

The armoured figure fell silent for a moment, likely with the intention of giving the trio around him the time to think about what was just said. Then, it speaks again, interrupting anyone who tried to ask anything. "You would be the fourth expedition, and you would be permitted to choose which of three artifacts you would like to follow. I have been told that one leads North, while two lead West, to the Northwest and Southwest to be exact. The majority of bounty found along the way will be yours to divide among yourselves, but a servant of the mistress will be accompanying you to lay claim to the relics my lady seeks. Any findings they state the lady does not have interest in will be yours."

"If you have any further questions, ask them now, so that I may answer them."

Jack Thorne

---

"Would you excuse me a second?" Jack asked, standing up and heading out the back. For a while there was just the regular chatter before the sounds of screaming overpowered it. Those who knew dwarven were either blushing or impressed that someone knew so many swears. After thirty seconds, he re-entered the room, adjusting his hat, and returned to the table.

"That's better." Jack said, his face like a contented cat, "Apologies, I've had a few (dozen) bad experiences with ancient treasure maps. Things are buried for a reason." He lamented that he didn't have enough money for another beer, even if this stuff is weak as piss compared to back home.

"I'm not thrilled about it, but needs must. You have yourself a professional historian and artefact retrieval expert on board.

"Magical armor, huh?" said Victoria, contemplating the validity of the half-beast spirit's words. The thought seemed sound for sure and was possibly true. Although a fun concept to ponder, she kept her focus to the knight and the other half-beast and their inevitable interaction.

Upon joining the other two explorers, the knight finally spoke, although in an unimpressive and somewhat muted monotone voice. The knight explained that their mistress -- the anubite from before? Maybe, but not enough information to be certain -- was in the business of requesting teams of adventurers to locate several relics that could only be pinpointed by artifacts within her possession. However, the knighted continued, stating three groups were sent but only mentioned two of those groups, and the casualties they suffered. No mention of the third group at all. Great. The knight eventually sweetened the deal, advising that the bounty would be theirs to keep as an incentive if found of course.

After getting the gist of this request, Victoria took the moment to evaluate the request before them. The job was certainly dangerous, especially as three teams had encountered losses during those expeditions. Victoria could only begin to imagine what sore of traps and other perils await them, assuming the accepted. But coming from experiences, the greater the danger, the greater the treasure and knowledge that was in store. As she weighed the value of the request, the other half-beast that initiated the discussion excused themselves and abruptly left the room. She didn't think too much of this, that was, however, until the same half-beast, now outside, vocalized a loud varied storm of curses and other offensive verses and choice words. All of which were in a dwarven tongue. Impressive. So much so that it was enough to snap Victoria out of her train of thought. Made her snicker as well.

The half-beast eventually returned from their brief profanity-throwing-meltdown and looking rather chipper, despite going through said outburst one might experience upon discovering their letterbox was mistakenly used as a latrine. Although establishing their unfortunate history with other expeditions, something Victoria's curious mind was already drawing multiple conclusions, the half-beast accepted the quest; without any additional probing questions. She narrowed her eyes, almost as a natural response to catching on to a hidden detail. Suspicion aside, she rallied her thoughts back to the main topic and with that, approaching the knight.

"Consider me on board as well," she announced, though her tone alluded to an armed query, "however, I am curious as to the nature of these relics that your mistress has an interest for. How valuable are they to her and if it exists, what is their purpose?"

Well, the monotone voice helped add evidence to her theory of the knight being animated armor, although she wasn't sure whether them having a voice was normal or not, she couldn't remember too much about animated armor... or much, really. The artifacts were like maps? Which implies that they weren't actually maps, somehow... The beastgirl studied the knight closely, nodding as the other halfbeast left, not bothering to turn and look at him. Three groups had gone out before, while two had come back with losses... meaning the third hadn't returned at all. A dangerous adventure, then. Hm, perhaps there was something about these artifacts... and what in the hells is that noise?

She looked outside, ears twitching uncomfortably at the loud yelling coming from directly outside in a... vaguely familiar language, though she knew she didn't know it, based on the fact that she didn't understand what he was saying, it could probably be assumed he wasn't the happiest. An assumption that was only confirmed by his prompt dialogue, and she nodded, understanding somehow. Some things were better to be kept buried, but from what she had heard, there was all too much buried in this land anyways, they had to unearth some of it eventually... and better for prepared adventurers to do it than random farmers.

"I suppose you may consider me part of this little group as well. Would your... mistress... be that halfbeast who seems to have disappeared?" The ears were a bit strange, but she seemed like a halfbeast to the cat... She was rather curious about the answer to Victoria's question as well. While she wasn't terribly interested in wealth, these relics were apparently valuable enough for someone to send out 3 adventuring parties, so they must be important somehow...

---

The armoured figure tilted it head slightly as Jack excused himself, but gave a small polite nod as he left the table, showing little reaction to the loud cursing that occured moments later, though when he returned to accept to the offer the knight sat upright just a bit more, seeming happy with having at least one person on board so far. Then, Victoria and the other Half-Beast agreed to join as well, and the figure nodded once more.

"It is good to hear that you are willing to partake in this, and I shall adress your questions and concerns in order, to the best of my ability. Starting with you, Historian. If... experiences from the previous groups are to be believed and assumed to be accurate for the relics in question now, then the relics my mistress seeks are not necessarily buried, but more... forgotten artifacts. Relics that could tell the story of what happened to this world long ago." The knight stated, before turning to Victoria.

"That, in part, should also answer your question. I unfortunately do not know the details of the specific artifacts, perhaps the servant tasked with accompanying you will be better capable of answering any such questions. I have, however, been told that these artifacts could be considered more valuable to a... historian than a merchant." It added, briefly turning to Jack, before shifting his attention to the other half-beast, who asked him about his mistress.

"And yes, it was milady who accompanied me to this establishment. Or, to be more accurate, I accompanied her. She is an anubite, of noble descent, though her family was been cast by the wayside long ago, hence why she is a scholar travelling the world instead of sitting in a palace in the desert."

The knight took a moment to look the trio up and down, before nodding. "Unless you have further questions for me I ask that you proceed to the local Guild Hall, and seek out a man named Grimar. He will be able to tell you more about the choices you have for which map you wish to follow. Milady's servant should also be waiting there, though I do not know what they are like. Grimar, however, is about my height, only unarmoured, and not a hair on his head."

Upon hearing the knight's response, a subtle frown had manifested itself upon Victoria's face. While it was disappointing to learn that the knight before them didn't have the specifics she was looking for, she couldn't, however, say she wasn't expecting such a result. Perhaps, if anything, she was counting on it.

While allowing the knight's instructions to settle in, she passively observed the two half-beasts beside her, checking their expressions and postures; search any hints for any following up questions they might have had left. Although it was obvious by now that the knight had divulged all the relevant information in their possession. Any other query, it seemed, could be small-time and inconsequential. Victoria, by this point, had satisfied her interests with their armored informant.

After she concluded that the two half-beasts had as well finished with their questions, she adjusted her posture to face them but her eyes remained glued to the knight, "Very well then. I appreciate you sharing with us the information you could provide. I was actually going to head over to the Guild Hall anyway to turn in a report. I'll be sure to look out for this, Grimar, character."

>>Fashionably Late. Transitioning from The Silver Piglet to the Guild Hall @ShiningSector @Ypnosi @Ryteb Pymeroce<<

Avala, sat in the far corner of the tavern, has been drinking. The Southern ale can never compare to the brew the monks made, he thought to himself. It is lacking a certain...herbal quality to them. Nonetheless, it is what he can find for the time being. The ongoing conversations of the patrons in the tavern did not hold his interest much, not until a trio starting speaking to a man in armor.

Setting his horn of ale down, he grabbed his walking stick and leaned into it slightly. Interesting. An adventure for relics. It is very unlikely that he finds what he is truly looking for on this expedition. But, it is a start. Tugging on his cloak that looked incredibly tattered, he took a few coins from his purse and left them on the table before approaching the trio and the knight.

At first glance, Avala looked like your run-of-the-mill traveler. Weary, tattered clothing, and a tired smile. "Hello, fellow travelers. Mind taking me along for this journey? I promise to not be a burden." He said with a smile. Now that he is closer to the trio, maybe they can get a better look at him. An imposing physical specimen, that spoke in a friendly and succinct way. His cloak, upon closer examination, is made from many pieces of interwoven fabric, each seemingly have a story to tell. His weathered staff looks sturdy and battle tested and his faulds shone with a sort of dulled copper sheen.

The halfbeast glanced at the traveler that approached them, unsatisfied with the knights answers herself. Ah yes, anubites. That seemed... vaguely familiar, though she couldn't remember many details about them. Not quite halfbeasts, but close. She tilted her head and frowned, ear twitching at the remark about artifacts. So the artifacts were likely more historic than magical, if they would be of more worth to historians than merchants, as the knight had said. She still wasn't entirely convinced about them being a person, but it would be far too rude to pry into that, so instead, she simply nodded.

...if the anubite had been cast to the side long ago, wouldn't that mean she wasn't noble anymore..? After all, to be a royal in a society requires one to partake in said society... a king who travels to a faroff land to become a farmer is naught but a farmer, and their descendants would be farmers, not royalty... tangents, back to the real world please. She shook her head, instead thinking of a different tangent. Why would she be interested enough in these artifacts to send out adventuring parties, all three of which had suffered losses, and one of which hadn't returned? Either she was merely a noble with too much money who wanted to satiate her curiosity, or she was interested in these artifacts for more reason than merely historic value... But they were getting all they were going to out of the knight, it seemed, so the halfbeast instead nodded, noting down the brief description of their next contact.

Glancing towards the large, well built man, she gave him an impassive gaze, the chill of the cold aura around her likely familiar to the northern man, and she nodded to him. "Assuming you can defend yourself-" Which, just looking at him, seemed a fair enough assumption, he was well built, and his garb, plus staff, showed signs of experience "-then you'll be a welcome addition, particularly if anything happens to be too heavy for the rest of us." She spared a polite smile, before simply leaving the tavern, though waiting almost immediately outside for the others.

---

Going to go for a bit of a different style, with internal rambles Of which she seems to be doing plenty of being in both italics and her color.

@Infinite Cosmos

Just before addressing the two half-beasts assembled with her, Victoria couldn't help but meet the eyes of a newcomer who, unlike her becoming compatriots, stood slightly above her. Looking the figure up and down, he undoubtedly possessed a large and imposing profile; a fact the didn't seem to pair with his friendly demeanor as he jumped into the expiring discussion. That fact didn't bother Victoria and she kept silent as the smaller of the two half-beasts verbally resonated her own thoughts with the new individual tagging along.

Afterward, Victoria chimed in, "What she said. I take it you know what we're doing then, yeah? If not I can give you the quick rundown while we make our way to the Guild. Unless you have some questions for our friend here."

Victoria gestured to the knight seated behind them, "If you'll excuse me, I'll be collecting my things at my table before heading out. I trust you'll accompany us outside."

True to her words, Victoria returned to her rented workspace and packed up her belonging and filed her reports into a small handled folder she tightly cradled within her right arm, presuming an almost protective stature in doing so. Just as she finished up, she was sure to reach into her purse and leave some coin at her table to pay her tab for the drinks. With that, she headed out of the tavern to join the others.

>>Fashionably Late. Transitioning from The Silver Piglet to the Guild Hall @ShiningSector @Ypnosi <<

"Thank you for allowing a mere traveler to join your grand adventure." Avala said. As he moved, one would see that he moved with grace and power, if they cared to look. He was full of contradictions, upon closer examination. A large man that spoke with the gentleness of a monk, moved with the grace of a royal dancer, and smiled like the most welcoming of innkeepers.

As he walked with the group, his prayer beads jangled. As he waited outside with his group, he said "I wonder who this Grimar character is. We have a physical description of the person, but we do not truly know who they may be. Call me a pessimist, but I hope he would not be so bold as to attack us at the guild hall, to act as a test of our abilities. After all, this journey comes by the commission of a royal figure, former or not."

His walking stick thudded softly against the ground as he walked, sounding off in unison with the soft jangling of his prayer beads.

@ShiningSector @Infinite Cosmos

The halfbeast glanced back, nodding at Avala, trained eyes noting the ease at which he carried himself, signs of comfortable power, the grace of an experienced warrior. In turn, one may notice that, though her stance was relaxed, her gaze was constantly shifting about now that they were in the open, never resting on one point for too long, but nor glancing about frantically, as if she had something to hide.

Assuming that the rather unique building with the tower was likely a guild hall, (after all, it did make sense for a town on the fringes of explored territory to have a point from which to note the surroundings from a point of advantageous height), the halfbeast stepped off to walk in that direction, breathing deep and slow, leading the group, giving those behind her both the knowledge that she was lacking the tail of a proper feline halfbeast, and of her ice encrusted equipment. Despite looking forward, she carried the conversation on nonetheless, responding to the large traveler. "I should hope not. Should he attack without explanation, I would assume him hostile, and likely be forced to render him unconscious." A brief shake of the head, ears twitching, and an invisible frown, given her position in the front of the group. Though defending herself was easy enough, she wasn't exactly inclined to defend herself without retaliating towards the aggressor, and her 'blade' was not well suited to harmlessly dispatching the aggressor...

@Ryteb Pymeroce @Ypnosi @Infinite Cosmos

Victoria briefly listened to both the largest and smallest of her teammates exchange their concerns and interpretations of their eventual meeting with Grimar. The topic, oddly enough, was the unbelievable, though still theoretical, circumstance of Grimar attacking them. Her expression shifted, resembling a somewhat annoyed look, as a response to the ridiculous thought.

"I have my doubts this Grimar individual would actually attack us. Fights within the Guild Hall are frowned upon and against the rules as well." she said with her chin up and eyes closed and arms crossed as she walked, "besides, attacking someone without provocation is just bad form. If he genuinely wanted to test us, it'd be outside the place."

Just as she said that, it suddenly dawned on her that despite their group having just formed just a short time ago, the individuals around her were still nameless strangers to her, regardless of the easygoing conversation unfolding.

"...speaking bad form," Victoria suddenly sped ahead of the group and durned to face them while now walking backwards, "It would be best if we introduced ourselves properly. My name is Victoria Crafte. You could call me Vicky or Vic for short. I'm not particular with nicknames."