[IC] Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

[BCTheEntity]

Alright, Aeryn was a touch too far into Sett's personal space to be comfortable, with her mangled common tongue and mildly alcoholic breath. Normally, it was the other way around, right before he nabbed somebody's valuables, leaving them confused minutes or hours later when they realised something was gone. He sort of realised why it was so distracting, now... honestly, he wanted to tease her eagerness even by his standards, maybe a kiss on the cheek or even the lips- he probably wouldn't get that chance again, mind- but that'd be uncouth for a "priest of the gods", so he forced himself to refrain, instead tilting himself backward, away, and into Geradin's grasp okay again, somebody was in his personal space. He needed to pray to Fineki for some bells to put on these people, Heavens above.

But, the Dwarven priest's statements did further back up Sett's outburst, believably so at that, enough that he felt the firm grasp might even believably let him "calm down" a little. 'What's afoot, dear girl?' he exclaimed, just to continue his rant, not least because he realised he was getting backed into a corner - but, safety in the form of the approaching guard, if he could just ramble for another few seconds. 'My goodness, you have no idea! What's afoot, she asks! What's afoot is...-'

Aaand there was the guard's interruption. Sett concluded with a minor flourish in the guard's direction, as smoothly as if he had spoken from the man's very mouth, before sighing almost dramatically. He didn't want to go and see what was happening, but... 'I fear for us, but alas,' he lamented grimly as he began to walk to the entrance of the encampment, 'it seems we are destined to face this visitor. I hope my yearning was not so dark as it seemed, and perhaps that warning overwhelmed me if so, but I can only pray the gods will see us through safely should this threat be dire after all.' Of course, he'd made a big scene about how disturbing and, the word he'd used was how "terrible" this thing was, but he was only just realising that if it was just a visitor, and not even one who demanded concern let alone fear, he'd look stupid. Or worse, like a liar. That meant he needed to downplay matters, as if perhaps he'd overexcited himself somewhat, or better yet that the gods' power had come into him too strongly as he'd just intimated. After all, people didn't necessarily lie when they didn't tell the truth - rather, they might have exaggerated without meaning to, was all, especially when religious fervor overtook them.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion@IcePezz

[IcePezz]

There’s a saying - from riches to rags? Or was it the other way around? Liquor had blurred the lines so much, she couldn’t quite tell anymore, nor did she care. The shift was all the same to her, and time found her jaded to the curious turn of events. Denial didn’t last very long, her anger was much more volatile than she expected. The stages of bargaining and depression formed patterns of heavy drinking and indulgence in various vices. A young half-elf, branded a traitor, torn from everything she knew, she wasn’t sure what else she could do. So she drank, and moved to the next spot, and drank some more. A pretty girl or boy would sometimes cross her path, it made the venture a little more interesting at least.

By the time she finally moved to acceptance, each day precariously fell into the next. She found herself in fights for one reason or another. Perhaps it was something she said? She needed excitement, she needed a thrill - or a purpose. The exile allowed her to see different lands and experience different cultures. As it turned out, there was much more coin in bounty hunting than in pirating, and to top it off, she didn’t have to split her earnings with an ungrateful crew.

Southlanders were a tricky bunch, it was finding the right words to sway them into favor that was key. And her words would sometimes lead to broken hearts and bloodshed. Mud and dry blood caked her boots and smudged her face, she smelled like she hadn't bathed in days. Certainly not a proper lady, but then again that was one part she always had trouble playing. Elora wasn’t sure how she’d convinced them to allow her in, she could only think they pitied the form in which she presented herself. They did confiscate her weapons though, well, the ones they knew of anyway. She might have seemed within only half her wits while the other half sleep walked in a drunken stupor, but she was aware enough to play the game correctly. She wouldn’t dare leave herself completely vulnerable. Especially here.

She had been in the town for at least three days now and had about all the whiskey she could tolerate from the local tavern. What she wouldn’t give for Kaelic Whiskey right about now … she snickered at the notion and chugged the last bit which occupied her cup. The people though, they were entertaining enough. She would often play games in her head - imagining where each person came from, what their stories were, what went on behind closed doors, the horrors … or secret pleasures they’d each known or seen. She loved to people watch, it certainly helped to pass the time.

The inn was small and comfortable enough, but sleep didn’t come easy. It never did these days. There were rumors of a dark elf uprising or something of the sort. Gossip was easy to come by in small villages like these. Unfortunately though, sometimes gossip was just that - half truths, exaggerated fairy tales and overdrawn conclusions. Regardless if it was true or not, there was never a dull moment when traveling through the Southlands.

As dawn arose, so did her hopes. Something stirred within her. An angst of which she hadn’t felt for a long time. There was just an air about it- this was something big. She had no idea what she would find, if there would be others, what their intentions were, if they’d welcome another to their pack. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to join another ‘crew’… who was she kidding, she needed an excuse to get out of this town and the slump she had been in recently. The nearest town was a two day trek, so Elora packed up what little belongings she had, stocked her rations and whiskey, actually bathed, gathered her weapons from the guardsmen and went on her way.

She didn’t come across much hostility during her travel. By the time she reached the quaint town she wasn’t much worse off than when she left the last one, save the traveled and worn look smeared across her face. The town looked promising enough, until the guards scurried off upon noticing her arrival. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing and wondered what would meet her. She wore her best wares, minus her hat which somehow went missing. Her right hand casually leaned on the hilt of her blade, she stole a swig of liquid courage and continued onward towards the entrance. “Gods be with me today”.

@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Fetzen@POOHEAD189@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen

[The Fated Fallen]

The party gathered their wits for a moment since having resolved to continue. Alice set her pack down, pulled out her water-skin and took stock of the situation. She still felt strong, and looking around it seemed the party had remained mostly unharmed. Except for Argon, she thought as her eyes fell upon him. He had taken the brunt of the attack, and he looked a little wretched. As she was watching him he stooped over the fallen foe, probably to inspect it. She continued to drink as he lowered his jaws and ripped off a morsel.

Alice spluttered in her drinking, taken totally unawares. She hurriedly stoppered her drink and lowered her head, blushing deeply and hoping nobody noticed her outburst. She felt embarrassed, though she had no real reason to. A lizard had just taken a chunk out of a freshly slain monster and she was the one feeling ashamed. She'd spent years in the company of Dwarves, who lacked any decent table manners, and still her time in the courts haunted her. When was she going to stop clinging to the restrictive etiquette of an empire miles away, one she would likely never visit again? When would she finally become her own woman and stop trying to conform to ridiculous standards that weren't even present? She'd decided she'd had enough of a break for now and moved on with the rest of the party.

They marched in relative silence, barring the crunching footsteps and occasional munching from the Lizard. As time wore on Alice thought of piping up another dwarven marching song, but as the terrain shifted from wood to grass to rock the overwhelming feeling of destination made her too anxious. Soon enough the trees had fallen away to reveal an old and well-dried riverbed, one that had likely dried up years ago. But most significant were a pair of giant statues that stood aside of the road.

An-Hasst made his observation as the rest of the party emerged onto the scene. "The statues look quite intact, so I doubt they have been standing here for eons. The question is what has made all the plantlife disappear and not repopulate this area over time. I don't see even as much as grass."

Alice started her own investigation. She murmured a quick spell to herself, drew her hand over her eyes and felt the rushing falling sensation as her senses moved to the plane beneath this one. She looked and saw various unrelated energies eddy naturally in the changing of terrain, and sought to look deeper into them. She also tried to scan the statues, as much as she could. She doubted she would find much, but she thought it was better to investigate every avenue she could.

She was dimly aware of the Skayleigh moving along the statue, noticing the younger shape contrasting against the aged stone. For being such a large man he was surprisingly deft. He descended again and spoke, "Nothing... at least for a mile. I don't see why we shouldn't continue here as we'll probably have to cross this area on our journey anyway, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we'd encounter different animals than in the forest. If any, that is. Does anyone in the village know about this ?"

Alice turned the now incandescent globes where her eyes normally were to Calanon, his elf-blood and magical steed easy to see even on the magical plane. She turned to him because if anyone knew the answer it would be their ranger.

@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Fetzen@POOHEAD189@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@IcePezz

[spicykvnt]

There happened to be quite a few things happening now.

Beren was bowing and acting slightly smug about his own theatrics - and of course, Sett was being rather theatrical himself. It was all sat in her mind, her pearlescent eyes darting back and forth between the two men. She almost gave herself a case of whiplash with the ferocity of which she turned her head to look in the direction of whomesoever was walking upon them now. A thin finger found it’s way to her temple and she rubbed vigourously. “Can’t keep up...” she sighed, a hint of distress in her tone. Her brows then furrowed causing an angry crease to bulge out between them.

She thought of Calanon out there in the woods with the rest of her party - with that new angry one, Nicademus, who she didn’t really like all that much. She thought of the current threat to their situation. What if Sett was having a terrible vision of the Dorcha invading the town? Her eyes widened at the thought, head lurching back in fear. “No no no!” She muttered, her jaw clenching.

She looked to Beren, and then to Sett again. She was stood dead centre to both of them, and so she reached out both of her hands - with the right she grabbed at Sett’s arm - an unusual strength in her grip as she yanked him close. With the other she reached for Beren’s, as her fingers made contact with him, she blinked in surprise at the overall hardness of his bicep. “Ooh,” she vocalised quietly, before pulling him close with a similarly odd strength that she had used on Sett.

“Sticking us together for this, I can sense danger too...”

That was a blatant lie. She just didn’t want to feel left out, maybe they would start letting on to what was happening if they thought she was in on it as well.

[Mortarion]

With the group having decided to head deeper into the forest, Nicademus muttered a short prayer of thanks to Varden, the god of vigilance, for having watched over them as they fought against the Mantiraus before he resumed the march in silence. It didn't went unnoticed by the knight how the path they walked on began to change, growing wider and with the soil becoming more barren until they suddenly found themselves looking at the abrupt end of the treeline that had marked the scenery ever since they had left on their patrol. "What in the..." Nicademus muttered in disbelief as he stared at the barren terrain in front of them.

As the shock from the sudden change wore off, Nicademus' attention was drawn towards the two statues that stood at the entrance of the road in front of them. The knight approached the statues, inspecting the stonework that had went into creating the sculptures in front of him; he was no expert but, to his untrained eye, the stone figures seemed well built and placed were they stood with the intent of marking the entrance. "But the entrance to what? Some long dead kingdom?" The knight thought inwardly, but any further thoughts were interrupted when he heard An-Hasst speaking.

"Not that I know." He replied to the Skayleigh's question regarding if someone in the village knew about this. "But, admittedly, I've never ventured too far from the village since my arrival, it could be that the villagers simply thought that it wasn't worth mentioning anythign about this. For all we know, this place." He said, motioning with one arm to the area past the two statues. "Could have been like this since the villagers first arrived." The knight finished, frowning slightly as he pondered what would be the best course of action. "We could always return to the village and ask them about this place. See what they know and then return with more information."

@POOHEAD189@Stormflyx@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen

[POOHEAD189]

The day was hot and bold of feeling. No matter who's party one was in, they could feel the heaviness of the sun's rays above them. It wasn't heat that Elora Lynn Read was too unfamiliar with, however, having traveled out of the Shrouded Sea and into the humid Sea of Swords. A tough but charming woman, her sudden appearance did confuse the guards that had been stationed. Hesitantly, but forcefully they lowered their spears.

"Halt. Name your business!" the one of the left asked, sweat beading down his brow. Though from the heat or the confrontation it was hard to tell. Probably both.

Meanwhile, Geradin closed his eyes, and reopened them with a golden light. A few moments went by, and all he did was snort. Beren was in the arms of Aeryn, as Sett was. She felt her squeeze, and even heard her soft "Ooh," and he blinked, though before he could even react she admitted she could feel danger too. He had certain senses that monks possessed, but he did not have the ears of elves or the magical abilities of other individuals.

But since the guards weren't shouting "Demon!!!" he decided to give a look himself. He slipped out of Aeryn's grip, whispering. "I'll go take a looksie." he said, and before they could protest or say they could come with him, he held up his hand. "Just a looksie..." before slipping off to the front of town. Granted it was not far away, judging by the size of the place. In fact if they were to go around the corner that Beren just passed, they would be able to see the front gateway into the town. Beren himself would raise his brow at the sight of a Kaelic lass, hardened by combat but beautiful nonetheless trying to get into the town.

At first the warrior monk was suspicious of a Dark Elf deception. Perhaps everyone was right. But he recalled Geradin's clerical senses. If it had been a Dark Elf, the Dwarf would have bothered to make it to the gateway. Beren shook his head, and decided to make an entrance toward the front of the town. As the two guards nearly prodded the woman, she needn't draw her sword when a tanned and powerfully built younger man, handsome in a way, placed a hand on the shaft of the leading spear.

"I'll take it from here." Beren said, his tone confident. The guards looked to one another, but decided not to question this decision. Beren crossed his muscled arms as they retreated.

"Sorry about that, but they can't be too careful as you probably know." He told her, not wanting to be rude but still needing to be careful. "Who are you? This town is under threat at the moment, or possibly is at the least. So I'll need to at least get your name and business here."

The guards had gone to gossip around town, spreading word there was a visitor. No doubt Ursaren would hear his patients be given the same news!

---

Calanon leaped off of Brogach, taking his shield and his sword to wield. He wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the place, but he was a forward scout more often than not. He knew how to keep himself alive. The Elf bade everyone stay calm for a few moments as they contemplated what their next course of action was. He gave them a wave and a nod, and then slowly crept further into the small 'alley' cut into the rock, his footfalls so light, even An-Hasst couldn't hear them.

Argon smelled the air, his alien-like movements giving him weird twitches every now and then, but he seemed to stay still. In fact, he seemed to calm and settle near the edge of the rocky crevice while the other's spoke and pondered, allowing the heat of the day to give him strength and energy. He simply basked and enjoyed where they were. Brogach the Elk seemed to pace on the other hand, neighing and nickering every now and then, his hooves clopping audibly on the stone. An-Hasst, now peering over the shoulders of the statue, was about to climb down when the oddest thing happened.

The statue turned its head and looked directly into his face.

As if he had sensed the movement, Argon lifted his serpentine head. What escaped his mouth was a roar that reverberated through the rocky terrain. A warning to those around. But Calanon was still deep within the crags. Alone.
@Stormflyx@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@IcePezz

[Fetzen]

An-Hasst nearly instantly had that certain aspect of 'Uh-oh!' written right into his face, but what really gave him a bad gut feeling was that this oversized lizard had nothing else to do than to issue an Argon-style warning. To others, including the stone giant the Skayleigh was currently attached to, it could probably sound more like an aggression however. Now An-Hasst probably was not the best person in the party to ask about anger management, but this was something he, at least according to his own retrospective, would not have done. It really wasn't as if a stone giant roughly twice the size of himself would have required much of an audible warning to everyone around, was it ? Calanon would be able to hear this guy from very far away, let alone see.

"I apologize." were An-Hasst's last words before he decided to jump off the stone giant before the latter had much of a chance to grab him. Featuring a surprisingly fast sumersault the Skayleigh landed close to Argon, but without causing that much of a bang for his tremendous size.

"Don't you dare to do that again!" he addressed Argon in more of a whispering tone, but still a very decisive one. "I recognize what he is but I don't know if he recognizes that I am half of his kind, in some way..."
Having said this, An-Hasst stepped forward in as much of a calm motion as he could muster at this point. He craned his neck in order to look at the stone giant's face from below, then started speaking:

"It was not our intention to disturb you, neither would it have been mine to, well..., utilize you as an observation point if I had known about your true nature in advance. We are travelers on a journey that will lead us through here. Do you have any objections to this ?"

@Stormflyx@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@The Fated Fallen@POOHEAD189@IcePezz

[The Fated Fallen]

As Calanon scouted ahead a measure of tension descended upon Alice. She suddenly had a cold feeling that she was sure she didn't know the way back, and wished she had gone with their elven guide. Of course, such an idea was flawed, which is why she didn't. She distracted herself by watching Argon out of the corner of her eye, focusing on the minutia of his strange movements. The academic in her was working out how she would put such movements to text.

The tension was shattered, however, by Argon roaring at the top of his lungs. They were being attacked! Alice hefted her staff and positioned herself to the middle of the canyon where she could get the best sight-lines, glancing at Argon to see where he was looking and where the foe was coming from.

They were coming from... Up? Alice followed his eyes to... The statue! Of course! There was little magical energies in the local area, so she drew forth what she could. The statue moved! She saw it! Despite her rising panic, she noticed An-Hasst was relatively calm and forced herself to act similarly. Any hostility would complicate the situation. She suddenly felt embarrassed for acting in such haste, but Argon's roar had set off an instinct of urgency within her that even went past her normal conditioning to act calm and collected in every situation. Almost every situation, she corrected herself

An-Hasst was negotiating with the statue in the common tongue. She wasn't quite sure if it could work; supposing the statues were golems it might, though it was incredibly rare to see a construct of such intricate build and if it was it would be even more unlikely to be left sitting here the whole while. Alternatively they could be some kind of stone giant, though she was unsure if a creature like that would be able to speak common, especially so close to the border of civilisation like it was. But since she couldn't speak a word of giant herself she shut up and let An-Hasst do the talking

@Stormflyx@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@Fetzen@POOHEAD189@IcePezz

[BCTheEntity]

Humm. Aeryn's grip was, ah, quite strong when she put her mind to it. And it was obvious she was more impressed with Beren's musculature than his own. No matter, though. He was not a jealous man, for generally he could get what he wanted out of people with his wit rather than his build. Though admittedly, a larger frame might help him escape a grasp such as... well, this, which was not actually helpful all things considered.

Beren, it seemed, had other ideas than being stuck next to her. He slipped free of her grasp and went ahead, to talk to whoever had intruded upon the village - non-violently for now, or so it seemed. Which left Sett with Aeryn... and, well, a nice view if he felt so inclined to glance over her form. He wouldn't, but he could. And actually, if he thought about it, he could probably also guide them into a position better suited to gather information from!

'Come,' he said as he guided his gripped arm to push insistently against Aeryn's back, his tone more intently serious than usual, both legitimate and feigned to some degree, 'let us move to support our ally.' Yes, support. From a ways away. And with his hand guiding her in roughly the direction he wanted, at least if she weren't actively putting up resistance, he made to bring them both toward the front of the town, stopping once the newcomer was in sight and earshot. And Fineki above, if she didn't look questionable, albeit built in a fascinating manner. He'd have to see how this situation panned out, then... at least Beren seemed relaxed for the moment.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion@IcePezz

[Gardevoiran]

"Alright, ma'am, that should be enough. Drink a few sips every hour and you'll be better in no-time." Ursaren happily told the woman. There was thankfully enough herbs and remedial ingredients in the medical area for him to use in order to brew some pretty strong potions. He mulled over every drink, making sure the concoctions were as perfect as possible, before handing them to a person, and he repeated doing so with everyone in there that needed heavy healing. Those with light scrapes and cuts, but had infected wounds, got some less powerful healing potions. Regardless, Ursaren tended to everyone as soon as he could.

A guard then came running into the room, and what he said had piqued Ursaren's interest. A visitor in this town? There wasn't even a suitable doctor in the town, so what would make someone want to come here? He thought it with all due respect, of course, but there simply wasn't much in this town to warrant someone being a visitor. Maybe they were from here originally or something, Ursaren didn't know.

The old man looked at his patients and addressed them. "I'll be right back, folks. I want to go see what all this commotion is about." After he said his word, he stepped out and joined Beren, Settionne, and the gang to watch as the visitor entered town.

[IcePezz]

Her grasp tightened around the hilt of her blade as the guards poked and prodded her for information. The fatigue her journey brought her had started to form within her appearance and the heat only added to her frustration as sweat beaded over her brow. Just then someone else came into view. He was rugged, and tall … as he came closer, she couldn’t help but notice how much he towered over her. His demeanor was kind yet cautious, his tone was confident, words were well formed and he spoke politely.

Her time spent upon shore warped her accent and tainted her words, but she knew that first impressions meant a lot to these people. She figured she would at least try to make a good one. Elora opened her mouth to answer his request though hesitation seized her voice as she noticed more approaching. She cleared her throat “I know the Southlands are a bit rough aroun’ tha edges, though I didne expect this much of a welcomin party.”, she smirked. “Lynn Read”, she continued as she dipped her head slightly and tipped an imaginary hat, “tha threat ya speak of, there are rumors of great bounties ta be collected ‘ere, an’ I got pelts ta trade.”. Her hand released the blade at her side as she slung the bundle from over her shoulder to show him the various skins.

Her lips pursed together and her form straightened. Whatever breeze had found them swept through her thick locks, she tried her best to keep herself composed. She had practiced being presentable before her arrival, deep down, she hoped she’d come off that way. She never really had to do introductions sober before and in this moment, she actually found herself intimidated by the tall, well spoken man.

While she was used to the heat, there was something about this that was just unbearable. Her gaze wandered over the gossiping guards and the crowd that started to gather. “I mean no harm ta ya town, and could do wit sum good whiskey if ya got.”, she added on, and out of this bloody heat, she thought but didn’t voice. Her attention returned to the man stood in front of her, her features softening for a moment, as if in a desperate plea for respite. She seemed genuine enough, even managed to spark a small smile.

@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Fetzen@POOHEAD189@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen

[spicykvnt]

"No, no, stop it," she began to giggle as Sett jostled her away after Beren. The way that his hands were placed on her back seemed to tickle her just as much as Ann-Hasst had done only days prior. She squirmed away from him and let him go from her grip, firing a glance at him with her pearlescent orbs that was only half-admonishing, the other half of it was entirely amused at the situation. The alcohol was still sitting in her system after all. Her head cocked to one side and arms crossed over her chest as she listened to the new girl begin to speak. Lynn Read she thought to herself, putting the picture of the girl's face to memory alongside the name. Lynn Read she repeated only a few times more.

She had a strange manner of speech indeed. As if her tongue had been stung by a bee. The common tongue was hard enough for her to understand without this to contend to, and she found herself leaning in close to Sett's ear, "what did she say?" she whispered, blinking over at Lynn Read.

Rynn Lead, she reminded herself again as her eyelids flickered over her eyes and she hiccuped again.

"Friend or not? Need me to shoot?" she asked Sett, looking at him - deadly serious. The residual alcohol in her system had made her feel bold and quick to suggest violence... She tucked a hand around and under her cape, running her thumb over the barrel of the crossbow at her back. Some kind of common sense eventually kicked in, and she nodded in Sett's direction as if to communicate that she'd look after him should the need arise. With that done, she began on her way towards Beren tentatively - not wishing to spook anyone, but just genuinely curious and wishing to afford Beren the same protection that she had given to Sett. She looked back over her shoulder to see Sett still in one spot, and so she motioned with her head for him to follow her.

[POOHEAD189]

The Stone Giant, for that indeed is what it was, gazed at the newcomers with pupil-less eyes. They looked almost like perfectly carved orbs of soft stone, a lighter shade of brown than the rest of his body, where there was no grey at least. It flexed its hands, and took a slow step forward. The rock that had been crowded about its feet crumbled lightly, as if it had been dirt that had clung to the Giant's skin.

Argon's roar was abruptly cut off by Ann-Hasst and Alice's call for silence, and he seemed like an alligator basking in the sun with his mouth open and no sound escaping his gaping maw. However, his eyes looked more like a dog's when you grabbed its mouth and held it shut, wide open and curious as to why you were making him be quiet.

"Trespassers?" The Giant said, slowly. As if it weighed ever syllable. Its voice was as heavy as a fallen tombstone, or an ancient stone door slamming shut. Every word had a finality to it that was jarring to the ear. "You are not welcome here, but you may go in peace." Its words slowed when he heard another of their band had ventured forth further in. Blinking, it grumbled, its throat sounding like the grinding of rocks. It squared its slab of a jaw.

"The others will not like having their game interrupted." it said. It breathed through its nose, and dust billowed out of its nostrils. "My kinsmen take great pride in their game of... Hide and Seek."

---

Despite himself, Beren smiled. He had a boyish charm, even with his broad shoulders and warrior physique. He often spoke in a casual manner, but he had tried to speak in the scholar's way when this pretty lass approached to appear official. If nothing else, he felt somewhat responsible for this fortified hamlet of a town. But her manner of speech... she reminded him of how the Dwarven women spoke back at Thundrim Kadrin, and it was actually very endearing to him. That, and he'd be a fool to not think she was dangerously cute.

"I think we can help you with that," he said, referring to the whiskey. "Right lads?" His powerful voice carried to the guards who had been, as of moments ago, standing nervously with their spears pointed her way just in case. They jumped at the sound of his voice, nodding.

"Aye, we can fetch some." the one on the left said.

"Right, I think ol' Bolger has some in his cupboard back at the tavern, right?"

"Thanks, fellas. I-" Beren began glancing back, before it was his turn to jump. A slim Elf of Dorcha blood poked her head out from behind Beren's statuesque frame, eyeing the woman a few paces behind. It was clear she was a bit tipsy, but that didn't give the caramel-skinned monk pause. It was the fact the newcomer would see a Dark Elf out in the open sun without warning. To most people that wouldn't be normal. But perhaps she would be tempered by a priest guiding her, looking comically serious, and a Dwarf standing among the background, acting as if all was good.

Well...Geradin didn't seem pleased, but most Dwarves had a grim way about them. Beren was thanking the EverGod when he saw their oldest group member. "Ursaren!" he called to him, waving him over. The 'bear' of a man and the other oddities in the party probably lowered the sense of strangeness Aeryn's heritage might bring. "Come here!" Beren stepped halfway to him, meeting him in the middle and whispering to him.

"You think you can whip up some herbs to help with any hangover some might have later?" he said softly, inclining his head toward Aeryn and the new girl.

Within a minute, they'd find themselves in the tavern again, though with less people. It seemed the amount of commotion was too much for one day. They decided to go find shade in a room not lit by candles. Luckily there was plenty of aircooled water within. Beren saw fit to grab a few pitchers of it for them all. He made sure to get the two ladies extra large pitchers (along with whatever they would order from the bar keep). Aeryn needed water from drinking and Lynn obviously would from having traveled through the tropical jungle for however long.

At the center of the quaint tavern, there was a larger round table that could seat the lot of them.
@IcePezz@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Fetzen@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen

[The Fated Fallen]

The stone giant was a peculiar sight indeed. Alice marvelled at it, it's every movement accompanied by harsh grinding and crumbling. It moved and spoke ponderously, and she wondered if with enough movement the giant would crumble away to nothing. It was a macabre thought she chased away mentally, seeking to stay in the here and now.

"Trespassers?" it spoke, though she could not tell if it was scrutinising the party due to it's pupil-less eyes. "You are not welcome here, but you may go in peace." Alice looked to her companions, thinking that was a fine idea, as another titan arrived.

"The others will not like having their game interrupted. My kinsmen take great pride in their game of... Hide and Seek."

Hide and seek? Today was getting more and more strange. She started glancing over the nearby terrain, in hopes of spotting one of the stone-men. Maybe that stone... No, probably not. She entertained the idea of casting magic-sight and seeing if that would help but was unsure if that would be considered cheating or even if they were allowed to witness the game at all.

@IcePezz@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Fetzen@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@POOHEAD189

[Fetzen]

That had went surprisingly well. An-Hasst silently had expected there to be a real fight. One they only could have lost, assuming that the party would not have managed to retreat back into the more dense part of the woods fast enough. Still, given the last of the giant's statements, there was still trouble ahead of them. Now all of what they had seen made so much more sense: With stone giants using this as their 'playground' on a more regular basis it was pretty obvious why there weren't so many trees around here anymore. But maybe there'd be a patch of blood soon enough, if not on purpose then by accident. The Skayleigh knew that the other elf in their party was a very fast and nimble one, but everything had its limits and so had An-Hasst's desire to gamble.

"I might not look like it compared to you..." he started to shout out towards the 12-foot giant. "... but I'm partly of your kind. I'm a half giant, one of flesh and blood. And the other part of me I share with the one who you say is about to disturb your game. So I hope you can understand why I am reaching out to you again with a simple question: Maybe I go in there in order to try and get our friend out before anything more serious happens ?"

Part of him felt rather stupid for talking in this manner, but another part feld quite obliged. Who else was similarly well suited to this ? As a Skayleigh he knew he was fast, but at well over seven feet and with shoulders broad as a wall he also was more easily to spot for both their missing party member and any of the participants in this game. And maybe there'd even be some kind of... diplomatic bonus so to speak.

@IcePezz@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@The Fated Fallen@Mortarion@Gardevoiran@POOHEAD189

[BCTheEntity]

‘Shoot- wha-? Oh, nonono, no,’ Sett clarified, waving Aeryn down as he followed on. ‘We don’t need to shoot her.’ Not yet, anyway. This “Lynn Read” seemed non-hostile for now, but she was by no means unsuspicious. Yes, there were certainly great bounties to collect, but belts to trade seemed rather... wait, did she say “belts”, or “pelts”? Damn that accent. And either way, in this humid environment, her wares seemed superfluous.

Not that it mattered. Beren had made the choice to treat her as a fellow guest in the town, in the end; despite his jumping as Aeryn wound up directly behind him, Sett’s own presence seemed to calm the man down somewhat. Now, why would- ah, right. Dark Elf. Lynn Read might be a bit put off by that, mightn’t she. And with Aeryn seemingly under his command at the moment... very well, he supposed he would have to take charge of that situation.

‘Rest assured, ma’am, all is well,’ he clamoured, posturing as he always had as they moved into the tavern (guiding Aeryn that way if he had to), ‘and fear not my stalwart companion here, for she is quite friendly.’ To make his point, he patted Aeryn’s shoulder affectionately, before taking a seat and calling to the barkeeper ‘Good sir! Another ale, if you will, and I believe I have one more free after this.’ It’d be fine to risk tipsiness; he could water it down inside himself, if need be.

‘So, Miss Read,’ he queried politely, ‘from whence do you come? And what brings you away from there? I can only assume the trade in, ah, pelts is flourishing as well in more civil lands.’ A desire for adventure, perhaps? The urge to slay without reprimand? Perhaps the Dark Elves had her as some ghoulish mercenary? And worse ideas kept arising in Sett’s mind, his eyes flicking over Lynn’s form restlessly even though he remained at rest.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion@IcePezz

[Gardevoiran]

"Well, I can certainly see what I have. It's been a little since I've been able to restock my supply, though, and this town's lack of a proper healer and quite small stockpile isn't helping my supply." Ursaren kept his supply of herbs well-stocked for any possible situation, but as of this town's predicament that the group happened across, his supply had to be drawn from, and it was quite small now. The old man was slightly irritated, but as long as the herbs were being put to good use, he didn't mind.

The group started to make their way towards the Tavern, withwhich Ursaren turned around to head back to the building he was treating everyone in. "I'll come and join you fellows within time. I promised the good people in this shack that I'd be right back. Once I'm done there, I'll be on my way." Ursaren smiled as he continued his walk back, finally stepping back into the building and looking over at the desk he was brewing everything at. There happened to be a younger boy there, looking at everything with wonder in his eyes.

"Sir, what's all this?"

"It's my alchemy supplies. Everyone in this building needs healing in some way, and I'm glad to be the one to be doing it."

"What's alchemy?"

"Making mixtures of herbs and liquids and turning them into magical drinks. It's actually quite relaxing, and sometimes the payouts are good." Ursaren explained as he put a few flower petals into his mortar and pestle, smashing them into fine dust along with a single robin's egg that hadn't birthed any young.

"Why are you crushing the flower petals and egg?"

"Well, each one has a property to it that makes them special. You can combine them together to make this..." Ursaren held down the bowl he was holding to show the reddish-yellow mixture to show the boy. Ursaren pulled it back up and started to grind it a little more, pouring it into a small glass bottle, adding a bunch of clean water to the mixture before shaking the bottle vigorously, the old man's hand glowing slightly as he did so.

The young boy's mouth opened wide as he watched the mixture formulate into a proper potion, the dark crimson hue of the bottle turning into a vibrant rose red. "If you create a mixture that's just right, you'll get a potion. This one'll heal some minor injuries, though it'll be better if it ferments a little." Ursaren set the bottle down so he could get to work on a few more.

"Wow, that's so cool!" the young boy exclaimed, a spark in his eye. "I wanna do that, can I try?!"

"Maybe later, little one. For now, just watch and observe."

[IcePezz]

It seemed as if the crowd had consumed her, and what happened next was almost a blur, except the people involved. She allowed them to shuffle her away, observing keenly each and every person she could, including the dark one.

They somehow made it to a quaint tavern where she sat at a large table full of strangers. A priest of sorts had vouched for the dark elf, and her presence didn’t seem to disturb any others within the village, so she’d leave the matter for now. She nodded to Settionne in a simple manner, but then the questions …. She pursed her lips softly, her gaze wandering in thought before returning to him. “Tha Kaelic Islands”, she replied. “An’ as I mentioned, there are rumors of great bounties ta be collected.” She was short with her answers, allowing her pointed tone to bring the topic to a close.

The wooden chair creaked beneath her as she settled in, her form relaxing finally. She removed her gloves and swept her thick hair behind her shoulders, allowing her face to bloom. A large pitcher of water was placed in front of her, along with the whiskey she had asked for previously. When faced with the choice, she chose the whiskey instead, pouring some in her cup and nearly taking it all down in one gulp. She turned her gaze to Beren with a satisfied smile. “Thank ya for tha hospitality. Ya got yerself a interestin group ‘ere. Tho I didne see weapons on ya, I suppose ya not locals ‘ere?”

She poured herself some more of the favored drink, ignoring the water, this time sipping at a more normal pace.


@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@Fetzen@The Fated Fallen@POOHEAD189@Stormflyx@Mortarion

[Mortarion]

Nicademus stared dumbstruck as what they all had previously thought to be a mere stone statue turned its head to look at the Skayleigh man currently perched on it's shoulder. Argon's sudden roar had the knight instinctively reaching for his sword, finely trained instincts immediately recognising the sound for the warning cry that it was. Still, Nicademus refrained himself from acting further beyond than gripping the handle of his sword; the stone giant had yet to take any action aside from turning to look at An-Hasst and the knight was keenly aware that, even with a mage on their side, their chances of taking on the giant in a fight and winning were slim at best, especially when they didn't know if there were more of its kin nearby.

The fact that the giant had allowed An-Hasst to jump down without harming the Skayleigh only helped to further convince the knight that it'd be best for him to stay his hand and so Nicademus stayed silent as the half-giant conversed with the stone giant. The mention of a game of Hide and Seek, one in which Calanon seemed to have wandered into unknowingly, worried the Andred man, especially since they had no idea how the other stone giants would react to the presence of the elven ranger. The one with whom they were talking to seemed amiable enough, and the fact that it would allow them to leave in peace was a relief, but who was to say that the other giants would share in their comrade's peaceful disposition?

The knight took a step closer to Alice as An-Hasst continued to talk with the stone giant. "I think," Nicademus began in a hushed whisper so that the giant wouldn't hear. "That it'd be for the best if the rest of us were to leave. I am admittedly not an expert on Stone Giants, but the fact that An-Hasst is partly a giant might play in our favor. At the very least I think he'd be more welcome than the rest of us if he were to venture further inside to look for Calanon....at least I hope so."

@POOHEAD189@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@IcePezz@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx

[POOHEAD189]

Any stone sufficiently large enough could perhaps be a Stone Giant, though likely the rest of the clan were further in the maze. To the left and right were the side ridges of the crags, and above that was mostly flat ground to run over the crisscrossing stone ways within. Perhaps climbing atop that would be sufficient enough to make your way further in as a shortcut, and perhaps keep you from being under a hiding Giant, but unless the roads were very thin, you might find a crevasse you could not jump over at some point, and who knows where Calanon will be?

The Stone Giant himself looked at Nicademus, and then slowly his head turned, making the noise of a stone slab being moved, to gaze at An-Hasst. "You are a mongrel cousin to our kind. You will not be welcome within if you disturb the game." it said with a gravelly solemness. "Would a dog or coyote be welcomed into the midst of a wolf pack? Be on your guard. If you speak our language, that would be your only safety, and even then...do not trust a hope."

Argon's head bobbed and swayed, looking around as the giant spoke to them. His lengthened neck snaked down to Alice's ear. "The stone still speaks..." he hissed quietly. "Shall I sssllaaay it? We cannot devour its flesh, I do not think. Unlesss the stone is its armor Ssssss-s-s-s-s-s-s."

As it were, it seemed the giant would not impede anyone from entering. But the warning was clear, and time was running out, if Calanon was not already hurt or worse!

---

Geradin had plopped his rock heavy rump on a stool and called for the best beer they had, the bartender hustling over as soon as he could, not wanting to disappoint those helping the town. That and, Geradin was nearly two hundred pounds of muscle without his gear, just smooshed into a short package. Beren sat across from him, taking a water. It was hot enough to where he couldn't drink too much of it, always wanting to be healthy and strong for whatever came his way.

Beren spoke up when Settione talked. He had some insight as a native southlander. "Pelts here are plentiful, and if that wasn't enough, a lot of the exotic animal pelts in the region are highly prized up north. That's suggesting that Miss Read plans on going there soon, though. You need to maintain them I heard." he said, taking a sip of his water. He enjoyed Settione, truth be told. The priest had an intelligent, yet funny way about him. Probably funny in an accidental fashion, but still.

With that, he turned to Lenora, only to get a sudden pull from his chest. She really is beautiful, he told himself. They'd just met and he needed to remind himself of that, but he was attracted and she seemed open and friendly. He breathed in though and reined the feeling in. Now wasn't the time, nor would there probably ever be. He smiled though. "Well, I was born in the Southlands, but no, none of us have ever been here before. We just got here, actually. Decided to help out."

---

The east of the small hamlet was relatively quiet, save for the occasional bird chirp. A few ,militiamen milled about, and a woman strode by the entryway with a bucket of water she had taken from the well. The tanned warrior had said he would help dig another well before they left, along with the Dwarf. That would help the town immensely. Most people who lived here were refugees from other villages, trying to make a new life for themselves and their families, as most did in the Southern Continent.

Hope and despair were not far off from one another, however. One moment you have one, and then the other takes hold. The women placed the bucket down next to her small hut, only a few houses down from the small decline that led into the thick jungle, when she noticed something strange. The birds had halted their chirping. Perhaps a snake had gotten them? Whatever it was, she could not begin to understand they had fled from fear.

Three black fletched arrows flew out of the forest gloom and into two of the guards standing watch, to the horror of the other two men-at-arms, who promptly lifted their spears defensively, and backed away behind the huts. What followed was the woman's screams when she saw a horde of Rogs whooping and hollering, leaping out of the treeline with their wicked blades. Another few arrows flew, though they seemed to miss their marks, only one hitting a stray villager in the leg.

A bell soon rang, a bell that could be heard throughout the entire hamlet.
@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@BCTheEntity@Gardevoiran@IcePezz@Mortarion