CHAPTER ONE; NEWCOMERS




It was a dark, gloomy night in the city of Draydon. A heavy fog from the coast had rolled in like a ghostly wisp and shrouded the city in muggy darkness. Few walked the streets at night, aside from thieves, guardsmen, and fools. Dark shadows cloaked the alleys and haunted the minds of those who would venture out into the blackness of sundown. The Ruby City of Draydon was a place of charm and excess hospitality. Not after sundown at least.



The Foamy Crown was the prime tavern and inn of the Commons District. Despite the stale beer, staggering whiskey, and filthy rooms, The Crown maintained a regular patronage and business was always well. The owner, a curmudgeonly Dwarf named Barric, was hospital enough if not rough along the edges.

The Crown did have a rougher element than the coaching houses of the Emerald District, but well paid bouncers kept the peace in the tavern. Be it a drunken fistfight or a knifing, no disorderly conduct was tolerated by Barric.

Tonight was a particularly moderate night. While not ourtight empty, there were fewer customers than usual, though this did not bother Barric. Even with good business, any and all establishments would have slow nights. Tonight in particular there were less than a dozen patrons in the tavern, and fewer still had rented a room. The current populace of the tavern were of a diverse lot, and while not particularly suspicious, Barric had his eyes on several of them as the bar wenches serviced away.