[IC] The Chronicles of Dosei: Chapter 1 (8/10 spots filled)

[EWillden]

The Chronicles of Dosei: Chapter 1
Act I
-Reisui-
The sounds of a hammer hitting against a anvil echoed about the main road that cut through from the north end to the south end of the village. The hammer belonged to Gorgamesh The Orc, he was working on what would seem like a curved blade. The weapon was infact a custom order made by a customer. It was smoldering hot as he hammered away. The heat from the forge was so hot that he had to remove a lot of his own clothing except for his shorts and apron. They were of the blacksmith sort though with black shorts and boots with a dark red apron and a iron mask with slits just big enough for him to see what he was doing. After five hits with his hammer he lifted the blade up with his tongs and looked at it. He turned it over and placed it back on the anvil and hammered away again. The shop itself was closed and if a customer wanted to take a look at his wares would have to either wait until he was done or interrupt him. The blade itself would not be completed for a long while though. He hadn't even begun on crafting a hilt for it yet.

He suddenly stopped for just a second and set his hammer down and moved to a table where he placed the tongs down. He lifted up the iron mask with his left hand and with his right he lifted up a bottle of mead and bit down on the cork until it popped out and spat it down. He then took a long drink from it and placed it down. With his brown leather gloves he wiped his mouth brought down the iron visage and grabbed the tongs and went back to work. He stuck the blade within the forge again and pulled down on a pulley until smoke rose up from the chimney as the flames were breathed back into life again. He did this for awhile and then brought the blade back out and began hammering away again.

A guard walked by and stopped climbing up the steps and watched leaning against the post. "Fancy blade your making there, whose it for?" He asked and Gorgamesh looked over to him and back at the blade as he recalled. "Some stranger from one of the big cities,... Don't know which one though. His servant is staying at the inn at the moment. Pretty little thing she is, shame she has to service a man that can't even manage to leave his home just to place a order." He said and the guard laughed.
"Almost as if he doesn't want to be burdened with us commoners eh?" The guard answered and Gorgamesh smirked. He then gestured to the bottle offering the guard a drink.
"Nah, I am on duty, the Jarl would be mighty angry with me if I got drunk during my watch. Maybe when we are both on break I can treat you to that fine wine that the two Bloodmoon sisters make at the inn." He said boasting about the wine. Gorgamesh liked the wine himself, but he knew that the guard went there for other reasons then the wine. The sisters attracted many customers and it surely wasn't just for their wine. Their dance and their voices were almost inviting to anyone and not just men but by women too. Gorgamesh nodded and then looked to the blade at the guards side.
"Hows' that been work'n for ya?" He asked and the guard looked to the sword and tapped the side of the scabbard and then looked back up at the orc.
"Oh I haven't had much time to put it to good use yet, thankfully. I hear the others have had put their swords to work though against a raid on some bandit camp to the east. The blades worked numbers against their foes. Starting to wish I had been their to test out my own." He answered and the orc smiled.
"Well, ye never know when a bit of fighting will sprout up so ye will get your chance to use it don't worry." He reassurede and the guard nodded. The man rose back up and bowed his head and left the orc to his work.

The guard took a left from the blacksmith's shop and head over to the lumber mill. When he got there he saw several of the residents at work and he just observed. Unlike at the forge it was much cooler over here with it being close to the river. He had blow warm air into his gloves as he saw the people go about their duties. One was at a chopping block, she was a fair looking woman with blonde hair and dark eyes. Just like most she wore warm clothing as she swung the axe down. Strength was pretty common this far north even when it came to women. Which annoyed him when he gets told about some man sending a girl to do his errands for him. That was the life of city folk though. Anyone of their women here could easily best the city's strongest man. He then glanced over towards the large saw which cut the much bigger logs in two. There were two people working it. One to pull the log into place, while the other pulled the lever. The two were brothers from what he could remember. Well they claimed to be brothers ,but they looked nothing alike. Perhaps one was a bastard son or something. Either way the two worked rather hard at the mill providing the village with good wood for their fires and spare supplies if ever the walls or buildings needed repaired. With the way the weather is getting he was surprised they hadn't needed to fix a cave in already.

The guard was suddenly surprised by something brushing past him. When he looked down he saw a chicken running past him and a young boy chasing after it. He smiled and shook his head. "Your pop's is going to keep on getting mad at you if you keeping letting that chicken get loose on you again and again." He called out. The boy stopped and looked behind him and scratched the back of his head and then went back to chasing the chicken.

The village was rather lively as there was always something to do. There was even a few crops being harvested. Mostly potatoes though seeing as the season for the other vegetables had already past and been harvested. There were even yak's being milked and fed as well as chickens and goats. There were only but a few dogs though. They didn't last long here for they often sometimes wondered out of the village and they would fall prey to several predators or die from the cold.

-The Jarl's Longhouse-
The Jarl of Reisui sat at the end of the dinning table his wife sitting to his right and his housecarl sitting to his left. His steward was also present and stuffing his face. Jarl sat back as chewed the beef from the well cooked diner and looked to his wife before swallowing. Once he felt he was ready to speak he did so. " Has there been anymore sittings? From those wild orcs or even from any goblinkin?" He asked. She sighed and shook her head.
"From our scouts and even from the local's it seems like we have either driven most of them out or their are hiding more cleverly." She said. The Jarl looked forward and seemed to stare into the large hearth before them.

"It took much shorter time to rid the orcs from this land then it did the goblins,... I don't like it. They are up to something and can feel it in my gut. It's getting deeper into winter though so we can't keep sending our scouts out to keep investigating. We might end up having to wait until spring." He said. He then looked back to her and placed a hand on hers.
"What you think Arielle?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Perhaps next week once the two sisters return from their monthly trip we can ask them if they noticed anything out of the norm,... other then that dear, I do not know what to think. I don't like the quietness either ,but then again it is winter time. Perhaps they just don't want to risk the frostbite and moved south to warmer climates." She said rather optimistically. The problem they have been having though were a few bandits causing trouble. They had just cleaned out one make shift camp ,but it seemed no matter how many times they did another would pop up some where else. If it wasn't one thing it was another. She leaned forward to the housecarl and whistled to get his attention.

"Your a fighter, what do you think?" She asked and the housecarl was silent for awhile as if lost in thought. She let him gather his thoughts on the matter expecting him to come to some conclusion.
"I would like to say we wiped them all out just like the goblins, but that would be rather optimistic. Orcs are very adaptable, more so then most of the races that populate our country. I doubt the cold would chase them off so quickly, they are also more stubborn then goblins so I doubt they would cower from us. They would die to the last orc if they had to, I think our smith can vouch for that. I am with the Jarl, something is wrong and I wish I knew. Perhaps one of the sisters can be sent out alone for reconnaissance or both. I think our scouting parties are much too big and noisy. They could move more quietly and might find something our men couldn't" He said. The Jarl nodded and decided that was what they would do.

"It is settled, after they come back from their little journey up the mountain they can do a bit of scouting for us, it's not like they haven't done so in the pass." He said. They soon went back to eating after the conclusion as to what they were going to do was said.

-The Karasu-
Vivian Bloodmoon was using a wet cloth to wipe down the bar counters awaiting for a customer to request something. She took note of a young girl sitting at one of the booths. The young girl was a bit bored it seemed. She had ordered a room for the next couple nights waiting on some sword from the smith. She sighed and leaned against the counter staring at the poor woman. She was half tempted to go over there and tell the young lady she should quit her current way of living and work here at the inn. Side from the constant squawking from their feathery friends it wasn't that bad of a job and they could always use another person. What made it real tempting was the fact that they were about to go out on their monthly trip up the mountain to the north east. They could use someone to watch the tavern for them while they were gone. She sighed and went back to her work every so often looking up at the young woman.

Cassandra who was sweeping kept noticing her older sister glancing up at their inn's new resident. She took a look over and sighed. Poor thing, it must be very troubling to work for such a greedy man and spoiled to the point he sends a servant girl to go can get a sword. What was the man going to do with it after it was forged anyways? Someone who is not strong enough or brave enough to come down here himself was not fit for a sword. She decided to indulge her sister and set the broom aside and gestured to Vivian. the tavern was clean enough. She moved to sit at the booth and leaned forward causing the young woman to lean back in surprise.

"Name's Cassandra, or Cass for short, look I know you were sent here for some stupid sword. What if I offered you a better job?" She asked. The young woman relaxed a little and shrugged. "You see, me and my sister Viv here, will be needing someone to watch the place for us while we are gone. How would you like it if we offered you a job here? You would get a free room and food? " She offered and the young lass started looking about the room and even began to fidget.

Vivian pushed herself onto the table resting sitting atop it. She placed a hand on the young lady's shoulder. "Hey, it's your decision. We won't force you, we just heard your little story and figured that your current master likely sends you to do these kind of things a lot." She said. "We figured you could always work for us and at least live happier. You would get paid out of the cut that gets brought in and you would get your own room and of course the food. " She said. The young woman looked to Vivian and then to Cassandra and leaned in a little.

"You mean I would get paid in gold? Silver?" She asked and Vivian smiled looking to Cassandra and then back to her.
"You name it kid, we often split the profits fifty fifty, but we could split it three ways if you were to work here for us." She answered, confirming what it would mean to the girl. The lady sat back and looked about the tavern and shrugged.
"What if my master comes looking for me when I don't bring back his sword?" She asked. Vivian looked to her sister, not thinking of that situation and then stared up at the ceiling. "Okay we will let the Jarl know and you can stay at the longhouse until we get back. We are good friends with Erich and Arielle they will protect you against him." She answered and then the young lass leaned back into the table and offered her hand to them. They smiled and took up her hand shaking it.

"Go ahead and pick yourself out a room, unless you like the one you were given with the small amount of coin he gave you. " Cassandra said. Both of the sisters were happy to be there for the young lady and once the woman had ran off to do what she said she leaned back. She felt good that they might have made a young woman's life much better then it had been. She then looked to her sister. "Is everything ready for our trip up the mountain?" She asked. Vivian looked to her and turned to face her sister and closed in and gave her a little kiss. "You bet, everything is ready... it might be a little different then the last time with it being colder and all ,but everything should be normal." She said. Cassandra touched her fingers to her lips and then let them fall to hit the table.
"That's good,... we will leave in the morning tomorrow. I want to make sure this ones stay is made permanent before we leave." Vivian nodded and stepped away from her sister and began to dance as she did.

-The Wizards Shop-
The old man sat in a stool in the corner of his shop. He was in the process of taking a nap with his trusty familiar watching the shop for him. The large owl moved its head from left to right as it scanned the shop for anything that needed to take noticing. The shop wasn't all that cluttered. There were jars full of all kinds of alchemical ingredients like Deathbell or Nightshade. There was also several other ingredients as well for medicines. On the shelves however, were books. Some were even spell books that the sorcerer no longer needed. Sorcerer's were not like Wizard's who needed to carry a tome everywhere they went. Sorcerer's could cast any spell they learned without the need of the tome. Therefore, once the spell is learned the book itself became useless and in this case, rather then throw it away. He was going to sell it. There were scrolls as well, for quick spell use. The scrolls could even be used by someone who is not capable of using magic by normal means. Nizhar, shifted his position and once more drifted into slumber.

There wasn't much to his shop unless you were a alchemist or a learner of the arts of magic. Other then that you would not be really that interested in the shop. He did not even get that much business ,although some claim that that was because of the location. If he had picked a city he would have more business but he didn't like the city. It was too noisy.

-Veoznaz's Goods and Trinkets-

The Satyr moved about his shop with a broom. His hooved feet hitting against the wooden floor. He had a fur coat on to cover his chest and arms as he swept. He stopped for a second to look around his shop at the many things he had gathered from his little adventures. He gave a quick nod and continued to sweep the floor. He hoped that when spring came he would have more customers. Everything was slow here in the village during the winter time. Not many people traveled during this season sense it got really cold out here. Not like in the cities where it was so warm from all the people that you could still make a living. "I need to move my shop into the city,... seems like a waste to be here" He said mostly to himself. He began to think maybe when spring came around he would check out the cities for any shops that went out. He then thought of the lake and sighed.

He came here because of the lake in general, he was always fond of it and he couldn't just leave it. Besides it's not like he has to pay rent or anything. It's his shop and it will stay as his shop.

[rawkhawk64]

Crunch, crunch, crunch. Durin sighed. Snow, snow as far as the eye could see. The Dwarf had somehow managed to find his way to the country of Itari, right in the dead middle of winter. There was snow as far as the eye could see, barren trees poking out here and there providing a break from what appeared to be an endless expanse of snow. Durin paused, glancing around, hoping to see some sort of landmark or city or town or something to break the monotony of the snow. Seeing nothing, Durin continued forward, glad that Dwarves were usually hardy creatures, as he was sure that most lesser creatures would have succumbed to the numbing cold by now.

As he travled, Durin thought back as to how and why he'd found himself in Itari. As a traveling mercenary, Durin certainly had built a bit of a reputation as a man who completed his missions. After resting in a small town in one of the southern countries, he'd heard that there was a lord in Itari offering gold for Goblin and Orc heads. Now, while Durin (and most Dwarves in general) were generally accepting of some of the races, Orcs and Goblins tended to be a different story. Durin himself had only met a handful of both races that he cared for, and could count them on one hand.

As Durin paused to again attempt to find some sort of landmark, a disturbance in the snow caught his attention. Turning around, Durin was met with a blow to his shoulder, knocking him down. Durin hastily rolled with the blow, using the momentum to wind up back on his feet. Drawing his weapons, Durin eyed his opponent. Orc. The creature guffawed at him, brandishing his blade. Durin knew that the blow he suffered had cut skin, but assessing the damage could wait. This orc was an ugly creature, by Durin's standards. The orc had greenish-gray skin that was riddled with scars. Durin knew that this orc was one that was highly respected in his tribe, perhaps even a leader of some sorts. He was twice the height of the dwarf mercenary, at around six feet tall. That would explain the jeering look on his opponent's face.

Durin moved in with a speed that belied his bulk, aiming for a blow to his opponent's midsection. The orc tried to counter-attack with an overhead swing, but was blocked by Durin's short sword. He moved inside the orc's reach, managing to score a light cut on the stomach, though the blow was lessened by the orc's heavy clothing, likely due to the cold climate. The dwarf lunged forward, this time aiming for a leg, but the orc was smarter than that, leaping back and countering with a blow that met Durin's own counterattack. The two pushed against each other's blades, before breaking contact.

Again and again, the two clashed blades, each seeking to injure the other, While Durin seemed to be taking more hits, his leather and chainmail armor made the blows seem pointless. On the other hand, the two other blows that Durin scored in the next few minutes had more of an effect, with the orc having a second, larger cut on his stomach, and one on his leg that hampered his movement. As the orc attacked with an overhead swing, Durin blocked, holding his longsword perpendicular, and stabbed the warm with his knife. The orc dropped his weapon and howled in pain, which didn't last long as Durin, with a jump and an overhead swing, plunged his sword in to the heart of the orc.

Both bodies fell over, with the dwarf on top. Durin pulled his sword out of the orc's body, and proceeded to lop its head off with a couple of powerful blows. The dwarf stood panting, and assessed his wounds. For the most part, he was uninjured, with only a few light cuts here and there. It appeared that the first blow that caught him off guard had managed to draw blood, though the wound could wait.

Durin used the cloth the orc had been wearing to fashion a crude sack that he covered the head in, tying it to his traveling pack. He then used the snow to clean his blades. After all, dirty blades became dull ones, even with superior smithing skills. After another hour or so of travel, Durin found himself outside of a small village, which he presumed was Resui.

The village was just that, a small village from what he could tell. There was one discernable entrance form the side he was on, and he presumed there were others. Other than that, there was a wooden wall, with guards visibly patrolling the walls. Since he was facing the rising sun, Durin knew that the soldiers had seen him coming from the west. As he approached, he was met by a guard.

"Halt! What is your business in Resui?" the guard asked him. Durin eyed the man. He didn't seem to be heavily armed, but perhaps it was because this was a small village. He looked like only something truly fearsome could intimidate him, perhaps after years of experience. Durin nodded. "My name is Durin Redfire. I'm a travelling mercenary. I've heard word that your lord is paying gold for orc heads. I happen to have one right here. Riddled with scars, so he's seen combat. Figured I'd turn it in and see if there is any other sort of work around here. I mean no harm to your peaceful village."

The guard considered him for a moment longer, before letting him in. "The Jarl lives there. You'll have to ask to see him." the guard said, pointing to what appeared to be a longhouse. Durin nodded, heading that way. Along the way, he passed by a smith, surprised to see an orc hammering away at the metal. Saying nothing, Durin continued on, before asking to seek an audience with the Jarl, indicating the crude sack he had, stating it was an orc head. The guard nodded before heading in to inform the Jarl of the visitor who claimed to have an orc head.

[Termott]

"Almost to town, dear. Do you think you can make it?" Valis announced gently to her passenger, an older man, who was chilled by the weather. Valis had found him on the roadside, his leg bent at an odd and painful angle. He told her of how both his cart and belongings were taken from him by force by some wannabe highway bandits. It was a short fight when they pushed him off his cart and into a ditch, landing and breaking his leg.

He was embarrassed at first to ask for help, but Valis took him under her wing without a second thought. She had covered him with some of her handmade blankets. Valis also had to tend to his leg as best as she could, having to reluctantly snap it back into place. I’ll have to purchase some more materials. These not many plants that grow out in the cold so I’ll have to make do. She thought as she had wrapped and made a splint with some branches she had found.

"I think so," The old man rasped, a hint of pain in his voice as the centaur tried to walk as smoothly as she could as to not worsen his injury. She had suggested him to ride on her back, the extra weight being nothing and she was on her way to town anyway. "Although who knows how long I would have been in that ditch if it weren't for you. I could have easily frozen to death.” He spoke with a shiver, wrapping the blankets tighter around his frail frame.

Valis gave a gentle smile, shaking her head. "Oh goodness, we better get you out of this cold. Let’s hope you haven’t caught a cold!” She spoke worriedly, standing outside the northern entrance to the tall walls that surrounded the village.

Valis gave a friendly wave to the guards, “Hello there!” She called, “I’m just passing through and hoped to stay. This gentleman here was just attacked and robbed by some bandits, perhaps you could help?” With this, she was allowed entrance, kneeling down as a couple guards heaved the old man up, supporting him.

“We appreciate your help miss. And your work here is done, no worries, we just want some details on the bandits. We’ll make sure he’ll get proper treatment. We hope you enjoy your stay.” Taking that as her being dismissed, Valis left, hearing the old man shout his gratitude to her before she was out of earshot. With a smile, she looked around at the village, Reisui she believed the old man had called it. It was smaller than other towns she had visited but it gave off a warm and almost home like feel. Perhaps it was because her own home was similar, also covered in snow and the chill that never seemed to bother her.

Even so, it would be nice to get something warm to eat and relax a bit. Looking around, the centaur spotted a building that appeared to be a tavern of some sort. She hoped she could get a room since she planned on stay for a few days, although wouldn’t be too disappointed if she’d manage to earn a spot in the stable, like she had many times before. Some tavern or inn owners saw only her beast half, and she couldn’t blame them. Valis figured as long as she could get something to eat, she wouldn’t care where she’d sleep.

She entered the tavern quietly, not wanting to interrupt whatever that was going on. There was a quick chittering noise before the tiny head of a sugar glider poked out from the curls on her head. She looked up at the rodent with a small laugh, seeing Seble be relieved they were out of the cold, and resting on one of the centaur’s horns. Both looked around curiously, spotting a pair of lovely Drows, one appearing to be dancing. She didn’t feel like questioning it, figuring if the moment called for dancing, she would do so as well if she didn’t have four left hooves.

“Greetings, sorry to bother, but I would like a room for a few days?” She reached over, fiddling with her saddle bag to pull out her pouch of coins.

[FancyTomato]

"Stupid village, stupid people, stupid cold." Thark said, rubbing his arms to try and bring some warmth back into them. The last village had been a bust. He barely walked in, when he was surrounded by guards and jabbed at with spears. They said he wasn't welcome around here and to get lost before he found trouble. Then someone pelted him with a rotten fruit. That made Thark angry, but he held his temper. It was like his mama used to say:

"Thark, if you don't control your temper, no one will trust you. How can you get anywhere without that?"

So Thark left, humiliated once more. Thark was losing hope, his dreams of adventure slowly dwindling due to unreasonable people.

He continued his walk, wishing he really heeded his mama's advice and packed a coat. It was fiercely cold, sapping all the heat from his body. Thark had no doubt he would freeze if couldn't find shelter soon. Soon, he spotted something in the distance. Thark could make out a shape just ahead. Heading towards it, he noticed that the shape was in fact a gate to a village.

Thark could've shouted in joy, if it weren't for the fact that the cold would probably freeze his mouth in place. Making his way towards the gate, he spotted a couple of guards standing watch. He waved to them to get their attention. Noticing him, the two guards tensed and readied their swords as Thark made his way towards the entrance of the village.

"Halt! Move no further, Orc!" One of the guards yelled.

"Wait! I no Orc! I just a Half-Orc. I just want to go in village." Thark said, raising his hands in the air "I want out of this cold. May soon be icicle."

One of the guards raised his eyebrow at Tharks' response, before lowering his sword.

"How do we know we can trust you not to try and ransack the place if we let you in?" he asked.

"I am good. Wouldn't hurt people, unless they give me reason to. Just looking for job." Thark replied, secretly grateful that the guards hadn't immediately attacked him.

The guard put a hand to his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. Looking between the Half-Orc and the village entrance, the guard sighed.

"All right, you can enter. There's a tavern just past here. Big wooden sign, two drow sisters run the place. Can't miss it. But watch your step. We will be watching you. The Jarl doesn't like troublemakers in his village."

The guards motioned for Thark to enter. Thark nodded his thanks and looked around for the tavern the guard mentioned. Eying a sign hanging off a builing, Thark took a closer look and noticed it was the tavern. Smiling, Thark entered the building.

[Pirouette]

It was right around forty-eight hour mark of Feiia Arleriia's stay in the town of Reisui, a name which Feiia had forgotten the moment she first heard it. The people here were nice enough but all kept to themselves and their little internal schedules. Deviation from their planned schedules was what Feiia considered a rare treat as it added the just a hint of excitement. It gave Feiia's a chance to fill her scholarly hunger for studying people, individual habits specifically. Reading people was a past time and a necessary tool for one such as the Winter Elf who spent most of her time in Reisui just lounging right outside Jarl Erich's Longhouse.

It wasn't just some chance excuse that Feiia spent her time just outside the Longhouse. There had been many strategic reasons why the Elf chose to spend most of time there. Knowing who was coming and going was important but especially if particular parties of interest were coming. Feiia was a hunted woman, after all. The other benefit was income. The moment Feiia entered town, she looked incredibly conspicuous with her foreign armor and many weapons. While it was a mistake not to arrive while cloaked, it provided the benefit of the Jarl's financial interest. Bounties being issued for Orc Raiding parties or other things had provided the Elf with enough coin to sustain her visit here. But work was infrequent and after a whole day's lull, today, so far, wasn't looking any more promising.

As the day wore on, Feiia watched the roads in and out of the village. Farmers came to and fro, a young, perhaps attractive, girl a dwarf waddled into the longhouse right past Feiia, but the most interesting visitor award goes to the sheep-looking woman who had headed off to the inn. She had never seen one of those before but Feiia had never been this far North.

Curiosity mixed with boredom eventually stirred Feiia to make the short walk over the inn, stepping inside only moments after the sheep-woman had stepped in. Feiia lightly stepped past the woolly Sheep and the dancing Drow. The Drow sisters would likely recognize Feiia, or rather by her alias Nyx, as the Snow Elf had been staying there for the past two days, and certainly Feiia had left a strong impression with both ladies for better or worse.

Wanting to take a moment and watch the newcomers, Feiia slipped into the tavern's shadiest corners to watch and listen. Without paying attention, you wouldn't have even known someone had snuck in. Vivian probably would have. She was good like that and if she, or anyone, would fancy a look, Feiia would give them a smile and a wink to indicate her more peaceful intentions.

[EWillden]

The Tavern:
The sound of large wings flapping echoed as black feathers dropped to the floor once more as the large Raven flew to land upon Vivian's shoulder. The raven looked to the two newcomers, the rat and the centaur. Strange the animal was to it. The Raven looked to Cassandra, its master and then back to the Centaur. The Raven wasn't the only one who reacted to Valis's appearance. Cassandra's attention was now set on her as well as Vivian's as she turned her head to look in her direction. The two were so focused on Valis that they didn't even notice Feiia enter the tavern.

Cassandra did follow the pale elf for awhile with her eyes before her eyes turned back to Valis. Centaur's where not rare in this country ,but they were usually of a much bigger variety with their lower half looking more like a horses, not of a sheep.

Vivian perked a brow and then looked to her shoulder. "Bernard, go retrieve room key,...." She said pausing and looking to Valis's scanning her size and judging her weight. "...number six." She said and the raven flew off past the bar and into the back room. "That will be ten gold for the night,.... fifteen if you want to throw in a warm cooked meal with it." She said. Vivian began to take her steps closer to the centaur. She then reached out and opened her hand to accept the coins. Her tattoos showing ever more clearly. Her white tattoos being that of webs and flowers. Even her top had some what a spider web design. The essence of the drow showing itself much more then Vivian would have liked.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to the village of Reisui,.. is this your first visit?" She asked. The Raven returned from the back room behind the bar and landed back on Vivian's shoulder with the room key dangling from its beak.

The Longhouse:

The Jarl's housecarl exited with the guard to see Durin. The guard taking his place while the housecarl held the door open for the dwarf. "The Jarl will like to see you,.. he want's to reward you personally." He said. However, Durin and the housecarl would not be the only ones to seek out the Jarl's audience. The two were joined by a guard who had just come from the northern gate. "I must speak with the Jarl, we just received a trader who has been attacked by a bandit hit." He informed. The housecarl nodded and gestured for him to enter as well. Closing the door behind them as they entered. He then moved to lead them to large table at the far end. Here sat the Jarl himself and his wife Arielle. The Jarl swallowed his food and wiped his fingers on a napkin as he picked up a good sized pouch of gold and stood up. The pouch was full of three hundred gold pieces exactly.

The guard waited his turn as the Jarl tossed the payment to Durin. He then prepared to catch the sack which held the bounty. He then looked to the guard and nodded. "What is it?..." Jarl Erich asked. The guard stood straight up and proceeded to repeat what he said to the housecarl.

"A old trader passed by the northern gate, survivor of a bandit attack on his wagon. " The guard informed. The Jarl's eyes narrowed as he sat back in his chair and sighed. Arielle looked to the guard and then to Durin. She then looked to the Jarl and leaned to whisper in his ear. The Jarl, suddenly felt his eyes move to the dwarf as she spoke. "What is your name?" He asked.

Reisui:

Eirika and Haldir approached the village from the east. They stopped and studied the little settlement. Eirika leaned in and then leaned back whistling. "The village looks like one of those paintings you would see of the winter,... I suppose we can stop here for the night, right?" She asked as she turned to her brother. His stare fixated on the tiny village. He tore his gaze away and looked to his younger sister. He made a slight smile and nodded.
"That's the plan,... I think we will stay here for awhile and get the lay of the land so to speak" He answered. She nodded and looked back to the winter village and with her brother proceeded to enter the village. Their insignia being spotted right away by the guards.

They gulped and looked to each other and then back forward. When the order comes to pay you a visit, it can't be good. They both hoped nothing bad will come of their home. The two elves moved their way past the other houses and eventually past the longhouse and to the tavern. They entered that tavern to come across what they did not expect. Not so much the Centaur, but two drow. He narrowed his eyes and then looked to his sister who just shrugged. He looked back towards them and tried to read them. They were not evil, but still it was uncommon for drow to be on the surface. He decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and led his sister to a table and pulled out a chair for her. Once she sat down he pushed her in and then joined her. The Centaur was obviously being served first, so they would have to wait.

Haldir scanned the tavern for any more occupants and he took note of the unusually pale elf sitting alone in a booth. He kept his eyes on her for awhile and nodded in her direction. He then turned to face his younger sister and pulled back his hood, revealing his long blond hair and the fire from the hearth reflecting ever more on his blue eyes. Eirika's hair was a red color, very much like the Jarl's wife. She had to remove the sheaths of the swords at her sides and her hand crossbows and place them beside her. They were making her seating rather uncomfortable.

[rawkhawk64]

Durin nodded at the housecarl, following the man in. Durin could tell from the way the man carried himself that he was a fighter. As Durin stepped in, he caught something about a bandit attack. Durin grunted. Seemed he might be able to obtain more work from this place. Bandits were a menace everywhere, and the dwarf was more than happy to rid the world of them, either by capturing them or outright killing them.

As Durin approached the table, it was easy to see who the Jarl was. The man sat like he was a leader. Durin could easily see the calculating look in the man's eyes. He, too, had seen battle. Then again, there was a certain way that warriors behaved that let other warriors know that they had seen combat. It was a great way to pick out good allies... or dangerous threats.

After Durin caught the hefty bag, he tossed the Orc head right to the Jarl. The dwarf mercenary was glad he had absolutely no talent for magic, as he was sure the elf seated at the Jarl's right would be able to tell if he'd faked anything in a heartbeat. Durin had met quite a few elves in his travels. Elves and Dwarves usually got along at the very least, and Durin knew that many were potent sorcerers.

Durin waited for some sort of dismissal, as he was not one to disrespect any sort of leadership, especially potential employers. As the dwarf listened about the bandit attack, he could see the Jarl's reaction. The man must not have liked bandits, not that Durin blamed him. The man just wanted a peaceful existence for his town, probably. However, Durin saw the Elf lean in and whisper some words to the Jarl. Before he knew it, the Jarl had turned his attention back to him and asked his name. Durin nodded in respect. "My name is Durin Redfire. I'm a traveling mercenary, traveling to learn about other races and cultures firsthand." What Durin didn't tell him was that the Redfire family usually had some sort of ties to the politics of the Dwarves. Some of his ancestors had even served as personal advisors to Kings. Durin knew that he might never get rid of the itch for travel, but he figured that the knowledge he gained would somehow be useful to his family.

[Termott]

Upon her entering and disturbance among the few in the room, Valis felt like all eyes were on her. It wasn’t like this was the first time, and certainly wouldn’t be the last time. Even so, relax, people tend to look at you when you address them after all. She hesitated for a moment, making sure to get over her sheepishness with the flick of an ear.

Meanwhile, Valis’s little friend wasn’t too sure about this place. She let out nervous chitters, as if warning the centaur of the possible dangers this place may hide. Seble clambered from one horn to the other, looking to and fro for any signs of a threat. Something caught her eye as it fell to the ground. Curious, the sugar glider peeked at the ground, noticing it was a black feather. With more panicky barks, she dared looked up, seeing the owner of said feather. Ravens! She grew chattier, trying to catch Valis’s attention, although her cries were ignored.

“Ooh, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate something to eat!” She gave her pouch a bounce, coins giving a jingle, pulling out fifteen gold, as was the price, but decided to add an extra five. “Please consider this extra as a gift for allowing me to stay indoors. Not many are as kind,” Valis said with a cheery grin, handing over the coins. She couldn’t help but have a glance at the intricate design of her tattoos, finding them rather fascinating. She couldn’t help but think those enduring the pain to get such art on their bodies to be rather brave. She blinked, looking away as to not be rude to her friendly hosts.

“Thank you, dearie! Yes, this is my first time in this lovely village of yours. I never thought a charming place like this would even be out here. Thank goodness too, I was running low in supplies, and seeing new faces is certainly worth the quiet trip up here. Well I suppose until I helped that poor old dear. Said he was attacked by bandits or something of the sort!”

Valis looked behind her, feeling as though she was getting rather chatty, and saw there were others who needed to be tended to. She moved aside, trying to get out of the way of the several people who have entered, giving warm smiles to each of them as a greeting.

Once the raven reappeared, Seble gave a little leap, landing back into Valis’s hair. Before departing and going back into hiding, she gave a small hiss at the bird. Valis couldn’t help roll her eyes in good nature, knowing too well her friend was being a drama queen as usual. “I apologize for her behavior,” she shuffled a bit with her hooves clattering on the wooden floor, “and sorry for making the rest of you wait,” she added, feeling bad for inconveniencing anyone.

[Six Six Six]

"You!" A red robed wizard glared coldly at the black skinned elf who seemed to manifest from nothingness. But a fiendish grin was painting itself upon his pale, bearded face. He chuckled inwardly, calculating the situation. His long blonde beard gave an ethereal quality to his otherwise corpselike appearance. He looked like he could have been a priest or a demon. But he was a mage. "The guards said that Marcovius slew his assailant before he died. But it looks like they never suspected who his true assailant was."

"Not for a moment." The drow smiled with pride. And that was important. Pride was an important emotion to the typical drow, as it was one of the closest things to genuine happiness and satisfaction that they could feel. And this was one of those typical drow. Which is to say that he was no exception to the status quo of the drow of the underdark. No renegade who secretly sought to rise above the wickedness of his people. No convert to some diety other than Lolth. No lie of honor or savage nobility or dreaming of the possibility of 'redemption' marred his darkened outlook upon life. No. This creature stayed ever to the shadows, refusing to allow the horrifying light of the surface world to obscure his path to power.

His red eyes gleamed in the candlelight of the wizard's keep. They seemed to be made of red hot ore, as if his mind were a blade forged in demoniacal fires by some monstrous blacksmith of the Abyss. And soon those devilish eyes noticed the slight movements that the wizard was making with his hands. His face contorted in aggression as he noticed this for clearly a spell was being cast.

Realizing his imminent betrayal, the drow pulled his daggers and raised them to attack with intimidating speed.

But the mage was already bringing his hands forth, and before the black skinned elf could stab them down into this treacherous client's flesh, they unleashed a light that froze the drow, and then encased his form before ultimately disappearing with him. The wizard laughed heartily as the being was teleported as far away as he could be sent.

"Ha ha!" The arcane one celebrated "by the time you return, provided you survive, this place shall be empty and I will be a new man."

...

Meanwhile, in Itari, the dark elf materialized in flashing lights above a forest, where he very nearly stabbed himself as he fell through the branches of leafless trees to land gracelessly in a pile of frost, grass, and humiliation.

"Curse you, Inioch. You will not see the close of another hundred years." He said softly yet indignantly as he sheathed his weapons and got to his feet. He brushed himself off and set about wandering away from the woods. Even within the forested area, however, the winter daylight was blinding. The elf decided that it would be better to carry his daggers in hand as a precaution, and he raised his arm to shield his eyes from the light as he walked out into the cold countryside.

For four and a half blinded and freezing hours, he walked through the winter landscape. The cold wasn't so bad. The underdark cold get very cold outside of cities and settlements. It was the all of the brightness and light that made this trek difficult on him. By the time he saw a settlement ahead he was squinting so much beneath his hood, that he wasn't sure if he had actually seen it. But as he drew closer he realized it was indeed real.

Sheathing his weapons again, he made his way to the guard.

"Where am I?" He inquired quite directly "And how far am I from the city of Wyzim?"

The guard realized that this elf had come to be lost, and felt that most exploitable of surfacer's common emotions; pity.

"This is the village of Reisui, in Itari. As for Wyzim, I have never heard of such a place. If you seek wisdom of other lands, you might see Nizhar in his magic shop. But you might also wish to see the Bloodmoon sisters in the tavern first. Vivian and Cassandra are dark elves and residents of the town."

Irritated, the newcomer nodded his thanks to the guard and entered the village. The place was no sprawling metropolis, that was for sure. But it was an improvement from the bright landscape that he had spent all the past few hours trying to navigate.

And the tavern was even more of an improvement. He entered it in perfect silence. Wether or not he was noticed, it was a point of pride, and possibly more, that he should display his skill before the two drow ladies that he was told were here. Perhaps they too were assassins such as he was. But even if they were not, he knew better than to appear weak before other drow, and especially drow of the stronger sex. And so he continued, soundlessly to the bar and to be seated. Hopefully he would have been discreet enough as to have gone unnoticed.

[EWillden]

The Tavern
Vivian nodded taking the fifteen gold pieces and then looked about the tavern. She then noticed two elves in shiny gold armor sitting in one booth and then there was Feiia. Feiia the snow elf ,as she would like to call her, did some good for the village. She, like most of those that can lift up a blade, or axe, in this village brought in a few bounties here and there. Nothing too fancy, the woman was a assassin like herself, she could tell by the chosen attire. It was kind of a thing for assassin's on the surface to wear that type of clothing. At the bar she also noticed a kinsmen. A drow male, from his posture and the way he sat, he seemed to try and behave in a way as to not upset them. She did not even hear him enter, side from the sound of the doors opening and closing. Was he trying to impress them? She shrugged. She then looked down at Cassandra.

"Collect the orders or requests of the others, I will be in the back making up something for the guests to eat. If they request it or not." She then looked to the Centaur, Valis. "Your not a vegetarian by chance are you?" She asked. She waited for a a answer, and as she did so she moved past the bar and towards the backroom where the kitchen was at. She picked up a apron and put it on and grabbed some gloves. She then proceeded to make a good sized meal. Something that would be fitting for the occupants. Surface elves do not eat a whole lot of meat, they do occasionally though.

Cassandra rose up picking up her scythe staff and bowed her head slightly to Valis. "Find yourself a seat, if you have to move a few chairs around so you can sit at a table then go ahead. Also don't worry about your little friend. If I was her, I would be a little scared of Brenard as well." She said. The Raven trading places and rested upon the blunt edge of the scythes blade. It stared at the little flying rodent and scoffed at it.

"I don't know mistress, I think she is rather rude barking at me like I am some sort of animal. Seriously, I got a whole feast in back to eat, why would I even dare eat such a tiny little creature. It probably has worms....." The Raven spoke. This showed that the Raven was indeed her familiar. Only a Raven that is a familiar to a sorcerer and learn to speak like it just did. Cassandra just rolled her eyes and moved to the table with the two elves sitting at it. "What will you two be having?" She asked politely. She then looked up at Brenard. "Do me a favor and make this easier for me. See if Feiia will be having anything tonight?" She ordered. The Raven nodded and turned and flapped his large wings over to the back booth where the winter elf sat. He landed upon the table, kicking off and black feathers that managed to come off.

"Sorry for the feathers, miss. Its the malting season.... anyhow that said. Will you be having anything tonight?" He asked Feiia. His black eyes scanning her features as he waited for her answer. The snow elf was much different then most elves. Elves were pale, but only slightly compared to Feiia. She was almost the same color as the snow outside. It made her pink lips very attractive to the eye as well as her other features. She was truly something to marvel just like the rest of her people. Snow Elves.... sheesh... you would think they would come up with a better name. Frostlings would be a good one ,but that name was already taken. He shrugged his feathers and glanced at some of her toys. The knives were in very good condition and well crafted. Almost a inch away from being masterwork craftsmanship. He would say that if she ever did sell them she would be sitting on a fortune.

Eirika looked to Haldir and then back to Cassandra. " I will have a red wine and perhaps something warm to eat? Perhaps whatever, the other lady is cooking? We aren't that picky when it comes to food. As long as it tastes good we should be fine." She said. Haldir nodded and then leaned in. "You wouldn't by chance have any elven red wine back there would you?" He asked. Cassandra smirked at his question.

"I see your a man who enjoys the finer things in life. Sure we got some in back, we got plenty actually. We just got a new shipment from the capital a couple days ago. As for the meal, that will easy on her sense she wont have much more to cook. " She then lowered a hand and opened it. "That will be fifteen gold total, the wine costs a pretty penny." She said. Haldir nodded and brought out his coin purse and brought out twenty five gold pieces and placed them in her hand. "We want a room also,..." He added. Cassandra nodded and took the gold and opened her coin purse and placed the pieces inside. She then placed it back at her hip and then left them. She made her way past the bar and to the back grabbing a bottle of elven wine and two glasses and a room key. She then informed her sister of the order, telling her to make a larger order. She then returned to the main room and to their table. She set the bottle down and the two glasses. She then with a good grip of her mind pulled the cork out. She then placed the cork on the table.

She would then move to the opposite side of the bar from the drow male. She then leaned on it. "So,.. what will you be having?" She asked.
The Longhouse
The Jarl nodded accepting what the dwarf exchanged with him. "Look, Durin, with my men not being that very great in numbers I can't afford to keep sending them out after bandits. I want you to find this old man who was attacked, Likely find him at the Tavern or at one of the shops. Get what information you can, my wife will meet you at the Tavern. I don't want you going out there alone, so with her help she will gather some volunteers to go with you on this hunt. I want the bandits dead, not a single one of them shall be spared. I do not tolerate criminals in my province. " He said. He then looked to Arielle. " Arielle, I also want you to ask the sisters if they could do a bit of scouting on their way back from the mountain. This orc head is the first head I have seen this month. This proves they are still roaming inside my borders. I want them found and dealt with." He said. Arielle nodded and rose up from her seat.

She then looked to Durin, "Well, Durin, I suppose we will meet again at the tavern, until then enjoy your time here in Reisui. I only wished your visit would have been during our summer, and not our winter. It is much more enjoyable then." She said. She then bowed slightly to honor Durin and her husband and then left them. She moved right away and made way for the tavern.

Outside

Veo stepped out of his shop for just a second spotting a old man and a half-orc. The old man nodded and waved. "Hey, there old man, your late.... wheres your stock?" The old man sighed and gave the story to Veo. The satyr just crossed his arms and snorted. "Damn bandits are ruining our business, well when word gets to the Jarl. They will wish they let your wagon go by." The satyr had a goat like accent but could speak rather well. He then gestured for the old man to get out of the cold. "Ye can stay with me for the night,... I owe you that much at least for making the trek down here in the winter."

He then looked to the half orc who lacked the winter clothing of this country. He made a little whistle gesturing to the half-orc. "Hey you, you want to survive the winter? Fur coat is what you need. Several I have in my shop. Come inside and take a look. Good price for good customers." He said. The man was most certainly distinguishable between full breeds. He had converse plenty of times with Gorgamesh to show for it anyway. The half-breed was still strong in muscles, something he inherited from his father no doubt. However, his tusks were smaller. Veo honestly did not give a crap about race. Gold was gold, it weighed the same no matter which hands they came from.

[rawkhawk64]

Durin nodded at the Jarl's request. So, there was more money for him in this place. "Dead bandits I can do. And judging by the sounds of the damage from the report, it's clear that there's a group here. I'd be stupid to try and attack them alone. I'll accept any help that can be found." Durin said. He turned to the Jarl's wife, nodding in a respectful, but curt way. "Very well. I'll check the shops first." With that, the mercenary left the longhouse, heading toward what appeared to be a shop.

By Durin's reasoning was that the man that had survived would likely want to report the failure of his delivery to whoever was in charge of the store at the destination. There, he saw an old man and the shopkeeper. Durin approached, waving to signal that he meant no harm.

"Hello, gentlemen. My name is Durin, and I'm a travelling mercenary. I've been asked to investigate the bandit attack, and to head out with some others to take care of them." Durin explained, before turning to the man who had been in the convoy delivering to the town.

"So, your the survivor of the bandit attack. Mind if I ask exactly how many bandits you saw, if you can recall?" Durin asked, hoping that he'd get at least some sort of idea of the numbers he and the group would be dealing with. While waiting for an answer, he turned to what he presumed to be the shopkeeper. "What exactly was on that shipment that was coming in?" If it was weapons, caution would need to be exercised in order to ensure that everyone made it out alive. Durin would also try to see if he could return even some of the supplies.

[Pirouette]

The tavern was suddenly becoming quite popular as, most likely, new arrivals were shuffling into the town for whatever their reason. The woolly centaur, although a very interesting curiosity at first, became a faded interest in Feiia’s eyes as the novelty of a sheep-bodied centaur started to become nothing new. The woman’s cheeriness was complimented by a rather foreign accent that seemed to match her attitude quite well. Just exactly what the centaur was doing here, probably far away from her place of origin was still a mystery to the Snow Elf. Visiting family, perhaps? Whatever the reason, she seemed fairly innocent so the reason why she is traveling probably couldn’t be that far off from Feiia’s original guess.

The next arrivals were a pair of Elves, one a male and the other a female. They both had their own sets of fine, golden-trimmed armor and they looked well equipped. Their intentions were probably a lot less innocent compared to the centaur’s but they appeared to be a rather lawful sorts, not the lawful sorts hunting Feiia, but another type. Their matching armor seemed to suggest that they came from the same Order or Guard or whatever. And although the male was the first one to meet Feiia’s eye for a mutual nod, he wasn’t at all as interesting as the female. Red, youthful hair was a rather unusual trait for an elf but even more odd were the tucked away wings. She was a bizarre woman but nonetheless, Feiia couldn’t help but eye the woman with a hint of desire. She seemed to have quite a bit of traits that Feiia found particularly attractive: slender, fit, and seemingly powerful and composed. That put the number up to four rather enthralling women to be found in this little tavern: the Elf, Cass, Viv, and Feiia, most of all of course.

The Snow Elf bit her lip amid a smile as some rather vivid fantasies came to mind. Feiia had almost missed the latest entry. A movement in the corner of Feiia’s eye alerted her to the presence skulking about. If she wasn’t so alarmed about being hunted and if she wasn’t particularly skilled at sneaking around herself, she wouldn’t have noticed the male Drow. Even then, it was only just she managed to notice him. He, too, was young and seemingly agile. Most notable was there were times were Feiia would lose him for a brief second as he passed by items that obstructed Feiia’s view. Whether the man was that gifted or not was irrelevant, the fact that he was appeared to be trying to remain unnoticed definitely sent alarms running off in Feiia’s head.

The Snow Elf found herself drawing one of her belted daggers, laced with a fast acting poison, and rested it gently in between her fingers right under the table. It wasn’t just lawful sorts looking for her, but those who she would consider her own might be after her, too. Was this male Drow after her? It didn’t hurt to be prepared.

Her focus was so great that she didn’t even noticed the Raven, Cassandra’s Familiar. His sudden apology startled Feiia and she was quick to snap to attention, raising the dagger above the table and poised to strike with it. She halted within a moment as soon as she realized who it was that addressed her. Feiia sharply exhaled, mostly out of relief but out of some annoyance. “Pe-channas! You idiot!” Feiia cursed quietly so that only the two of them could hear. She lowered her weapon back under the table before continuing in a hushed voice. “I-I thought you were something else.”

Feiia took a deep breath before easing up. She was being to paranoid, maybe. But she’d have to keep an eye out for that Drow. Resuming a more natural posture, Feiia answered the Raven in a regular speaking voice, which for her always carried a bit of a “attitude” as some people have described it. “Milk or something. I don’t care from which animal, really. Whatever stew or soup that you can mix together but I want a nice variety in there so toss in whatever you have. Finally more of those bilberries that you get around here. I like those.” Feiia finished with a warm, cheery smile as she took delight in the thought of eating those berries but the moment was short and she returned to scanning the tavern for the Drow and anyone else who might be threatening.

[Termott]

“I am yes,” Valis answered Vivian, “but if that’s a problem I’ll gladly eat anything you make!” She added, knowing that the vegetarian life may be rather hard during the cold season. It wasn’t she couldn’t eat meat, as she did occasionally, it’s she preferred not to, feeling bad for the creature that lost its life.

Valis looked over, smiling at Cassandra to show she had heard her. “Thank you, dearie. I’ll be sure to not make a mess of the tavern.” The centaur made her way toward the back where she wouldn’t be in the way; briefly glancing around to see more had arrived inside. It made sense given the chilly weather.

Seble had come out of hiding, clinging to Valis, and made a chirp of satisfaction when she had heard Cassandra defend her. She had nothing against other familiars, but wasn’t too fond of anything resembling that of a bird. She figured making more of a fuss would make Valis upset with her, but she managed to sneak in a glare at Bernard as he deemed her unworthy of being eaten.

She moved a few chairs out of the way, placing them on the other side of the table she has chosen. She also removed her long cane that was hung on her side from her bag and leaned it against the wall. With everything in place, she settled down, folding her legs under her. Valis then turned to the saddle bag still strapped on her. She opened a few of the compartments to pull out a dyed ball of yarn as well a pair of knitting needles and began to knit as a way to pass time. Seble watched up from her perch on Valis’ horns, seeming to be mesmerized from the needle work.

[FancyTomato]

As Thark was heading towards the tavern, he saw a satyr gesture to him. It seemed he was selling winter gear, something Thark desperately needed. There was a small problem however: Price. Thrak's mother gave him some gold to use for taverns, but it wasn't much, 13 at most. Hopefully there would something within in his price range. if not, Thark guessed he'd be in the cold again.

A little hesitant, he decided to enter the shop. After all, there was no harm in browsing, right?

Once inside, Thark marveled at all the different odds and ends inside the shop. There were things Thark had never even seen before! Looking at all the items on the shelves, he found some fur coats and looked carefully at each one. They were made from all kinds of animals: Fox, wolves, deer, even bear.

A little overwhelmed by all the options, Thark turned to the satyr.

"I not so sure about coat choice. What one do you think would work for me? It need be cheap. Gold is good though." he said, looking a little sheepish.

[Cyrania]

The biting cold nipped under her cloak as Alastrina made her to the inn. It was her lunch break, she had a few coin, the inn's stew was delicious, she could always ask one of the sisters if they wanted anymore meat after the mill closed in the evening and of what type, and her mom was expecting a new little one so it would be better if she gave the new couple some space to savor the news. The golden-haired girl smiled ruefully at the thought, "Why did it take another man, a new family, to finally make Mom happy?" She thought to herself. "It was tough for both of us after Dad died, but couldn't she at least be happy that I was still around?" Then she slowly breathed in and out, "Calm down girl. Take it easy. Mom was never meant to not be a wife and mother, she has always loved the idea of children running around and a husband to encourage, worry about, tease, and love. She would never been happy again if she hadn't moved on and been given another chance at that dream. You did the right thing by getting them together, but they need to be able to have their family now. Hmm, maybe I should try bounty-hunting like Feiia does. You're not that well trained.

At that point, she passed by Veoznaz's store, and heard the delivery man tell the man about a bandit attack. A smile crossed her lips as she continued on, "A bandit attack? Sweet, another volunteer opportunity coming up then and this time I'll be among them, whether officially or unofficially." Then Alice arrived at the tavern, opened the door, and was astonished by all the people inside. Vivian, Cassandra, Bernard, and Feiia were all there, but the rest were strangers and interesting ones at that. There was a sheep centaur knitting its own wool into sweaters with a squirrel-like thing on her horns, a male drow elf that she barely saw with the corner of her eye that was obviously yet non-obviously trying to be unnoticed, an elf warrior maiden that resembled Arielle, with the same red hair and similar figure though with real wings while Arielle's were fake, perhaps they were related. Then lastly there was the elf maiden's companion, also an elf but with Alice's shade of golden hair, he was a warrior through and through and his elvish carved weapons were extremely beautiful, not that she would ever trade her father's sword for any other kind though she might trade her bow.

Then the young girl noticed that she had been awkwardly standing by the door while she had looked around. Feeling embarrassed, she went to the bar and sat down close to the two new elf companions' position, but away from where the drow elf male sat , he seemed to want to be left alone for the most part. While there, she waited for Cassandra to be free or Bernard to come for her order, wondering if she should leave since it was getting to be a full house today.

[EWillden]

Veo's Shop
Veo looked from the half orc to the dwarf and then back to the half orc. The dwarf was asking about the bandit attack. Did the Jarl send him?.... He had to be sure. This gave him an idea. "Did the Jarl send you, good sir?" Veo said with his goat like accent. If the answer was yes then he would have a proposition for the half orc...... then again the half breed looked pretty strong. Perhaps he could hire him for what he has planned anyways. He looked to one of the bear fur coats. It was large enough to hold the orc and large enough to keep the big guy warm. He moved over to it and grabbed it off the wall and tossed it to Thark. "Lets make a deal shall we,... A lot of very important things that I was expecting came of a wagon that was robbed by bandits. You do me this favor of killing them and bringing what is mine back to my shop and you can keep that coat. Maybe even more if you bring to me the very specific item." He said looking to the dwarf as well. Offering this bounty to the both of them. He took out a parchment which had a detailed drawing of a lock box. "Inside this lock box is a very expensive and rare jewel that I was going to add to me collection. Those damn bandits took it. Kill them and bring it back and I will throw in a little extra into what ever the Jarl is paying." He said.

The old man looked to the dwarf and nodded. "I was the one who was delivering the supplies and the lock box that Veo requested. A lot of those supplies were ordered from the tavern as well as the blacksmith's shop. He was running out of hammers." He added. He then tried to figure out what else he could tell the dwarf. "I really don't know which way they went. I was knocked down with my ankle broken. I will tell you where I was attacked though. It was about two to three miles away from the village. Maybe more. You will know when you see it." He explained.

The Tavern
Cassandra stood the for a couple more seconds before rolling her eyes and moving away from the bar. Males. She then noticed one of the locals had walked in. What was her name again? Alice? She walked over to the young woman. As she spoke Brenard came flying back from the back of the tavern with the bottle of milk and placed it on the table in front of Feiia. He then gave a slight nod and flew back to rest on top of Cassandra's scythe stall. "What will you be having?... Vivian is already cooking up something in the back. Her famous stew as always. You locals never ask for anything different.." She said with a bit of smile. "As for the drink... what will you be having? to Drink that is?" She asked. Brenard suddenly noticed the large white wings on the elf in the booth close by.

"Well that's new,... Cass, do elves of her kind come with wings?" He asked and Cassandra rose her hand at him.
"No you silly bird, and stop talking about the guests like that. It's rude." She said. The Raven nodded and was still curious about the elf woman. She was much like Arielle. Except Arielle's wings were fake and made of some hard glass. That was not easily breakable. This one had real wings. At least they seemed real. He shrugged and then looked around the tavern at all the guests. Until speaking of the devil. Arielle herself walked into the Tavern. He decided to fly over and say hello.

He flapped his large wings and perched himself on her right shoulder. "Hello miss Arielle. To what do we get the pleasure of your visit?" He asked. Arielle looked to him and smiled. She then sighed the smile fading.
"The usual Brenard. Some bandits attacked a wagon up the road a bit. The Jarl wants them taken care of. I am here to issue out a hunting party for them." She answered. Brenard nodded.
"Can I get you something to drink? We do have some good wine that came in a few days ago. Two customers are enjoying it right away?" He asked. Arielle rose a brow and shook her head at the bird.
"Maybe later,.. right now its strictly business. Vivian is in the back cooking I expect? I got something to ask of her and your master. The Jarl wants them to do a bit of scouting after there trip up the mountain." She added. The raven nodded and decided he would inform Vivian of her desire to talk to her. He flew off and made way towards the back room.

Arielle moved to a table and sat down. She was waiting for a specific dwarf to come in and that way she could inform the whole tavern what was going down and whether anyone of them would take part in the job of taking the bandits out.

[Cyrania]

"The stew would be great, thanks," Alice replied to Cassandra's inquiry. "Maybe with a shot of mead if you have any, whiskey then if not. I have enough coin." Then the blonde took out the needed coins from her coin pouch and set them on the table. Then Bernard suddenly starting asking about the female elf with wings before the drow female shut him up. Then the teen continued, "I was wondering if you guys wanted any more game. I might be going hunting again and I wanted to know if you needed some particular meat or just would like the luck of the draw. Or I could gather berries again. I should be able not to accidentally pick the itchy kind this..."

Just then, the door opened and the Jarl's wife walked in. And Alice was struck again by how similar the two elvish ladies in the room looked. Bernard flew over to Mrs. Arielle and Alice watched them while hearing Cassandra's reply. Then she saw Bernard fly back into the kitchen to tell Vivian something while the spouse of the Jarl sat down and waited for someone. "Probably waiting for the official leader of the hunting party," Miss Zukion thought."Hopefully, they won't mind if I have to get my weapons from home. I would be back lickity-split though. If they don't let me join, my hunting trip will be a good excuse to follow them. And if they do, who says you can't mix business with pleasure?"

[rawkhawk64]

Durin nodded to the satyr taking the picture to examine it. "Yes, the Jarl sent me. I'm a mercenary that happened to be passing through." The answer was short and curt, as Durin wasn't one for idle conversation. Durin examined the box further. Of course, coming from a dwarven family, Durin knew about all kinds of jewels and the value they held.

"They probably attacked the wagon seeking that jewel. Rare things don't get moved without people noticing. I'll help, but I'll split the profits with whomever you see fit." With that, Durin turned and started walking away. "If you want to come along, Orcling, then I'm meeting the Jarl's wife at the Tavern." With those words, Durin picked up his pace a bit and headed toward the tavern. Heading in, he saw that the place was bustling. After a quick scan, Durin found the Jarl's wife. He also noted two Drows, a third sitting a ways away from the crowd, a sheep centaur knitting, two members of the Order (What could they be doing here? he briefly wondered), a human girl, and a winged elf.

Durin moved to where Arielle sat, taking a seat across from her. "I've talked to the shopkeeper, as well as a survivor of the bandit attack. Seems they got guts, as the attack happened a few miles away from here. Supplies for the tavern, blacksmith, and a rare jewel for one of your shopkeepers. Recruited a half-orc along the way. He'll be along if he's interested. The keeper offered a bit more on top of the Jarl's reward for bringing the jewel back, so I suspect he's not far behind. Whatever help we can get will be nice. Perhaps one of the guests here saw the attack and can tell us more."

Durin sat in thought. He had the feeling that the jewel was why the caravan was attacked. After all, the way the shopkeeper fretted about it, it was sure to fetch a lot of money, something that bandits always had a greed for. While Durin had a bit of a love for gold himself, he at least earned his, even if it wasn't the most honest way to do so. "Will the Jarl need heads?" he asked. If so, he'd have to make sure to collect as many as he could. The more people there were involved, the more it'd have to be split. Durin himself was pretty set for a while with the 300 pieces he had, but you never knew when you were gonna go into town again, and he just might be low on supplies at that point...

[EWillden]

Cassandra shrugged at Alice. "The wild boar you brought us last time was a favorite of some of the locals so if you can get us one or two of those again that would be great. If you can't find any, just bring us what ever you can find. Berries will be tough this time of year with all the snow." She answered.

Arielle looked to Durin as he sat down. She listened as he explained what he had learned. The bandits were getting bold. Even Veo was offering a reward, something must have been rather important on that delivery. "Not all their heads, just one....." She paused for a second to look around at all the occupants. This was all that had gathered in here?... oh well they will have to do. They all looked rather skilled enough for a bandit hunt. She rose from her seat and with a loud voice she spoke.

"I would like to have all your attention!" She yelled. "Some of you know me, and some of you don't. I am the shield maiden of this region. I have a proposition and a chance to make some gold. Not to far up the northern road a old man delivering supplies was hit by bandits. The Jarl and the shop keeper Veosnaz is offering rewards for the bandits and their defeat. This is not a capture mission, this is a seek and destroy one. The Jarl does not wish for any of the bandits to be left alive. Only one head is needed, and that head belongs to the leader of this bandit group. Bring it before the Jarl and you will be paid." She said looking about the room.

Cassandra sighed and felt that that explained why they hadn't gotten their supplies yet. She was intrigued as to why Veo wanted them dead to. What was on that wagon that meant so much to him. She was curious ,and wanted to find out for herself. It was tempting to go on this mission with this group. However, there was no telling how long it would take them to find these bandits. It would not be long before they made the trip up the mountain again. Cassandra looked about the tavern to see if anyone was taking note as to what the Jarl's wife was telling them. She saw the two elves, clad in gold armor listening intently. Finally the female rose up her wings stretching for a second and then folding back in place. She moved to Arielle and bowed slightly.

"Myself and my partner are interested in taking part in this hunt. We of the order will make sure the bandits pay for their crimes." She said her head rising from the bow and she gave a little wink accompanied by a smile. Haldir rose up to join his companion placing a hand on Eirika's shoulder. "The Order of Corellan Larethian is at the Jarl's service. We will act as the executioners for these criminals who have done you people harm." He said.

Arielle nodded returning the bow that the lady gave her with one of her own. "Thank you kinsmen. You two will be traveling with Durin here. My husband appointed him as the one in charge of this hunt." She said and their eyes fell upon the dwarf. Haldir nodded and shrugged off any dis pleasantries. The dwarf was better then any drow elf I suppose. At least the dwarves were more more trustworthy. Eirika being the person she was moved to Durin and then offered her hand. "It will be a pleasure to work beside you Durin." She said. Haldir smirked and then looked about the tavern to see if anyone else would join on the quest. He then looked to Arielle. "Will a member of the village be joining us? I would expect so seeing as this attack was a bit more at home."

Arielle looked straight for the one person in the tavern that was born here. Alice. She then shrugged. "Perhaps, there might be someone who might join you." She answered.

[Cyrania]

After the dwarf came in and spoke to Mrs. Arielle, the brown-eyed teen replied to Cassandra's order, "Two boar, got it. I'll see what I can do, though I might be tangled for a bit in another type of hunt it looks like. But I promise, I'll get you the boars as soon as I can." Then the elvish shield maiden rose up and confirmed the village girl's suspicion, there was indeed bandits on the loose and volunteers were being gathered for a search and destroy mission. The red and golden haired companion elves immediately volunteered before Alice could and the dwarf was introduced to the assembly as the leader of the expedition. But when the golden male elf asked about a village representative in the party, the blue clothed girl was surprised as the Jarl's spouse looked right at her and said that perhaps there was someone would join them. At first, Alice looked around her to see if someone had snuck in that the Jarl's wife was referring to. No one had ever wanted her on a bandit hunt before. But seeing that she was really the only village born there, the blonde stood up, pointed to herself and said," Me? You want me to join? That would be.." Then she checked herself, cleared her throat, and said, "I mean, it would be my honor to aid the village by joining the bandit hunt. I've hunted in those woods for a while now, so I know the area and how to track prey. I would only need a minute to grab my gear before going outside the walls, or try for less if a minute's too long. Other than that, I can leave whenever you're ready."