Namelessjake

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

Griff trudged along with the group. He'd never liked travelling though mountains however it was unavoidable if you had to travel any great distance in Estovet. The mountain range running right down the centre of the continent made sure of that. At least it keeps the Arcarti contained somewhat. He thought to himself. There was obviously always travel by ship but that often meant sailing the very long way down and round Cape Hanvui at the bottom of Estovet. Tuning into the conversation, Griff broke off his train of thought. "Stories are always good." He said, hoping to find out more about his companions. There could be a problem if any of them turned out to be an agent of the Empire. "I have a few good ones, but I'll save them for later." He added, hoping to get the ball rolling. There was a strategic reason for finding out more about the party but also there was the fact they had a long way to go and he'd rather not walk it all in silence.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

"That's good. The more the merrier." Griff said in response to Johnathon. The more of them there were, the easier it would make the journey. Also it would be easy to go unnoticed in a larger group should they be questioned. The newcomer being covered in blood was suspicious, however Griff just chalked it up to him being involved in whatever had happened with the werewolf back in Aldrun. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Adrian taking command, much to his surprise. Back in the Mast the boy had been drunk but still hadn't seemed the type to lead like this. "Lead the way." Griff said, humouring the boy and gesturing towards the path before them.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

Griff walked quickly along the road, hoping the catch up with the others. The werewolf leaping over Aldrun's palisade had taken everyone by surprise and in the confusion that followed he had lost his companions. Griff's brisk pace meant he had long since left any of the other fleeing people behind and he was now alone making it much easier to track the group. He made his way up a slope, earlier from the crowds he had seen them begin their climb, noting the displaced rocks where they had passed. The snow made things a lot easier and he was soon just following footsteps. Hearing voices Griff slunk into the tree line and slowed down, moving through the forest silently. He stopped when he could make out a group of men. One was Crom, that was clear, the man towering over the rest. Moving closer Griff could make out John and Adrian, although there was another man covered in blood and wearing nothing but a cloak. Wary of the stranger, Griff stepped out from the trees and made his way up to the group. "Ah, there you are." He called out, announcing his presence. He joined the group and eyed the bloodied stranger. "Who's this?"

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

I'm going away this weekend so don't wait on me or anything. I'll try and post but if not I'll definitely post Sunday when I'm back.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

"No idea." Griff responded to Crom. "Although you're right about sticking to the back streets, I don't know about you but I'd rather not get caught up in what's happening outside the tavern." He added as more shouts and screams could be heard. The one of wolfman worrying Griff, they'd only ever been stories to him but in broad daylight it would be hard for someone to confuse what they saw. "We should get to the gate out of town quickly, hopefully word won't have reached them yet and they won't have closed the gates. We could be stuck here for days if that happens." He added before starting down the alleyway, away from the pier and in the direction of Aldrun's main gate.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

"Thank you." Griff said to the bartender, nodding in appreciation. He quickly reached into his pocket and tossed the man a coin. Stamped with the League of the Edict of Tovasel it probably wouldn't be too much use to the man but it sent a message. "Let's go." Griff added, making for the ale room and ushering for the others to follow. The ale room itself was a dark dank room with barrels of ale lining the walls. Sawdust lined the floor mopping up any spillages, of which there had certainly been many over the years, the place reeked of alcohol. Griff made his way through the room towards the door on the other side. Reaching the door, he drew his dagger from his jacket just in case and slowly opened the door. With a loud creak it opened, lighting up the dark room with sunlight. Griff ducked through the low doorway and into the alley. Deserted. That was a good sign. He stowed his dagger away and moved out of the way of the others. The alarm bells had stopped ringing now but the clink of guardsmen running in their armour could be heard from the main road and smoke from the harbour was still billowing up into the clouds.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

"Excellent, the journey should be much easier with the four of us." Griff said smiling to the man who had now introduced himself as John. John looked about the same age as Griff. His clothing was well worn, similar to Adrian's, although Griff noted that it appeared to have be repaired a few times at least. Griff's eyes flicked to Crom's hand as it brushed across the pommel of his sword. "That's quite the blade." He retorted, noticing the ornate nature of the hilt. The golden crossguard and pommel stood out greatly in the man's appearance. It was not the weapon of your common drunkard mercenary. A once great knight now fallen from grace or simply stolen? Griff favoured the latter of the two origins of Crom's sword. He turned to look at the tavern's door as the voices outside grew louder, when a loud scream pierced through the muffled shouts, the situation outside clearly having escalated. "Although it sounds as if now is not the best time to get to know each other." He said, knowing that he wanted no part in whatever was happening on the other side of the door. "There wouldn't happen to be a back door would there?" He asked, turning to the bartender.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

Griff chuckled slightly at Adrian's remark. "Yes over by the League." He said finding the boy's naivety amusing. "It can be dangerous, but not always for the reasons you might think. The League aren't monsters like you'll here in most of the East. They just believe the Empire has had its time. Lots of people on the fringe of the Arcarti's influence want the Empire gone and the League is willing to fight for those people." Griff said, hoping he had stopped soon enough. People this far east could still have a negative view of the Empire but Griff preferred not to expose his allegiances in front of complete strangers. "It's all a matter of opinion, the only real fact is that war is coming. That's why I'm heading home, I want to be able to protect my family." He added. In truth, what remained of his family had lived on the edge of the Empire but now that land was part of the League and the others didn't have to know that.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

"Griff Caden." Griff replied, offering a hand to Crom. He was never afraid of using his own name, with how much he moved around it meant very little, at most, to people. False names also created chances of slipping up. "I am as a matter of fact." Griff continued, this time to both Crom and Johnathon. "I'm headed over the mountains towards the border. My family is from around there, on the edge of the Empire." He added. It wasn't a complete lie, his family had lived on the edge of the Empire and he had decided to head west. From the commotion outside it sounded like it would be best to leave town and in a party would be much less suspicious. Also it was a proven fact his job had a greater impact where there was already a strong resistance and the regions near the border with the League had just that.

Griff tried to make out as much as he could of the muffled conversation coming from the door, however he could make little of it out through the thick oak door. Wary of the tavern being searched, Griff downed the remainder of his drink and lightly patted his chest, making sure his dagger was where he would expect it to be should trouble arise. His long sword would be far too clumsy in such a small space.

Fire in the West (Freeroam)

Sweet, not a bad map either.