In Lock & Key Tavern's Back Room...
Dorian nodded in agreement to the Northern Orc as he would explain. He looked at Faline, who had been expressionless while Maltar expressed his questions and Amandine spoke of the dead not paying taxes asked. She gave a silent nod of acceptance of the position.
"Maltar is correct, this is about Duskrot cases rising. Your mentors are out in search of a cure for the disease. Some may call the disease by different names, however, everyone agrees with how devastating its effects are," the host spoke as he circled a village nearby on the map that lay on the table before him.
"This current outbreak is traveling faster than previous times. Usually, the Emperor has been able to order guards to quarantine sick people. The spread has spread so rapidly that this village on the map has a border built around it. No one, except secret personnel, is allowed in. This is where your mentors will meet you all, hopefully with a cure. We've already received reports of outbreaks happening within cities, which means-," Dorian began to speak but was quickly interrupted by the redheaded half-Elvian.
"Someone is deliberating releasing diseased people within the city," Faline finished as she stood up from her chair and stretched, then crossed her arms as she looked at Dorian as if she already knew this information. Dorian raised an eyebrow at Faline.
"My uncle was receiving mysterious reports in a code from the city guard in Volenstul, asking what they should do in the meantime. Hopefully, some mages would have been smart enough to escape the Gallows. They removed the mages and relocated them to a makeshift camp near the Docks. Not by my uncle's recommendations, by the Emperor's," Faline explained.
"Thank you, Faline, for being brash as ever," Dorian said with an annoyed tone while Faline rolled her eyes.
"To answer your question, Torsten, the group is being asked to travel to the woods to retrieve an artifact. Legends surrounding this piece have been rather intriguing. The Emperor believes that the artifact could help halt the Duskrot outbreak," he said as he laid a book with the legendary artifact on the table.
"That artifact is The Amulet of Selene."Faline peered at what this possible goose chase was supposed to lead them to. The artifact was the product of a war chief who had fought the First Emperor when the ruler was trying to unite the land under one power. Before the First Emperor, Vradia was divided among war tribes. Now, many of these customs and cultures of said tribes were left to myths and tales.
"The Amulet of Selene is just an old tale of the Hiemaquas Dragonian tribe. All that is in here is the general whereabouts of what could maybe be the general area of the battlefield where the First Emperor fought them," Faline said as she bit her lip in nervousness. This old tale wasn't a lot to go on, especially without talking to the mentors directly about what they thought of it.
Suddenly, a hissing sound like a bottle of wine slowly being corked open, a man stepped out of a heap of armor. Faline arched her eyebrows and didn't know what to say. The suit of armor began to move towards the table and sit amongst them. Was there someone inside there? Sure enough, such an inquiry was answered by the armor man reaching forward for food and drink.
"To answer your question, Torsten, the group is being asked to travel to the woods to retrieve an artifact. Legends surrounding this piece have been rather intriguing. The Emperor believes that the artifact could help halt the Duskrot outbreak. And Sir Anviltank, how kind of you to officially join us," he said as he laid a book with the legendary artifact on the table.
Meanwhile in the woods with Pebble...
The man who complied with Pebble's requests was not only embarrassed by his less-than-average 'stature' but was now lame and served up to the Rotted that began to creep and crawl through the spiked fences. The Rotted got a few bites into the man's flesh before Pebble's deft-tone voice froze them in stride. They followed her along the fencing until her voice was too far away to be heard.
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Silent Showers
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