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You arrived in the small hamlet of Dronabar just after lunch. Being on the road for several days, the sign over a door displayed a picture of a horrid red troll, with the word Tavern underneath it. Hope the food is better than the name you think as you enter and see an almost empty tavern. The lunch rush being over, the bar maids are finishing the cleaning up, when an ugly half-orc, We only got left overs, iffn yer hungry, and only one open table" and he points to the only table in the place that wasn't used during lunch. As you sit down he instructs a barmaid to take your order and bring you food. While sitting five others, looking much like you, road weary, come in and the Tavern Keeper gives them the same line as you, and soon all six of you are sitting together at the table, eating and talking.
Hailina looks nervously around the table. As the barmaid comes up to her she smiles a shy smile. Her beautiful brown hair falls in a braid down her back and her small, delicate features catch attractively in the light. Her voice comes out small, but audible."Whatever food you have... And water please..."
When she gets her food, she sits up on her knees and slowly eats, taking small bites and a drink of water after them. She only looksa at her plate, obviously a little nervous of the new company.
The grippli sits down at the table and begins to eat. After his first bite, he wrinkles his nose and wriggles his fingers. There's a brief smell of cinnamon before the froggie continues eating with a contented smile.
Seeing that the pretty halfling looks nervous, he gives her a friendly smile. "Don't worry, little lady. I don't bite. And the bug-eating thing is just a myth." He extends a hand. "Gow-Wabber, magician extraordinaire, at your service."
She smiles nervously. "Oh. Hi. Im... Im Hailina. I.. um.. I guess I care for people... I wouldn't mind if you did eat bugs, if thats what you liked..." She gently shakes the grippli's hand.
"Nice to meet you!" Gow's other hand produces a flower and hands it to the Halfling.
After a moment, the flower morphs into a butterfly and flits away into the rafters of the tavern. "I'm sorry - it couldn't stand before your beauty. Nothing I conjure can compare."
Hailina looks shocked, but takes the flower anyway. When it morphs she blushes. "Oh.. uh.. um.. okay.."
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Chalice wasn't exactly thrilled to be seated with a bunch of others in a tavern surrounded by the remnants of filth left over from the lunch rush, but it didn't look like she had much choice. So far things had been quiet, which suited her just fine. But of course the silence couldn't last forever.
At first she tried to ignore the exchange between the miniature pair, busying herself with adjusting her hair or sipping her wine, but eventually she had to just stop and stare.
Her eyebrows raised and face contorted into something between mild disgust and awkward disapproval.
"Coming on a little strong and creepy there, Guppy," she said after a long pause.
Hailina shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, don't worry about it. Its okay... Whats your name?" She smiled meekly.
"Oh come now, I thought it was sweet." The Tall Elf says with a grin as he surveys the table.
"He's obviously trying to make her feel more at home and comfortable sitting with a group of strangers."
He lowers his head to smile at the smaller pair. "Easiest way to do that in my opinion is stop being strangers. I'm Lanaral, pleased to meet you."
Hailia nods. "Im.. uh.. Hailina. Pleased to meet you, too." She blushed. All of this attention made her feel even more uncomfortable.
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"Chalice. A pleasure, I'm sure," she said with a tinge of sarcasm. Of course, everything she's said has been with the same tone so perhaps that was just her manner of speaking. It matched her resting b+!~+ face if nothing else.
She glanced at the halfling who seemed to be doing a poor job of hiding her discomfort and shrugged. From what she could tell, no one at the table was making the halfling feel particularly comfortable.
"Exactly! Who doesn't enjoy a bit of legerdemain?" Gow asks as he deftly produces, and then vanishes a copper piece. It reappears a moment later under his mug. Levitating it back to his hand, he begins idly rolling it across his knuckles. "It's nice to meet you both."
A rough grumble comes from the half-orc. "Hello, everyone. The name's Davak, or so they tell me." His very dark eyes, intense but not fierce, take everyone in. "I'm exploring these wonderful Brightlands up here. What are you all doing?"
Hailina shifts nervously. "I travel where I think I might be needed."
"I go wherever feels right. You might say I'm a traveler too.
Another gnome, at the barkeep's direction, sits down at the table.
"Hello all! Sorry to intrude, but the barkeep said to sit here. I'm Silva by the way." She speaks in a rather upbeat fashion.
"Any interesting news?"
"Well, that's dissapointing." suddenly realizing how that sounded, she quickly explaines, " Oh not you all, it is just that I've been looking for a solo combat contract, but haven't had much luck. I kinda need to complete a contract myself so I can qualify for officer rank." she fiddles with her ring while she talks. Then she addresses Chalice, "So, what about you? Just here for the wine?"
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Chalice raises her cup in a mock-up toast and takes another sip. "That and the conversation, clearly," she says rather dryly. It really may just be that her tone matches that sour expression on her face, rather than any actual disdain for the others at the table. Early frown wrinkles are likely in her future if she doesn't smooth out that slight permanent scowl.
Davak is listening to the others talk while eating his meal with a minimal amount of manners. "Hey, is this that 'chicken' I've heard so much about?" he asks. "Tastes like lizard."
"Ladies and Lords, I believe something has happened to my wife and children. They should have been home hours ago from the market in Geasow. The market has been closed several hours and Dagmar would have brought Randolf, Ingrid and Brigitta home straight away. It will be dark in less than two hours and she is the head of the village’s militia. She would never keep the children out this close to sun down. Please find them before the dark things that roam the night woods do."
Quite excitedly, "Is that an offer of employment? Why, I think Sez and I can help out. Of course, the contract must be done proper. I am Silva Val'Hilzanvier, sergeant of the Westland Warders. What's the pay?" Silvia is at this point standing on her chair looking at the man somewhat level.
Davak speaks up. "I would be happy to help find your family. But I am not from around here; how does one get to Geasow?"
"A share of the market coin is more than enough. Well, it is today. I just need to complete a valid contract, and payment makes it valid." she says, trying to be reassuring, though perhaps it wasn't that reassuring.
Looking to the table, "Anyone else coming, or will it be just me and the big guy?"
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Chalice sets her glass of wine down when the man approaches them calling her a "Lady". It was the formal title of respect she was fairly certain she was due, regardless of if she'd earned it or not.
"Never let it be said that I, Lady Chalice Zaurreth, ever let a man in need go unaided when there is a promise of coin. No point in dilly dallying; the sooner we leave, the sooner we get paid they are back home safely!"
Gow leaps to his feet. "Missing children? A family in need? Of course I'll help!"
Hailina looks at the man. "I guess I could help, for coin..."
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"I'm always happy to lend a hand. No coin needed."
"Follow the road north out of town for two hours to reach Geasow. The market is in the center of town. You could make it in an hour if you hurry."
Hailina Quietly finishes her drink and hops to the ground. Waiting for the others, she pulls her hair out of her face.
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Silva heads for the door. After a moment, she can be heard recounting the mission to someone outside, in quite a bit of excitement.
"All right folks; whoever all is going, let's go," Davak says as he stands up. "Or, does anyone need to prepare before we go?"
If no one mentions any preparation, Davak also heads out.
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Chalice picks her wine glass back up and knocks down the last of it before setting back down on the table with a hard clack that likely threatened to brake the stemware.
"Off we are then. Err..." Chalice leans in close to the distressed husband, discretely speaking low near his ear "You should dig up those earrings."
With that, she's out the door with the others.
Lanaral finishes his wine then gets up and stretches before easily catching up.
Lanaral chases after them calling on them to stop. "Hold fellows!"
Silva, riding a rather unusual and talkative mount, a winged cat of some sort, stays out front, taking a scout position.
She investigates the cart while the elf tracks down the runners, looking for signs if this cart was subject of bandits or just an accident. Who owned the cart, those two, or someone else?
Gow (after changing form into something a bit more suitable for travel - a female Halfling) follows along behind.
Davak is trying to see where the men went, and what might have happened to the cart. If it just looks like the cart turned over, he'll try to right it, and re-fill it with the potatoes.
Hailina looks around the cart for injured persons.
"Anyone need help? Healing?"
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"Please sir, we found the cart like that. We are just hungry and need the food" they tell him as they cower up against a tree.
The rest of you go to the cart, and see that the handcart was turned over, apparently during a scuffle, and a rotting human corpse lays about ten feet beyond the cart. There are easily seen tracks leading off to the east into the woods.
Halina calls out to see if there is anyone wounded that needs help or healing.
Davak looks at the corpse briefly, but probably can't tell anything about it (unless it's actually an aberration corpse or some weird ooze). Davak rights the cart and replaces the potatoes until those who chased after the other men come back.
Silva's mount, by this time revealed to be Sez, helped right the cart and start putting the good potatoes back in.
Silva, with a hankerchief over her nose, investigates the body. She is no expert, but she hopes to at least determine whether the cause of death was a weapon, like a sword, or an animal/monster attack, or potentially worse if no outward wounds are perceptable.
Hailina kneels by the corpse.
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