Variel Lothloren's page

"That sounds like a solid plan, Xukari. I'll go gather my gear, and then we can lock the house up and head on our way. Feel free to finish the meal before we head out while I get ready, and then we'll make our way to the farms near where the attacks are occurring. Make sure you all are ready to get your hands dirty, we head out as soon as we're all set."

With that, he makes his way out of the dining hall and upstairs to his room, to put on his adventuring gear and pack for the start of the journey.

"I agree with Adrasteia, the townsfolk would be very grateful for a reduction in the attacks in the area. Since the attacks seem to be happening later in the day, perhaps now is the perfect time for us to test our teamwork against them, before heading down into the delve. See how each of us fights, and how good we are at it. Besides, people always seem to be closer to one another after having fought side-by-side, so this will also help our bonds as a team. What do the rest of you think?"

Upon hearing the loud knock, Variel holds up a hand." Let me see who that is. I wasn't expecting anyone else. Please, wait here while I see who it is." Variel heads to the Door, opening it up to speak with the man at the entrance. After hearing about what the man has to say, he nods, closing the door and returning with a troubled look on his face.

Knowledge:local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Variel nods at the words of both Xukari and Adrasteia.

"To answer your question Litonya, my family never expected any of the groups to die, but accepted that it was a likely outcome due to the dangers of the delve. Every group we guided was always warned of this, and there have been time that group's have been dissuaded from those warnings. However, treasure hunters are a hard lot to convince to err on the side of caution. My family simply ensured that those who refused to listen to caution, at least were able to make it safely to the delve, and not die on the way there. Also, we never squeezed the last coin out of them, our rates have always been modest compared to other guides in the area.

He then gestures towards the kobold."Xukari had it correct, not everyone dies. Many groups came back unable to get far, and simply left the area, disinterested in what they believed to be an unattainable treasure. I believe our group has the best chance of any that have ever been assembled due to inside knowledge of the dungeon, and the diversity of our group allowing for far more adaptability."

He takes a breath, and then takes on a serious face, much in contrast to his normally jovial expression he's had when speaking with any of you.

"Please, do not mistake my mood and joviality for naivety. I am very much aware of the dangers we face, and I am pragmatic enough to be very aware that, although our chances our likely the highest of any group that has attempted this, that does not mean they are high. If we aren't able to at least trust that each of us will have the other's backs, then our chances will drop to zero, swiftly. The diversity of this group also means it's likely that there will be a great deal of friction as we get deeper into the Delve. I don't really know any of your motivations for WHY you want to head into the Delve, and I only know as much of your background as you've been comfortable telling me. Adrasteia is correct, unlike the rest of you, I am not an outsider like the rest of you. I likely don't have the same urge to prove myself to the world as some or all of you might. My reasons are less about personal issues then familial ones: I want to be able to prove to others that my family isn't just leading people to their deaths for profit. I want to prove, by putting my own life on the line and going in there myself, that we, my family, are the best at what we do, and that if needed we can guide people through the Delve itself. I promise you all, here and now, that I am willing to risk everything; my job, my standing, even my life to ensure this venture succeeds. My family isn't aware of what I'm planning, and if this goes badly, I might very well be out of a job, and possibly ostracized by my family for what I'm doing. But I'm willing to put my life and faith in this group. So I ask that, even if we may not get along, if friction should happen due to varying ideologies or inter-personal conflicts, at least be willing to have that same trust in one another. Just as different metals can be melted together to form a stronger metal, so do can our group be forged into a stronger being, one that will withstand this dungeon and all it's dangers to stand triumphant as the first to plumb it's depth's to the absolute fullest, and finally claim the treasure at the bottom."

After his long, impassioned speech he takes a look around. "So, what do you all say? All I'm asking for is an equal share of whatever we find, to be an equal partner in this venture with you. Are you all ready and willing to make history with me?"

After letting everyone eat a bit and relax a little, he finally addresses the group by clearing his throat.

"I want to thank you all for agreeing to meet here. I'm going to be honest, my family normally doesn't meet with the groups they agree to take to the Delve before-hand, because it's not really good for guides to get attached to the people they are helping possibly kill themselves in a dungeon famous for no one ever having fully explored. However, there are two things different about this venture then all the others my family has guided. Number one: No group has ever been as diverse and multi-talented as the group we have assembled here today."

He lets this first part set in before finishing with his speech.

"Number two: No one in my family has ever participated in the delve itself until today. In return for showing you the way to the Delve, all I ask in payment is an equal share of what we find. What your group lacks is someone capable in dealing with traps, and I've studied how to deal with such things. Not only that, but I know that many of the townsfolk here are...unsettled by your appearances. I'll be able to be a viable liaison with the town and our group, gathering information when needed. I'm also able to carry my own in a fight, although not as well as Adrasteia. So, here's the plan: I'll take you through the usual trails to the entrance to the Delve, and from there, we start the first successful completion of the Delve. We'll be rich and famous, and after that no one around here will ever care about what you all might look like, when they have living legends to look up to. So, what do you all think?"

Variel would allow the sylph and Adrasteia to walk by towards the dining room, informing them that they may eat as much as they like. Upon looking back outside and seeing the Kobold he'd been waiting for skittering to a halt near the doorway, he nods and motions for him to enter. "Indeed my friend, everyone coming here today was invited by me. It's going to be a very odd group I've assembled tonight, but I believe it is that very oddity that will allow this venture to succeed where all others have failed. Please, do come inside and partake of the food and drink's I've provided while I await our final guest to arrive, Mr. Orryn."

Variel will make way for Xukari to enter, and then await Orryn to make his way to the doorway so that he can enter as well. Once he does, Variel will escort him to the dining room and allow those assembled to have their fill of food. Once they're all full, then he'll let them get a little bit used to one another before he addresses the group.

Variel finishes setting up the simple meal he had asked to be prepared. Although nothing impressive, at least by his family's standards, it was varied enough to accommodate the large variety of people who were coming to meet him. Upon finally hearing the first knock at the door, and the questioned greeting, he heads over to the entrance to greet the first of his guests. Unsurprisingly to him, it is his lion bodied acquaintance.

He offers a friendly smile and greets her. "Hello there Adrasteia, good to see you made it. I'm not surprised you're the first one here. I have drinks and food ready in the dining room, and I've given the workers the rest of the night off, so we should all be left alone and uninterrupted. Please, help yourself to whatever you'd like while we wait for the others to arrive."

As he finishes, he hears the very loud shouting of a very excited female out of sight of his door. Chuckling, he goes to open the door for her to enter, and then looks towards the Sylph. "I suspect you might be Orryn's companion he mentioned he was bringing. Please, come on inside and bring him along too if you would. We've got just one more guest we're waiting on, and then we can begin. I've got food and drink for you all, so please eat what you want until we're all here."

Alright, so probably what I would do is after the last of you lets me know about your wishes to see the Delve, I'd send out a message to everyone, inviting them to a meeting likely at my home in town. I know that some of the people in the group might not like the place because of his family being fairly well off, but it's likely the only place in town that I could gather them all without drawing a lot of attention so that I can talk to them. Likely this would coincide with his parents leaving for some trip or to visit some relatives in another town, telling him to remember his training, and not to take any crazy groups for his first time running things on his own without supervision. Since elves like to take their time with things, they'll likely be gone for a few months thus giving my hero the perfect opportunity to actually go into the delve without having to deal with repercussions from his family.

Just throwing it out there, do you think you guys would accept his invitation to meet at his place in the town?

So, it sounds like more or less that I have met most if not all of you at one point or another. I guess all I really need to know is wither or not all of you have expressed interest at one time or another of taking a dive into the delve.

So, I need to be our Dustin?

I had set myself up as part of a family of elves that has guided people to the ruins for money for a long time, so it would make sense if people are looking for a guide, that I"d be the choice. Since this group is supposed to be my first solo-run as a guide, it wouldn't seem so odd that the group is a little...out of the ordinary until I learn better.

Ok, here is my new character, and the one I'll be using with this group for this dungeon. I will include his background below.