The half-orc helps stow the gear upstairs, hoping that the pay off will be worth the trouble of hauling it across town and country.
When they're finished, he replies to the thread of conversation. "I could do with a walk anyway. A chat with the sheriff about the Host is not a bad idea, and it is his job to listen," Karth remarks. "If he doesn't believe us then that is on his shoulders."
Errigal digs into the meal with gusto and finds himself pleasantly surprised, "This venison is good stuff, definitely a nice change from fish." He then helps the others haul the loot up to the room and settles in to enjoy his wine.
Once conversation starts up about visiting the sheriff Errigal says, "I'll stay here with Katherine to keep an eye on the strangers."
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The party makes its way back down stairs before splitting. The majority of the group stepping out into the early evening night to make their way to the town hall, leaving Katherine and Errigal behind to keep watch of the two newcomers.
After just few minutes from the rest of the group's departure, the unusual pair begin to whisper to each other in a hushed tone before the ashen dwarf gives a grimace and pushes up to his feet, the raven on his shoulder peering around curiously. He walks directly up to the pair's table, the stench of unwashed skin surrounding him, scraps of meat sticking out of his knotted beard. He frowns before he speaks, finally talking in careful words with a thick, unrecognizable accent that seems closer to elven than dwarven so its obvious that the common tongue isn't familiar to him. "You... Come from Dragon Delve?"
Errigal
As the rest of the group leaves the Lost Shepherd a round faced woman who looks to be in her forties is walking alone towards the tavern. As she see's the party her eyes go wide and she quickens her pace towards them, waving her arm in greeting. She talks quickly, somewhat excitedly though there is a pleading look in her eye as if she were used to being turned away. "Oh please, are you the ones that Judello told me about, who set off to the dungeon? He said that Felgar approved of you, so you would probably be back tonight or tomorrow. I come every few days to the tavern just in case, I was worried I may have missed my chance..." She pauses for a moment to catch a breath and try and calm. "I need your help. Please."
Zeldin smiles at the woman. Please walk with us and tell us what you need as we go.
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The woman nods her head thankfully to Zeldin and turns to begin to walk along with the others, speaking as they move.
"Thank you, sirs. My name is Dressa Drave and I was hoping that you may be able to help me with my brother. Help me find my brother. There were some bad times around town, maybe a year and a half ago... People started to turn up missing, then they started to find their bodies. Was terrible. This was before all the goblins had moved in and from what I've heard it was worse than what even they would do anyway. A dozen or so people gone over half as many months. My brother, Chasmal, he was the last to disappear and they never found any remains. The sheriff, he scours this land pretty good but I know he don't touch that dungeon. Unless whoever was doing this was so good at hiding, I have to think they might have laired in that dungeon. I..."
She finally pauses for a breath in her rapid speech, taking the moment to wipe away a growing moisture from her eye before finishing "I know its been too long to hope that Chasmal just hasn't found his way home yet, but even though he was a farmer my brother always was a fighter too. He wouldn't have given up easily. I like to think that since he was the last to go he stopped whoever was doing this. If such attacks came from the dungeon or near it, talking to folks like you is the only way I'll ever actually know, so I try and catch every adventurer I can. I know its a silly thing, but please, keep an eye out for my brother."
As Zeldin walks he says, Dressa, I will look out for Chasmal while I am exploring the Delve. How may I know him when I see him?
Then, as something of an after thought he adds, What was the condition of the found bodies?
As the dwarf approaches Katherine and himself, Errigal holds out his hand as if to offer a handshake, but then lowers it with a grimace as he notices the unpleasant dwarf's body odor and general cleanliness. After the dwarf delivers his crude greeting Errigal answers, "Well, we're not from there if that's what you mean. We're actually from all over the place and banded together for a trip to the Delve to do some exploring. This here is Katherine and I am Errigal." At this point Errigal gives a SLIGHT bow and continues with, "Whom do we have the please of speaking to?"
Karth strides along, listening to the woman's plea and briefly wondering how she manages to maintain the same enthusiasm if she's asked every adventurer to head into the Delve.
"You don't think this is related to the abomination in the shrine?" he asks Zeldin, the thought that such a question might not be appropriate in front of the bereaved.
"I would also like to ask, if it's not to much a bother, about what Chasmal was doing right before he went missing. The others as well... Did they go missing during the day or night, from outside town, inside town, or even from their own homes." Kend decides as he walks that the sheriff they are even now heading to see may be the better one to ask. And has an interesting thought. Perhaps Chasmal was the last one to go missing and never turned up because he was the intended target. Or he could have fled because he was responsible. No, I shouldn't speculate without more information.
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The dwarf maintains his scowl though he doesn't seem particularly bothered when Errigal pulls his hand away. He listens before giving a slight nod of his head as if he were trying to process that information. It gives the sense that its not just his poor language skills that make talking to him difficult. "So you do not come from Dragon's Delve, but you come from Dragon's Delve now?"
He frowns a bit more, processing that before the next question catches up to him. "I Malik. This is Kadh. He a crow." Like it wasn't pleased with the introduction the raven's wings spread and it pushes off of the dwarf's shoulder, flapping across the room to land on the table next to the odd human who seems to be watching a bit more intensely now.
The woman frowns at the questions, clearly wishing she could give better answers. "Chasmal is tall and slim, quite the opposite of me in looks. He had the same brown hair and eyes though." She pauses realizing that she referred to him in past tense and it makes her brow knit together before she continues on. "I don't know much else that might help... As I said he was a farmer and sometimes logger and he dressed like one, but who knows what could have happened in this last year? He did have a ring though, something he found when we were children. Probably could have bought a whole new farm with it but he always thought... Always thought it kept him safe. Was a gold band with a pretty green stone."
The other questions are much harder and she shakes her head "The bodies, from what I heard were in pretty bad shape. Never saw them of course, but I heard you could hardly tell who they were when they were found. As for when... All the attacks happened at night and none in the town proper, but among all the different farms that surround it. Some of the folks may have been out, I suppose, but not many around here go out after dark, so I imagine most were snatched from the house. Chasmal, he was... He has a separate little house on our land. I had supper with him and then went back to the family. He never showed up the next morning, his door was wide open and he was gone..."
Her eyes turn to Karth and widen, something mixed between hope and fear showing in them. "You saw something? Did it have Chasmal, look like it could have done all this?"
We have seen some terrible things today, though nothing that looked at all like you describe your brother. We shall however keep our eye out for him and hope that we return him to you whole. Zeldin tries his best to be reassuring but after all this time there is not much hope in hiss mind for more than a proper burial.
Errigal nods to the dwarf saying, "Malik," then to the odd human, "and Kadh. Well met."
Errigal then pauses a moment, glancing at the crow and at then Katherine, finally shrugging and continuing on, "Yes we did come from the Delve. Why is that of consequence to you? May we help you with something? And where do such fine examples of citizenry as yourselves hail from?"
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The dwarf glances back towards the other table and then shakes his head a bit. "Crow is Kadh. Him is Jondor."
When the dwarf looks over the odd man stands up and approaches, giving a tight lipped smile. While far from fancily dressed he seems to keep himself much more meticulously than the dwarf, his clothing kept straight and his black hair slicked back with some form of grease.
As he speaks, his accent is much like the dwarf's though he has a very odd way of talking. It seems he never lets his mouth open more than he needs to and the result is somewhere between odd and offsetting like he were keeping his lips together to hide missing teeth. Still he seems a fair bit more charismatic than the dwarf.
"Greetings, travelers. I hope my friend here isn't disturbing you. He is curious and doesn't always think before he speaks. The Dragon's Delve is something special to us. We have heard legends that someone of importance to our faith may have some tie to the place. We don't know when or how, but we hoped we may find who this is."
Errigal turns a shade of red at realizing his mistook the introduction of the crow as the dwarf's companion, but recovers somewhat as he listens to Jondor explain himself.
Errigal asks, "We may be able to help, what faith do you profess to have? So far we've only explored a short distance in to the ruins. I'm sure there are many dangers, and hopefully, many wonders left undiscovered."
Kend nods in support of Zeldins words, not sure what else can be done for Dressa.
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Dressa nods her head at that, a thankful look in her eyes as she gives a low bow towards you all. "Thank you again, kind sirs. I often check the Shepherd, but if you hear anything please tell Judello, I would wish to know immediately. I should probably be going, its already getting dark. I don't wish trouble on my way home."
She gives another small bow before turning and hurrying down the road towards the edge of town.
Pushing open the door to the townhall finds it quiet this time of night. The constables are either home sleeping or out on their evening patrols, depending on their shifts. At the far end of the hall the sheriff sits at one of the tables pushed to the wall. His finely made bow sits beside him, already carefully polished and given full attention. Now his long blade is balanced on its tip before him while he runs a whetstone along its edge, maintaining its sharpness and fighting patina.
As you walk within, he raises his head to look at the party, a brow raising slightly. "So you return, I see, and with all your numbers. Most impressive. Many do lose their lives to the delve, though I think that local legend may inflate that number. I suspect that most instead find they don't have the mettle to continue within and decide a farming life is more suited to them."
He smiles a bit at that, setting his sword aside for the moment and crossing his arms over his chest. "Just what can I do for you now?"
Jondor sucks at the teeth behind his lips for a moment as if considering the question before responding. "I... I do not know how to say it in your tongue. Our faith appreciates strength, of arm and of courage. That such a hero to us may come out of a trial such as the Dragon's Delve is like to say that steel comes from a forge. It is our duty to find this one."
Errigal considers Jondor's words for a moment before answering, "I am a little confused on what you are looking for, but my friends and I did enter Dragon's Delve and return today. We were challenged and some of us showed courage in the face of adversity," Errigal glances at Katherine at this point and gives her a smile,"but I wouldn't call any of us heroes just yet."
Errigal finishes with,"So does that answer your questions? Or is there something else we can do to help?"
Karth remains silent and shrugs noncommittally when the woman asks if they saw anything.
At the sheriff's, he steps forward, ready to relate matters he actually knew something of. "We encountered a band of goblinoids just within the Delve. We had reason to believe they might be a part of the Bestial Host. We slew several of them, and some of my companions thought we should let you know in case they might rally to take vengeance on the town."
Indeed, it seemed prudent to let you know that at least some nest of them was in the entrance to the Delve.
Also, have you seen the strangers inat the Shepherd? They are not eating or drinking and they do not seem interested in the Delve. They are asking questions about who is who in town. It might be nothing, but we thought it better to report than to sit silent.
As the sheriff starts to reply, Zeldin interupts What do you know about Chasmal Drave?
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The man gives a shake of his head at the question. "No, I don't think that it just is a result of walking in and out again or Kadh there could be our champion." He chuckles a bit at that to which the crow gives a loud squawk.
"I thank you for your time in answering these questions. Every bit shows more of what we search." He gives a small bow then before turning towards the dwarf "Come, Malik." and turning to walk back to the table they had settled in. The dwarf gives a bit of an awkward copy of the bow before following suit.
DC 20 Perception
Listening to your words, the sheriff nods his head. "I don't think the bulk of the Bestial Host's forces lie within the Dragon's Delve, but I have suspected that it is used as a hideaway for them at the least. I'm not sure if it has any real significance though. I don't have the manpower to try and launch a real expedition into the dungeon to try and clear them out in any case, the gobbos are bad enough no less dealing with traps and whatever other creatures live there but are peaceful enough they only eat whatever is stupid enough to walk into their mouth. No offense."
He turns to look at Zeldin when the question pops up, raising a brow a bit "You've spoken with Dressa I see. A pity really, the poor woman was very fond of her brother, quite close. Never was quite able to accept his loss without thinking that he was a hero and vanquished whatever snapped him up instead of the fact it could have simply moved on. If he slayed the killer then there would have been no reason he didn't return home after all."
He shrugs slightly "I would imagine she gave you the bare bones of the story. Something spent about 6 months stalking and killing villagers. Doing some pretty horrific things to the bodies. Torn open, chunks and limbs missing, you name it. We've had cults from time to time pop up around some lore or ancient evil that had a connection to the delve at this point or that in its history, but I would have figured that if folks were getting sacrificed then it would have looked more like a ritual. This looked like it had fun with the killing. Nearest I could figure might be a bugbear since those bastards love to sew fear and are good at the stalking, but this was before the bestial host really started causing us trouble so he would have had to be working lone and I wouldn't have expected the trouble finding Chasmal's body that we've had. No good in spooking folks if they don't see your handywork."
Hiding a grimace, Errigal lets out a sigh of relief, leans towards Katherine and speaks in low tones to her, "Something is very strange about those two. The dwarf had some type of paste, like make-up, covering his skin and the human has filed teeth. Those two are trouble."
We will keep our eyes out for Chasmal, but I suspect that is a very cold trail.
We will also keep you informed about what, if any, more of the Horde we find in and around the Delve.
Would you like to come with and talk with the odd fellows at the Shepherd?
Kathrine nods towards Errigal once the strange dwarf and the man go back to their tables. Leaning her head forward to whisper with Errigal, she speaks softly so as not to be overheard, "I agree Errigal, they are very strange and I have not met a person yet with pointed teeth that didn't intend something bad. Unfortunately, I doubt we can just fling baseless accusations to the sheriff. I think I would prefer to sleep in the communal room this night if you and the others do not mind."
Then, Kathrine flashes Errigal a smile and she leans back into her chair again, "And thank you for the compliment."
Waving the barmaid over she orders another drink and turning back to Errigal, Kathrine speaks up once again, "So, where do you come from Errigal? I don't believe you ever mentioned your home."
Errigal stutters uncomfortably for a moment, then seems to relax and answers Katherine, "I come from far to the south, across the Inner Sea. Have your heard of Sothis? It's a port city in the land of Osirion. I grew up there and on ships sailing the Inner Sea." Errigal pauses to see Katherine's reaction and then continues, "And where do you come from?"
"The timing of Chasmal's disappearance may just be coincidental with the ending of the bug bear attacks, something else entirely may have befallen him. I'm just glad Dressa has somewhat accepted he will probably not be coming back, it would have been uncomfortable if she were to ask us to go out of our way to find him. As it is, we will keep our eyes open... not that we would last long in the Delve if we didn't. It does no harm to have a bit more information of what we might come across and I do hope we can find Chasmal to help his sister be at peace. Well, that just about covers everything that needed mentioning. Thanks for your time."
Karth nods and gives an appreciative grunt. "Eyes wide, ears pricked. The woman deserves to know what happened to her brother, if it can be found out. It costs us little." Karth half-turns towards the door, waiting for the other's cue to leave.
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Kathrine's eyes widen as Errigal gives a short account of his experiences and where he comes from. Not wanting to seem rude she picks up the trick that the barmaid eventually gives to her and sips at it before answer.
"I come from a small logging town near Mivon. My father was the Captain of the Town Guard and trained me to use all manner of weapons. I served under him for a time, and even led a small unit. Our town got attacked by goblins, that's where I got this," Kathrine reaching up to brush against the scar on her face, "and afterward I decided to come out here to the Delve. My father went to the Delve before he became a guardsman and he only told me about the Delve a few months ago. I guess I'm here partly to learn more about what happened to my father.
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The sheriff considers the various opinions before nodding his head. "I am used to strangers passing through town and try to keep appraised of them. However, beyond having heard of these two newcomers I haven't investigated them further as I assumed they were here for the Delve. I will be sure to keep an eye on them."
"I am sure that Dressa will appreciate any help you can give, though honestly I don't have much hope at this point. Its been a long time now. The poor lass just can't seem to fully let go. Hopefully, time will heal all wounds."
"I'll make sure the constables are on alert in case the host has been stirred up. Hopefully though, you have thinned there numbers a bit and it will make them think longer before making an attack. They aren't known for their thinking though."
The odd pair stays at their table and focuses on their drinks, a little too much perhaps as its quite obvious they are watching the two of you over the rims of their mugs while you chat about your history.
Taran does make her way around the room to refill your mugs, pausing at the table and giving a nervous glance from you to the other patrons. Obviously the girl has noticed something odd about them as well and seems to be asking if there is any trouble.
Thank you for what you do for this town. Goodnight. Zelsin says to the sheriff. What a thankless job it must be he thinks.
With nothing else planned, Zeldin is ready to head back and get some sleep.
As Kend-Krid heads back to the Lost Sheperd, he enjoys the quiet of the evening and reflects upon the present. The adventurers I wound up exploring the Delve with can all handle themselves. I may not have been at the top of my game today, but tomorrow I will do better. We got quite the haul today and after we sell in the morning, everyone will have enough coin to either stay at the Sheperd for a while, or move on if they decide the Dragon's Delve is not for them. I wonder if Kathrine and Errigal found anything out about those strangers. Well, we'll have plenty of time to discuss them when we divvy up the spoils.
When Kend gets back, he checks with Judello to make sure of where he is sleeping and promptly heads there to fall asleep.
Kend, I agree. I thought the same thing earlier. I wonder what it will be like when we get deeper in. It seems to be my good fortune to have found a good crew to go in with. I keep thinking of those two at the Shepherd. I wonder what manner of mischief they plan.
Karth follows behind the two, listening to the conversation and lost in his own thoughts. With the mention of how shallow they had delved, he perks up.
"Indeed. I think we might have just been unlucky to drop in on a group of the Horde that had taken refuge there. Perhaps tomorrow will be more... fruitful."
When they get back, Karth spends a bit of time downstairs tending to his weapons and then heads upstairs to retire as well.
On waking, Zeldin will take anyone willing and head to Fascher's to sell the goods of the day before, as soon as breakfast is over.
Eyes peeled for the odd fellows of the night before.
Karth'll help Zeldin's group with the pack muling.
Errigal smiles at Katherine revelation, "A solier eh? Well that explains your cool head during the fights we had and the scars suits you, it shows you mean business."
Errigal finishes off his wine and says, "Well, we best get some sleep so we can set out early tomorrow to the Delve."
Errigal then wanders up stair to the room for the night...
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Early in the morning, before sunrise, Errigal wakes up to grab an early breakfast and help make preparations for another exploration of the Delve.
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Zeldin, Karth and any others who accompany them make their way over to a small building on the south of town with a well carved wooden sign which reads Fascher's Supply.
Inside, the smell of leather and metal are prevalent. Stacked all around the room in heaps on tables is every piece of gear you could ever imagine an explorer to need. Piles of rope and torches butt against stacks of cold weather outfits and swarm suits. Around the rim of the room training dummies in various states of repair have been re-purposed to serve as mannequins, dressed in various types of light and leather armors most of which appear to have seen some level of use.
Several large iron cabinets sit behind the counter, locked grates across the font to keep the curious from getting to anything inside. The more valuable items are here; various common potions and scrolls, primarily those used to heal or of simple utility sit with labels, alongside an impressive array of alchemical items.
Fascher himself looks surprisingly plain if anything. Most likely in his early 20s, he has brown hair and brown eyes. Neither particularly attractive or ugly, nor does he seem especially muscular or sickly. Instead he is just all around average.
When you walk in, hauling the load of hauling the load of goods you carry his eyes do light up however and he smiles. "My my, I see someone has made a successful foray into the wilds and returned victorious. Let me sort through what you have, and please tell me how you acquired these things. I assume you wish to sell it all, or are you trading? I will offer a better rate on goods exchanged."
Selling, no trading, yes, no selling... I don't know.
Looking to Karth and anyone else who is with him, he asks, What should we do? It is hard to cut trade into six parts.
If there is something you need here, then it would be best to trade for it. Perhaps we should first find out how much Fascher is willing to pay for each item. After that we trade, then sell everything left. We will simply subtract what Fauscher would have paid for the items you traded away from your share... Just try not to trade more than your share away, if you do by accident we can simply carry it over to the next time we split things up, that is, as long as you are planning on sticking around."
Kathrine follows behind Errigal, stopping by the bar to pick up her pack and Fauchard, taking a moment to look over Errigal's well muscled back as he disappears up the stairs, smiling faintly. Moving up the stairs after him, she steps into the community room dressed in a simple loose fitting cotton shirt and pants. Taking a bed near the middle of the room, she curls up under the covers and closes her eyes.
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Rising a bit later than some she opens her eyes to see the opening rays of light going through the open window. Laying on her side, she pulls the covers off her bed and quickly adjusts her sleeping wear as one hand moves up to press around her previously hurt shoulder. Seeing that she is once again mostly intact, she moves over to the open bowl of water and splashes her face with both hands.
Dressing quickly, Kathrine moves down to the common room and sees Errigal already eating his breakfast. Grinning, she moves up to him and sits across from him on the table.
"Good morning Errigal, mind helping me practice a bit this morning? I need to see how my shoulder is doing."
Karth's face wrinkles up. Haggling was never his strong point and he was torn between not fully trusting his companions and the impetus of making sure everyone got a 'fair' share.
"I will let the two of you handle the price. I will see what we might wish to trade for."
Karth meanders about the shop, stopping at various points - he examines some of the leather armors briefly, and hefts a couple of the larger swords and runs a finger carefully across the blades.
He stops longest at the bows - his had served him well, but he wanted something with a higher draw strength.
He eventually walks back up to the main counter, staring at the labels of the bottles in the cabinets. After a moment, he just asks, "Do you have any oils to enhance our weapons? We might need such in the dungeon."
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Fascher's eyes dart back and forth between those in the shop. The look is less that of a wary shopkeep and more of genuine interest. When asked the question, he smiles and nods his head eagerly. "Indeed, indeed. Thats a popular item with your sort so I've got two of them at the ready. Top quality of course. Are you expecting to battle ghosts? Foes so fast you need your blade to be of the highest quality to strike them? A beast with hide so thick it takes magic to pierce it?"
By this point he is rubbing his hands together, the gleam in his eyes for details as hungry a one as most merchants may have for gold. "Have you seen such things, is that what drew you for such an item? I've never been to the delve myself. I'd love to know what you've encountered. So many of the stories are different but I know I could piece them together and see all thats there when I close my eyes."
Zeldin likes this shop. The oil used to sharpen blades, and the oil used to soften leather in the air. Everywhere he looks some other curiosity or shiny weapon. Some part of him regrets not having any real needs at the moment.
He engages Fascher casually, telling him of their exploits casually, and playing up the rolls of the others, making them seem even more heroic than they were and not mentioning himself except in passing.
As Karth begins to discuss oils with Fascher, Zeldin stops talking and starts listening hoping to learn something.
Errigal looks up from his breakfast and returns Katerine's greeting, "Good morning to you too Katherine. Sparing with a pretty lady sounds like a great way to start the day. And besides, it will help get the kinks out from yesterday's exertions." Errigal seems at ease and slows down his eating to allow Katherine to order and begin herself.
After finishing breakfast, Errigal says, "Some of the others are off selling our loot at Fascher's. We should have time for a short practice." Errigal gets up and makes his way outside the tavern with Katherine, looking around outside for a good place to spar, "If there's some other equipment you'd like to pick up we can head to Fascher's right after this."
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Fascher seems to savor the stories, listening with interest about the battles with the goblinoids and the undead, nodding his head and taking in every detail with interest.
When asked about the masterwork chain shirt, he shakes his head a bit "I'm afraid I don't have anything but chain of the more standard quality, and some that is probably below that. If you need something that nice, I'd go see Aesa. She's done a bit of adventuring herself, from what I can tell, though not locally. She's all the way from the linnorms or some such. Her temper tends to burn like her forge, but if you need finely worked iron or steel, I don't know anyone better."
Kathrine lets a short grin flash over her face before ordering a breakfast plate and almost ravenously eating into it as she fuels herself up with energy for the day. After she has finished she follows Errigal outside and points towards a nearby area that is wide enough for what she needs, "How about over there?"
Kathrine moves over to the area and removes her Fauchard from her shoulders, which has it's protective wrap around it once more. Kathrine's appearance is different from before, her hair is not braided and she hasn't donned her chain armor yet, wearing simple sparring clothes. The leather jerkin she wears under the chain shirt her only covering besides the loose cotton shirt and well worn woolen pants.
"I was planning on heading Fascher's when I had more coin to spend, I hate doing things in half measures." Settling into one of the many stances her father taught her, she smiles as she waits for Errigal to prepare.