Party 2

[dubdijon]

Alaer stares at Arrigal's back as he walks out of the tavern, "Curses? That sounded like a threat if I didn't know better." He glances at the bag of coins and then the letter. "80 gold for opening a letter seems too good to be true, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to see what it says. Besides, this mysterious Arrigal has me curious." At first glance, Arrigal seemed typical of someone of wealth. They always seem to think that throwing some gold at a problem is going to solve it. However, the wealthy aren't exactly known for lowering themselves to the humble task of delivering letters. And who does he work for? Well Alaer and his companions have been solving plenty of problems lately so it was wise of Mr. Arrigal to come to them. He looks towards the bar and calls out to the innkeeper, "Ms. Thesa sorry for bothering you, but is Mr. Arrigal an acquaintance of yours?"

 

[roSpEnTo]

Thesa looks up for a second from her writing and shakes her head at Alaer quickly. "Not him or the big guy. Sorry, can't help you much with that I'm afraid." She looks back down at her parchment, forgetting her place for a moment, before she hurriedly continues scribbling. After a few minutes she calls over Halfir and gives him a folded piece of parchment and a gold coin, muttering quietly to him. He leaves the tavern immediately after in a rush, the door letting in tendrils of fog when it is opened. The slam of the heavy door when it closes startles a few of the patrons, the villagefolk still clearly shaken up by what has happened in the tavern.

If anyone picks up and looks at the playing cards they will notice that they are very fine quality indeed. A slip of paper has been placed between the top card and the others and when the cards are picked up it falls out easily. The paper merely has the words 'Due East' written on it in impeccable handwriting. Turning over the top card it is a joker, but underneath the jester's hat is a skull and there is a noose around its neck, he is standing on a field of flower petals and there is a book in his hand with an ornate cover. Similarly all of the other face cards in the deck feature skull or morbid motifs, many of them representative of vanitas paintings. The only exception is the Queen of Hearts, which shows a delicate young woman holding a crown out to one side as if offering it to someone. There is an almost heart shaped single red tear on her cheek.

As Henry picks up the letter and opens it he can notice that the paper is thick and high quality, not the simple parchment that is pressed in the local villages. This is the quality of something that his parents would have used for special occasions. Two pressed flowers fall out of the envelope, one with five thin almost rectangular white petals and the other bright red with overlapping petals a long single stamen. The script of the letter is done by a different hand to the note left in the deck of cards, this one more hurried but still neat. It talks, in an older and more formal style than even Henry is used to, of the need to rescue a woman from a great evil and promises great riches.

Hail to thee of might and valor,

I, a lowly servant of Barovia, send honor to thee.
We plead for thy so desperately needed assistance.

The love of my life, Ireena Kolyana, has been afflicted
by an evil so deadly that even the good people of my
village cannot protect her. She languishes from her
wound, and I would have her saved from this menace.

There is much wealth in this community. I offer all that
might be had to thee and thy fellow if thou shalt but
answer my desperate plea. Come quickly, for her time
is at hand! All that I have shall be thine.

Kolyan Indrovich
Burgomeister

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Once he was sure that the men had left, Henry reached for the letter. He was certainly surprised by the quality of paper, as well as the formality of the writing. But this had to be some sort of prank, these names and places didn’t exist. With the letter open, Henry tossed it into the middle of the table for the others to read. “Pretty sure that Arrigal was just yanking our chain, those coins are probably just as fake as this letter.” With a shake of his head, Henry cried out overly dramatically “Some burgermeister from the made up city of Barovia need our help!” Henry snorted with laughter. “What a load of crap. We shouldn’t even waste our time.”

 

[dubdijon]

Alaer leans back in his chair as he casually studies the nervous innkeeper. When she was concentrating on the piece of paper, Ms. Thesa would sneak glances, that would have been easy to miss for those not paying attention, at the spot where poor Baros was stabbed. The letter she's writing must have been Ms. Thesa getting his affairs in order. She did say something about sending his son to Daggerford. The young wood elf shifts his attention to the unusual cards laying on the table. He picks them up, glancing at the paper that fell out, before shuffling through the deck. "I'm surprised Mr. Arrigal was willing to part with such a quality deck of cards so easily. It also seems he has a morbid fascination with death." He grins, "Maybe this deck is cursed." As Alaer goes through the cards, he pauses on the Queen of Hearts, "This one is different. I wonder who she is? A message perhaps from our mysterious friend?"

Alaer turns his head towards Henry as he cries out, "Barovia? Let me see." The wood elf raises an eyebrow as he reads down the letter before placing it back on the table. "I guess we've found our Queen of Hearts. I agree with Henry that the situation is more than suspicious. Why look to us specifically to help with an evil wound when a priest would be more appropriate? And I've never heard of this Barovia either which is odd considering a place of wealth should be well known." The letter raised just as many if not more questions than answered. All of Alaer's instincts told him to turn away from this plea. But Hazlehurst was starting to grow confined. Alaer knew that pretty soon staying any longer would be suffocating. The young wood elf had been pondering on a new destination to journey to, and this letter provided one. Barovia, wherever that was, would be as good a place as any for now. "But I don't believe it will be a complete waste of our time. If there is some truth to the letter, then helping this person might prove fruitful. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not exactly sitting on a forest of gold. And if we're walking into a trap, these sharp eyes will be ready for it. We'll still have to be careful though. Very careful. I have a feeling we're being led into the jaws of a wolf."

 

[DarkDreams]

Examining the paper, the deck of cards and flowers, Draeric quietly shakes his head. "Nay, Henry. This is too rich a texture and quality to be a simple joke. A pretty penny or silvers, in this case, were spent on these items. The flower itself requires a great deal of time, money and patience. Things that are not easily parted with by those with less than an abundance of time and money. "
"Alaer, I agree with you. This town is growing smaller and I'm not eager to return to my previous journey as of yet. I'm sure our paladin, is eager to assist a damsel in distress as well. As for Barovia, I've been in the Elvin Court almost since birth. I've never heard of it mentioned which also intrigues me. I agree that it is a trap, but of what kind and making? This is a great deal of effort to attract four adventurers. I won't lie, Henry, I would prefer to have your strong arm and fiery temper on our side if we do run into something untoward."

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Henry raises his hands, admitting defeat. “Alright, alright, we can check it out. But don’t say I didn’t warn ye!” Henry resumes leaning back in his chair and sipping his drink. As much as he was protesting this adventure, his curiousity was certainly peaked. “So...how do we get there?”

 

[DarkDreams]

Picking up the red hibiscus, Drae pushed away from the table. He headed to the front door. As he opened the door, he looked out at the thick mist. "What are you leading us into my pretty?"

 

[dubdijon]

Alaer pushes the piece of paper that was tucked in the deck of cards in front of Henry. "Mr. Arrigal left this for us. It says 'Due East'. That's probably the direction we should head for. But we can also ask around town to gather more information about this Barovia before we start our journey."

 

[DarkDreams]

Drae sits down on the bench outside. He closes his eyes and opens his senses fully. He feels the mist on his skin, the damp and moisture are strong. However, underlying the fog is something much darker. "A taint of evil? Definitely magic, but no spell that I know of....not that is saying much. I haven't had enough experience with the stronger spells of the weave. As much as I'm glad that I'm not at home, I almost wish one of the senior instructors was here, to examine and feel this?" His fingers of his right hand hold the flower, trying to sense something from it, anything. While it is a long shot, he pushes his senses outward. Magic has been a part of his life since he was a young child and learned how to cast mage hand. One of the easiest and very useful spell for most of the elves to learn.

Frustrated, he stands up and silently curses...out of anger and disgust, at the lack of answers, home life, and even the death of the silly human farmer. "Why? What is going on here?" he whispers fiercely. He rotates his arm and hand, pulling a fiery ball into his hand. As the heat starts to build in his hand, he finally shoots it out into the fog at a slight upward angle so as to not hit someone or burn a tree. As if mocking him, the fog closes around the hole that the bolt very very briefly created. With a low growl, he returns inside, and ignoring the house rule, grabs his staff and heads upstairs to rest and recover his arcane energies. Morning would be coming soon enough.

 

[roSpEnTo]

After some drinking and discussion, the rest of you follow Draedric up to your rooms. Thesa doesn't really look up or acknowledge you leaving as she is still completely focused on whatever it is she has been writing with the sounds of the scribbling of the quill evident as you move closer to the bar. You have to pick up your own weapons from the side by the entrance as Halfir has not returned at all, although the goliath's presence has not been much needed since the fight as the patrons have been mostly silent. Now with everything in hand you make your way up to your rooms, heading up the wooden stairs to the upper floor.

After saving her son Thesa has provided you all with private rooms as opposed to asking you to share as would be normal at an inn. The rooms themselves are small and do not feature more than a simple bed, a bucket of water to use as a washbasin and a chair. However these rooms have been home for you since you all met up and there is a comfortable familiarity to them after a difficult and strange evening. Outside of the rooms the fog has coated the windows and completely obscured any sort of view, only the dim orange glows of the streetlights any indication of life beyond the walls, and the sound of the biting wind picks up a little making all of you thankful for the warm furs and blankets left on the beds.

As you all get ready to either sleep or go into a meditative trance it is silent in your rooms. With his exceptional hearing Alaer would hear the main door slam closed and a few people come upstairs and move into Thesa's room opposite his own but no other major noises or disturbances. Outside of Ezra's room a raven lands on the roof and caws a few times before flying off back into the fog that it came from. Time slowly ticks forward and the night slowly passes by.

Alaer

Your trance feels different tonight somehow less restful. It takes you a lot longer to be able to settle into a comfortable position and even when you do the sound of the wind and the presence of the fog outside are putting you on edge. Finally you settle down enough to close your eyes but your thoughts cannot help but linger on the card for the Queen of Hearts and the difference between that and the other cards in the pack. You had mentioned to the others that you felt this was a trap and you can feel the wolf's jaws closer around you more and more as you consider the options ahead.

Your thoughts instead move to memories and comparisons. The oppressive nature of this fog, keeping you shut in one place, brings back memories of the forest. Whilst you had been free to roam it was still cloying and restrictive. That wanderlust is rising in you again with these memories, that desire to push ahead and find somewhere new. You can feel yourself sinker deeper into the memories but it is not the forest you are thinking of now, it is Waterdeep.

Thesa had mentioned the Reeve, that meant there would be authority figures coming around tomorrow. The sort of people that you had left behind in the city, the sort to ask questions and pry where they were not wanted. Worst of all, Arrigal had shown himself to be the kind of man who threw money around and you know what happens when money and authority mix. You can hear the words of those that had shunned you ringing in your ears but there is something more. You can feel yourself start to piece things together faster, things that had happened to you before. When your eyes finally open you find yourself more confident in your own abilities but more suspicious of the things around you.

Ezra

You settle down into the bed and pull the furs and blankets over you, trying to shut out as much of the cold from the night as you can. The slats underneath and the lumps in the mattress are as uncomfortable as ever but it still does not bother you. You endured the same sorts of beds at the temple and if you could withstand it then you can get through it now. Thoughts of the temple are that the forefront of your mind as you drift off to sleep, but it is not the temple that comes to you in your dreams.

It had been cold that day too but the rain was a lot more chilling than this fog, you can remember the feel of that rain and the way it had stung your face as you made your way home. At least your mother would have a fire burning in the hearth as they waited for his father to get home. You want to stop this dream, you know where it leads but you can do nothing as you see yourself push open the door of your childhood home. What you see inside is burned into your memories, the blood, the shape of the bodies, the way the light from the doorway falls on it all. You feel yourself turn and run but something feels different this time.

You look back behind you and suddenly it isn't the streets of Waterdeep you are running through, it is between the trees of a forest. You move quickly and with purpose but there is a fear that is permeating your every nerve. You know that something is out there and it is hunting you. You look down but these are not your hands, neither childlike nor your current calloused hands. The skin is tanned and the hair on the arms dark and coarse. You stop running for a moment but the forest does not stop moving and you stumble, falling next to a puddle of water. You hesitantly look at your reflection.

It is Brother Harion that you see staring back up at you, a large cut on his forehead. You hear a noise behind you and turn but all you can see is a rolling fog and all you hear is the snapping of jaws. There is nothing now, just darkness but when you look down you can see that you are no longer Harion, you are yourself. There is the sound of footsteps in the darkness as Brother Harion steps out of the black void to stand in front of you. “Why didn't you protect me Brother?” Next to him steps out the small form of Sister Abene but there is a hood over her face, it does not stop her asking the same question. “Why didn't you protect me Brother?” Your father's broken body steps forward next, then your mother both with accusation on their face. “Why didn't you protect us son?” Finally a much younger version of you steps out of the darkness, glaring. “Why didn't you protect us Ezra?”

Out of nowhere you feel a metal gauntleted hand slam onto your shoulder and a voice echo around your soul. “You will protect everyone now. You will be the guardian they need.” Helm. Your eyes snap open and you sit up out of bed but suddenly something is different, there is something you can feel inside of you that was not there when you went to bed. You close your eyes and focus on it and there is a deeper connection to Helm than you have ever felt before and an understanding that you are able to wield a tiny fraction of his power now, access to divine magic.

Draeric

Thoughts of the fog and the flowers are running through your head and it takes you hours before you are able to calm your nerves enough to settle down to trance. You go through your normal routines, thinking through the blade forms that always used to calm your fire before and the lack of a blade by your side now is a stinging loss. Something you have felt deeply since you left the court but felt more deeply tonight given what had happened in the bar downstairs. Instead you try and open yourself up more to the Weave, moving through the breathing and thought exercises that give you more clarity.

Unfortunately your mind keeps jumping back to the past and the one figure that stands tall across the whole of your life. Tat. It was always Tat, everything and everyone just judged you by his standards and found you lacking. Your mind is almost comfortable running through the list of wrongs committed by people on you due to your relationship with your brother but there is still the one thing that sticks out and you cannot help focusing on it as the trance deepens.

It was after class, one that Tat had been teaching because of course you were in his shadow once again, but you felt this class had gone well. You had felt alive in the blade forms, as you always did, and that was driving you forward to learn more and be better. You were cleaning your sword when you heard those familiar voices behind you, taunting you. You spin, sword still out and move into one of the cat forms to face down your assailants. Then in a flash your blade is out of your hand and clattering to the floor below and Tat is standing there, disappointment in his eyes, as the bullies make their exit. For the moment before he interfered it was like you had felt the song start and when you come out of the trance you feel closer than ever. If it wasn't for Tat then you would have invoked your first song and Tat is not here to stop you now.

Henry

Out of everyone sleep comes easiest to you, after all everything comes easy to Henry Hutchward. Despite your arrogance there is a distaste for how everything had happened tonight, it was not pure combat and it was tainted by cheats and magic. It wasn't what you had learned when you were Gor, things were so much simpler then. Still this had been a day and an evening of battle and you always sleep well after a battle.

The campfire was warm tonight, a blessing since the bandits had taken all of your clothes. You were getting more used to the cold now though and you felt more at home now that the bandits had recognised your brilliance and given you a true badge of honour, a new name. Whilst Henry Hutchward was nobility and clearly entitled to everything, you had earned Gor with your clearly special ability with your greataxe and your skill at fighting. You know that even after the bandits decide to set you on your own path that you with be Gor and Henry inside.

You feel that red rage rise inside you once again as you think of everyone that doubted you, of those idiot bastards back in school and of your parents who sent you away despite how amazing you clearly are. They will all see when you are the hero you are meant to be, after all you are Henry Gor Hutchward and you are one of the greatest men to have ever been born. You wake up brimming with confidence and an invigorating strength in your muscles that has not been there before. It is time for you to step out and take what is yours. Everything.

Morning Of The 2nd Day

As you all wake up, having experienced whatever you experienced overnight, you come downstairs to find the bar almost empty. The only occupants are an exhausted looking Thesa and a pair of boys sat off at a table on the side, you know one of these boys to be Thesa's son Finnan. He waves to everyone as they come downstairs but is busy with the other boy who looks clearly upset. Thesa is cleaning the bar carefully and her hair is only loosely tied back so she keeps having to brush strands out of her eyes but seems too tired to change anything about it. As you all come and sit down she nods to you all and moves off into the kitchen to start breakfast.

She places the food down in front of each of you and most of you notice that the blood on the floor from the previous night has been cleared up. Thesa looks over to the boy with Finnan, he looks a couple of years younger, thinner and is red around the eyes, and she sighs, talking in a hushed whisper. “That's Baros' son Ari. He stayed here last night but I will have Haflir take him up to Daggerford today. Please don't mention what happened too loudly, it will only set him off crying again. We just got him calmed down.” She moves back to the bar, leaving you alone with your breakfast and free to plan what to do with your day.

 

[DarkDreams]

Drae came out of his trance, as he continued laying in the bed, he felt a wave of annoyance. As he thought about it, he realized that it came back to ‘Tat’, perfect big brother ‘Tat’. Even here, hundreds of miles away from home, his brother’s ghost haunted him. “Well, I got news for you brother. I’ve started on the road to show that I don’t have to live in your shadow. I could have taken those idiots, and they would have regretted trying anything.”
Looking around the tiny room, he started packing his gear. Not that there was a lot of gear, things spread out too far, but each thing had a specific spot. Checking his coin pouch, he smiles, while it was enough to get everything that he wanted, it would get him started. As he quirked his lips to the side, his mind pondered the shopping and items that he needed. ‘Armor, Sword, spell components, spells…can’t get everything, but I can start getting some of it. But what?’ His thumb ran over the callouses of his hand. Opening and squeezing his hand, he smiled. ‘Yeah… a sword is definitely a must. Now, spell components or leather armor?’
He left the packed gear on the bed and headed downstairs. He nodded at Lady Thesa. While he wasn’t close to her, she was probably the closest thing that he had to a friend besides his three allies. He approached her and quietly spoke. “Milady Thesa, I wish to thank you for your kindness. You have been a generous and wonderful hostess.”
He sat down with his ‘allies’ and possibly even friends. “I need to do some quick shopping. I was hoping to gather your impressions. Should we leave today, or do we need one more day before we depart. I want to make sure that we give Mistress Thesa notice as well as get some food for a few days. I know not what your intentions are.” Drae says as he looks over at Alaer, Ezra and Henry.

 

[dubdijon]

Alaer opens his eyes from his trance with a slight grimace on his face. "I've been thinking too much again. So many questions with no answers. We'll have to head east to know more." The wood elf gets up from the bed where he was sitting with crossed legs and looks out the window into the fog with a sigh. "This fog really is becoming unbearable. It feels like the walls are closing in around me and if I don't go soon, I'll be trapped. Maybe I've just spent too much time in Waterdeep. When I first laid eyes on that city it was such a magical place filled with so many wonders. But the walls eventually got too tall and suffocating. But no point on dwelling on that now." He takes a seat in the simple wooden chair in the corner of the room and begins maintaining his weapons, checking the strength of his short bow and the sharpness of his blades. After packing up, Alaer heads down the stairs into the inn.
Alaer responds to Drae after taking his seat at the table, "Spending some time buying supplies is defintiely a smart thing to do. There really isn't a point to wait until tomorrow to leave. Let's head for Barovia as soon as we can although we should definitely ask around town to get more information on the place. We'll let Ms. Thesa know of course. Poor woman, having to deal with so much by herself."

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Henry awoke reluctantly, choosing to spend at least an extra half an hour in the bed before going downstairs. Feeling like this was a day to undertake some challenges after last nights restful sleep, he joined the others for breakfast, leaving everything on the floor of his room. At Thesa’s comment, Henry passed a lazy eye over the boy before beginning to help himself to the food. As Drae speaks, Henry slowly shakes his head while food spills out of his mouth. “Don’t need amythin’ in town except old lefty and righty.” Henry holds up the incorrect hands as he says this. “But if you all have shopping to do then I can tag along as well, guess some new equipment wouldn’t hurt at all.”

 

[DarkDreams]

“It’s settled then. We’ll limit the trip to the shops and information to two hours, and then we’ll head out to find this Barovia and mysterious employer. Ezra can join us when he comes down.” Pushing his chair back, he stands up and walks over to Ms. Thesa. Looking tired and disheveled, the long night was showing on her face. The smiles that had been in place since returning her son almost 3 weeks ago have vanished, by the events of one night.
“Ms. Thesa,” Drae began before he paused and used his left hand to rub his eyes briefly and continue on. “Ms. Thesa, my apologies to intrude on this moment. I wished to let you know that we’ll be checking out later this morn or very early afternoon.” Annoyed that the twist in the weave prevented him from possibly preventing the bloodshed of the previous night. He knows he will have to accept a portion of the responsibility and the sadness in her face. but it would have been worse if they had not been here. ‘However, would it have happened at all, if we weren’t here to begin with?’
“Hopefully, with our departure, the inn will not be a target again for such antics or ‘tests’ as last night." As the word ‘test’ comes out, it carries a level of anger and hate that is most unusual to a normal person. It is the level of anger and hatred usually reserved for nobles, a few teachers, his parents, and overly ‘perfect’ Tat. “I expect that we’ll be shopping for an hour or two, and then get ready to get on the road.” Pausing very briefly, he asks for one last favor, almost with regret due to the pain and trouble that they have brought the kind woman. "Perchance, could we trouble you one last time for a few days’ worth of rations. We’ll pay for them, but if we must be on the road, it would be nice to know that your friendship and inn will travel with us a bit longer.”

 

[roSpEnTo]

Thesa looks up from her cleaning straight at Draeric and gives a solemn nod at his statement of intent to leave. There are warring emotions on the bartender's face at the prospect of you all leaving, on the one hand she looks upset to see you go given the help you have given and how grateful she is to you for saving her son but on the other there is a sense of relief that something like last night is not likely to happen again and put her son into future danger. It is a guilty relief though and it seems that the sadness wins out because she comes out from behind the bar shaking her head and gives the elf a quick hug. "This was not... your doing. You didn't choose this." She looks over to the rest of the table and nods. "None of you did. You are family at the Horse and Anchor and you are always welcome back here."

The barkeep moves back behind the bar and waves dismissively to Draeric as she writes some things down. "Your money is no good here Draeric, even with the problems last night. You don't pay for a thing. I'll have some sets of food here for when you are done with what you need." She gives the elf a warm smile and it seems genuine enough, despite the pain on her face but her voice is quiet as to not carry across to the other table where the boys are sat. "You will always travel with our friendship. It was an awful thing that happened but do not hold too much weight on it. When you are done with your task you come back here, don't think to be spending your time off in Waterdeep or any of those big cities." She leans across the bar and looks at the table with the rest of you on it. "Off you go then, I will let your friend know where you have gone when he gets up and stop by back here before you go."

 

[DarkDreams]

"Mistress Thesa, as always, you are a beacon of light and hope in a world filled with darkness and horrors. I am glad that I was able to help sustain your light by finding your son. I promise to you, that I will try to use my gifts to help prevent horrors like was done last night." 'Especially for such a pathetic reason to see if a group is truly as capable as they claim, or seem. If'n they really wanted to test us, send us out to hunt down goblins, wolves or orcs that are a threat to the community.'

"As we travel and taste your wares, we'll know that your friendship and love go with us." With an unusual breaking of his upbringing, he quickly hugs the woman. With a sigh, he then turns and nods to the others as he heads out to go to the market area. His thumb of his right hand rubbing against the callouses in his palm. 'Be good, to have a blade there again. Must make sure that I don't get rusty.'

 

[dubdijon]

Alaer stands up from his seat and gives the innkeeper a short but respectful bow, "Thank you for your hospitality Ms. Thesa. You won't have to worry about me. I don't think I'll be heading to Waterdeep anytime soon. I'm sorry we're going to have to leave you on such somber terms. Hopefully this isn't goodbye and we'll be able to make our way back here when we're done with whatever it is we're doing." The wood elf looks around the inn before giving a firm nod and makes his way out the door. He didn't really expect to come back here again, but things don't always go as expected.

 

[DarkDreams]

Heading down to the Blacksmith, Drae spent time examining the various blades in the shop. While not a smith and definitely not a master smith, he recognized those blades that were better than others. The ones that the Master had crafted, had better balance, and the heft of the blade was solid. As he looked, he could see some of the journeymen's works. The blades did not have a uniform edge, or the balance was off. The elvish smiths would have made the journeymen recraft the blades until they met the standard. Having spent 15 years working with the sword and with the Masters, he knew a good sword from and inferior one, and even occasionally, on a work of art. That was not to be had here in this hovel and even if it did he couldn't afford it. However, a decent one could be had... 'Now comes the hard part, how much would it cost to put the blade back in his hand.'

 

[roSpEnTo]

After the fog from last night walking through the town feels strange, with an almost ethereal sensation to the mid-distance. The fog has dissipated a little but only into a fine mist that seems to cling to everything it touches like the embrace of a dying lover. You all come to the village's blacksmith, no sign on the outside with a name merely just an anvil painted onto a circle of wood but it is someone you have all dealt with previously, a human male called Uran Galdvier. He is bald but he wears a small bandana to cover the top of his head and he has a thin beard. Today, like usual, he is shirtless except for his thick leather apron and his muscles are plain to see on his arms as he hammers out a flat piece of metal for an unknown project at this point it is so early on.

Uran waves at you as you approach but he is busy in his work so he doesn't immediately come over to ask how he can help. There are two young boys, barely thirteen or fourteen, that are Uran's apprentices in the shop as well but they are busy working on wrapping for axes and other tools a little further into the shop. The anvil itself sits on a large log on the outside of the shop, just past the forge, and the interior is mostly taken up by barrels of tools and other assorted items such as swords and arrows. Near the anvil are a series of different thick metal quench buckets and a workbench. As the shop is open there are a number of stands with pieces of armour placed on them and there is a large greatsword with intricate filigree in the handle resting up against the wall near the forge, in easy reach of Uran if there is trouble.

 

[DarkDreams]

"Good Morn, Master Smith. I must say that you have a much wider variety of swords as well as a superior quality in your inventory than I thought to find in a smaller village such as this." Having been raised a courtier and having lived in the Elvish Capitol had taught Draeric the gift of words. 'Besides never hurts to embellish a bit in the way of the merchant. Make them feel better about their craft and skill. A cheaper cost can sometimes be found as well.'
"My companions and I must depart today and I wish to purchase a sword, preferably a rapier or longsword. I would not deem to tell a master such as yourself the specifications and full requirements, but which of your blades would you recommend?"

 

[dubdijon]

"And I would like a couple daggers if you have them, Uran." Alaer walks up to one of the barrels and picks up an arrow. The wood elf balances the arrow on his hand and puts it at eye level. He then checks the sharpness of the tip before nodding and replacing the arrow. "I'll take a bundle of 20 arrows as well." As Alaer examines the various tools within the smithy, he couldn't help but take the occasional glance out the door. "How do you feel about this fog Uran? I don't remember Hazlehurst ever being this dreary."

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Henry hovered around behind the others as they all made their requests. He wasn’t really in any need of anything in this shop, but he figured he would tag along. But out of the corner of his eye, Henry spotted a very nice set of armor, it was made of thick furs and hide, but it wasn’t just a patchwork of assorted hides like he was used to from the tribe. Pointing out the hide armor, Henry asked “How much for that armor?”

 

[roSpEnTo]

Uran scoffs a little at Draeric's attempt at flattery, giving the elf a flat look as he quenches the flat steel he was working on and turns to the party. His voice is raspy but light and jovial, clearly enjoying what he thinks is a fine joke. "Keep using fancy words and throwing those compliments around and I'd say yah would be better with a quill than a blade. Don't look much to yah either. Doubt yah could 'andle any type of long blade. We 'ave what we 'ave here and that's most what I make since those two layabouts got no talent in 'em." He turns to the two boys and takes a gruff and stern tone. "If yah two don't get those finished soon enough yah won't sit for a week." He looks back to Draeric and the grin returns. "Are yah sure it's a sword yah are after?"

The blacksmith nods to Henry as he admires the armour and waves towards it. "That will cost you ten gold if you want it, sure you don't want something sturdier though? A chain-link shirt or some scale mail? We have some bits and pieces lying around." Without looking he shouts to one of the apprentices. "Torvin come help this guy with getting some armour." The apprentice scrambles off his chair and makes his way over to the barbarian with a length of string and a nervous look on his face. "'ello sir, can I measures yah for tha' armour? We need tah knows if we are bringing it in at all. Tha' or whatever armour yah go for."

As the apprentice is talking to Henry, Uran looks back to Alaer to sort out business. "Daggers are two gold a pop, yah choice from the barrel there." He points to a small barrel sat on a bench. "Arrows are twenty for a gold. If yah need a quiver I'll throw it in for free with that too. Because yah aren't trying any fancy words." He grins back at Draeric. "Fog? Nah the village 'asn't been this dank in a while. Weird one that. Still, sure it will be nicer tomorrow. These things don't 'ave a 'abit of sticking around."

 

[DarkDreams]

"Fine. Simple language, with no fluff? I need a blade, in either a longsword or in the style of a rapier. I would prefer something a bit lighter as I do not have the strength of Henry" pausing to point at the barbarian. "As for knowing blades and quality? That blade to the left of the armor has an imbalance in the central edge. The one on that shelf over there had to have been made by you. The one over there, the rain guard or chappe depending on your upbringing and master is improperly shaped and doesn't match the other side, meaning that one of the two boys was responsible for it. As for being able to swing a blade and wield it properly, that I can assure you I can do." Feeling the weight of three different swords, he picks up the one closest to what he was used to. "May I?"

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Henry looks over at the armors that the blacksmith suggests, eyeing them over with a trained glance. “Well I might be interested in either of those armors, what’s your asking price for em?” Henry lifted his arms and impatiently accepted the measuring from the young apprentice as he spoke. Secretly, Henry was able to tell that he would likely be unable to afford either of the armors suggested by the blacksmith, but he wasn’t about to show the blacksmith this. He was used to coming from money and knew that sometimes a store owner would be happy for any business, but Henry had to figure out what he was working with.