Blood of the Vine Tavern:
"Awfully poetic for someone so drunk," the innkeeper comments towards Benson with a yawn, eventually pulling two keys off her ring and sliding them across the table towards Valeria. "Guess we'll go with two rooms then." With her business concluded she gives the group a final tired nod before starting to make her way back up the stairs, trodding up the stairs and down the hall until her steps eventually fall silent.
Valeria soon follows suit, depositing the plates and cups back in front of the bartender who accepts them without question. "Rest well, there is much business to be done," she comments idly, before making her way up the stairs as well. She takes one last look at each of your faces, seeming to memorize their features before she disappears beyond the staircase, leaving you to your own devices. The bartender meanwhile seems to never tire of his duties, still behind the bar whenever you decide to rest for the night.
However you manage to arrange yourselves for the night, you find the rooms to be sparse but accomadating, with the rough beds a welcome respite from the nights you spent sleeping within the Vistani carts. Hearing nothing beyond the howls of the winds outside and the creaking of the thin wooden walls of the tavern in resistance, the relative silence of the night is enough to eventually bring about the lull of sleep.
Within that lull, you feel your strength return to you and almost... get stronger, it feels like. Was it the dark magics around this land? Or simply the bliss of returning to a real bed, after what seemed like an eternity? No matter the reason your dreams were restful and restorative, and the experience of living through such a dark and dreadful experience seemed to unlock a portion of your abilities which you had not seen before. Still, there was that lingering feeling that there was much, much more to come...
---
The morning comes without much fanfare, light dully seeping through the overcast sky. Though the sun can barely be made out behind the thick clouds of an overcast sky, the arrival of daylight is still clear as the silhouette of tall mountains becomes apparent to the east. Atop the closest cliff, it's easy to make out a large castle looming over the village you have found yourselves in.
There's a slight chill to the air, and looking out the window a soft fog can be seen rollng along the hills and woods beyond the village buildings. Nevertheless the day has started, with birds in the air and the occasional early riser on ground level, walking briskly toward their destination. With the morning light the run-down appearance of many of the surrounding houses is more apparent, with many houses seeming to even be boarded up or abandoned. Despite the distance it felt like you had walked, it seemed like this was a very quaint and quiet village, small in size and in excitement.
Coming back down to the first floor of the tavern, the main room is slightly more lively than before. There's a handful of plain-looking villagers scattered about between the tables and the bar, several of whom have farming tools or other equipment laid next to them as if this was a quick stop before getting to work. At the corner table where the innkeeper sat the night before is a slightly younger similarly dressed woman, occasionally glancing around the room as she works on a small knitting project. The bartender is still present, barely looking like he ever left the bar at all last night -- though the drunkard from before is nowhere to be seen. The main door to the tavern is slightly ajar, letting in a slight breeze, and every so often an annoyed female voice can be heard just outside the building.
No matter how early you wake up, Valeria is present sitting at the exact same table which she had been at just the night prior. She greets each of you with a nod as you descent, her expression tirelessly consistent. "Good morning to you all. Have you decided on your plans for the day?" She clasps her hands expectantly, patiently waiting for you but also seemingly prepared to leave at any given moment.
"Awfully poetic for someone so drunk," the innkeeper comments towards Benson with a yawn, eventually pulling two keys off her ring and sliding them across the table towards Valeria. "Guess we'll go with two rooms then." With her business concluded she gives the group a final tired nod before starting to make her way back up the stairs, trodding up the stairs and down the hall until her steps eventually fall silent.
Valeria soon follows suit, depositing the plates and cups back in front of the bartender who accepts them without question. "Rest well, there is much business to be done," she comments idly, before making her way up the stairs as well. She takes one last look at each of your faces, seeming to memorize their features before she disappears beyond the staircase, leaving you to your own devices. The bartender meanwhile seems to never tire of his duties, still behind the bar whenever you decide to rest for the night.
However you manage to arrange yourselves for the night, you find the rooms to be sparse but accomadating, with the rough beds a welcome respite from the nights you spent sleeping within the Vistani carts. Hearing nothing beyond the howls of the winds outside and the creaking of the thin wooden walls of the tavern in resistance, the relative silence of the night is enough to eventually bring about the lull of sleep.
Within that lull, you feel your strength return to you and almost... get stronger, it feels like. Was it the dark magics around this land? Or simply the bliss of returning to a real bed, after what seemed like an eternity? No matter the reason your dreams were restful and restorative, and the experience of living through such a dark and dreadful experience seemed to unlock a portion of your abilities which you had not seen before. Still, there was that lingering feeling that there was much, much more to come...
---
The morning comes without much fanfare, light dully seeping through the overcast sky. Though the sun can barely be made out behind the thick clouds of an overcast sky, the arrival of daylight is still clear as the silhouette of tall mountains becomes apparent to the east. Atop the closest cliff, it's easy to make out a large castle looming over the village you have found yourselves in.
There's a slight chill to the air, and looking out the window a soft fog can be seen rollng along the hills and woods beyond the village buildings. Nevertheless the day has started, with birds in the air and the occasional early riser on ground level, walking briskly toward their destination. With the morning light the run-down appearance of many of the surrounding houses is more apparent, with many houses seeming to even be boarded up or abandoned. Despite the distance it felt like you had walked, it seemed like this was a very quaint and quiet village, small in size and in excitement.
Coming back down to the first floor of the tavern, the main room is slightly more lively than before. There's a handful of plain-looking villagers scattered about between the tables and the bar, several of whom have farming tools or other equipment laid next to them as if this was a quick stop before getting to work. At the corner table where the innkeeper sat the night before is a slightly younger similarly dressed woman, occasionally glancing around the room as she works on a small knitting project. The bartender is still present, barely looking like he ever left the bar at all last night -- though the drunkard from before is nowhere to be seen. The main door to the tavern is slightly ajar, letting in a slight breeze, and every so often an annoyed female voice can be heard just outside the building.
No matter how early you wake up, Valeria is present sitting at the exact same table which she had been at just the night prior. She greets each of you with a nod as you descent, her expression tirelessly consistent. "Good morning to you all. Have you decided on your plans for the day?" She clasps her hands expectantly, patiently waiting for you but also seemingly prepared to leave at any given moment.
