The Chronicles of Arktika: Shadow over the Frontier

Kenico

Swordfreak and Master of the Pen
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Prologue: "Why Me?"

Strautz. Typical city if you can call it that. Like all cities in the empire, it was bursting at the seems with a population the city just could not sustain given even its large scale. Thankfully in the last 20 years, it and many other places were starting to lower to stable populations as people either returned to rural areas or more frequently began sailing to the Frontier to form new homes. In the terms of the party that was walking the streets, they were heading to the Frontier, just not for colonial persuits. Dr. Matthew Bone-Piercer, one the most respected Archeaologists and one of the first Orcs to obtain a degree from the Great Imperial College, was preparing an expedition into the Frontier for the second time, as part of an ongoing quest to understand the lost civilization that once inhabited these now empty lands. The First time rendered unique fruit after he explored the City of Torshtein, the first abandoned city discovered during the colonization of the Frontier, with the recovery of various scrolls, books, and other historical data that was a buzz in the Imperial historical Community. That, along with the immense treasure of gold and silver found, was more than enough to fund another expedition for Dr. Bone-Piercer...on the understanding that he must bring back more treasure other than books.

Bone-Piercer, along with his security expert, Galvyn Bors, were here in Strautz for two reasons. The obvious first was that their Ship, The Dantalion, was berthed here and prepping to take them to the Colony Anthwyr, where they would enter the Frontier from. The Second was to recruit a few mercenaries as the company Bors worked for absolutely refused to send their own security troops to such a dangerous place. However, they were more than happy to front the cash to secure a few saps...excuse me...volunteers for such a daring adventure. They were making their way to an Inn, entering to find the keeper of the bar cleaning a large tankard while others quietly drank even though outside was as loud as an orchestra.

"Good Afternoon to you sirs" stated the keeper, "What can I get for ya?"

"I'll have a glass of wine" stated the Orc.

"I'll have a stout" stated Bors, sighing as he whispered to the keeper. He handed the man some gold for both a room and to put a notice on the board to their left. After the Orc and man grabbed a bottle of stout, a bottle wine, and some glasses, the two retreated to their room, while the barkeep nailed a new announcement on the wall. It was loud enough for all to turn and see, some getting up to read what was on the piece of paper...

"Wanted: Explorers for expedition into the Frontier. Reward of one thousand Imperial Gold Pieces A hired man/woman. 500 at the start 500 upon return to the Empire. More information see Dr. Bone-Piercer and Captain Bors upstairs, Room 7."
 
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THE INVITATION FOR THE EXPEDITION

It was already getting close to the sunset, Lothroniel had spent the whole afternoon selling potions – be it for stores or for people on the streets – and now her pouch was filled with coins that will guarantee her a hearty meal at the Inn and a stay in one of the rooms to be able to rest to get back to the forest to gather more ingredients. With her cloak covering her hairs and part of her face, she walked into the Inn that was mostly filled by males, she doesn’t mind being one of the only females in such places anymore, all she needed was a meal with a drink and a place to stay and such place offered all of the above.

She walked close to the bar and sat on a wooden stool; she removed her hood to reveal her face and pointy ears and then said to the bartender that seemed to be a dwarf “The special of the day with a mug of mead.” She removed two coins of silver for the meal and a coin of gold to pay for a room “And I’ll pay for one night in the Inn.” The dwarf picked the money and said “I’ll bring your meal and a key to a room in a bit.” She nodded and then scanned over the place, she saw some people flocking around the warning board and furrowed her eyebrows, she got up and walked to be able to check what everyone else was reading. Once she read that they were looking for explores, she pondered the situation for a while.The elf woman was walking back to her seat as she tried to decide if she should check with the people on room 7. Sure she’s not an explorer, well, at least in the most common sense. Her skills are all for exploring the nature, she knows how to gather ingredients – be it fauna or flora – to make potions but the payment was way too good to pass, she hasn’t made even 250 the whole day and she would be receiving a thousand to complete such adventure of exploration. Her thoughts were cut short once the dwarf brought her meal; she took a sip of the mead and then started to eat the grilled fish that was the special of the day. She checked the key she was handed and saw that she was going to stay at room 5, she thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least get some more information on room 7, she will do that once she heads upstairs where the rooms are.


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Valens' day had been going per usual, in that he couldn't walk down the street without people giving him sideways glances and some trying, and failing mind you, to make it look like they weren't running in the opposite direction. People usually moved out of his way, as he gave off an aura of unease and wore clothes that drew in the attention of others. In essence he was a walking enigma, he drew people in while also pushing them away. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
Though today he just wanted to make it to an Inn, as he was tired and wanted to sleep. Also Inns' usual held the best offer of employment, and being someone who works from one job too another, his funds were running a little low.
It seemed he was in luck as he spotted one just down the road, picking up the pace and adding in a slight skip to his step, just to move those few more people out of his way, he arrived at his destination.
He entered the building, noting that many of the patrons had abandoned their tables and were looking at what he could guess was the notice board. Wonder what's so interesting. He thought. He himself made his way over to the board, and read it, grinning as he did.
That's allot of coin to be made, and for an expedition? Count me in. He thought to himself as he made his way to the stairs.
 
The sound of gaiety wafted through the musty air of the inn. People of all kinds, of all races and backgrounds, were joined in revelry, drinking and cheering, jesting and jeering until they were too drunk to carry their tankards or hold their liquor. It was that time of night when the inn began to attract a more reckless crowd of merrymakers and mere lollygaggers with nowhere else to go. And others came after a hard day's work with nothing but the sweat on their backs and a bag of silver and gold that would inauspiciously dwindle as the night drew closer to its end. Some were gamblers who sought desperately to secure fortune and fame, glory and gold, by wagering all of the earnings they'd mustered up today; most would end the night with lighter pockets than they'd come with. One thing was for sure: as their tankards emptied so did there coin-purses.

One of these nightly nomads was the youthful Allston Layne. A spirited, fresh-faced lad, Alli frequented this particular inn as a regular, but not merely for the drink, although on this particular evening he happened to be working on his fifth dragon's blood, a particularly potent ale hence the name. While the general throng of revelers bobbed and swayed in varied states of inebriation, the worst of which were sprawled about in the corner in a heap of dishevelment, this lush was gyrating around, cavorting from table to table whilst cradling a thin, teardrop-shaped lute, carved from spruce wood. His silken, ivy green cloak whipped about his lithe form revealing the drabber green tunic underneath which hung lower than the cloak over leather breeches, ending at a pair of rough leather boots. As he glided through the ruckus of laughter and indulgence his fingers cascading across the lute strings like water, his melodious voice rose above that of the inn's steadfast scoundrels

At the close of his latest stanza Alli stopped quite abruptly and whirled on the inn's patrons. Viewing the faces of the men and women present it became blatantly apparent that no one was listening to the words of his melody. His gaze fell to the coin purse held beneath his cloak and he noticed something distinctly wrong about it- it was too empty! Sure he did well for a bard, but these tips weren't cutting it. He let his brown coals of eyes fall shut for a moment, allowing his mind to wander to the great unknown. It wandered to vast lands of adventure and great battlefields where he sought to be. Songs couldn't be written by a tavern-dweller, but by an adventurer. He belonged elsewhere.

His thoughts were interrupted as a group of patrons shouldered there way to the announcement board. With his songs seemingly forgotten by the mob of drunkards Alli rolled his eyes exasperatedly and began to snake his way through the wall of bodies that'd formed around the board. He ducked under a tree trunk of an arm and stared at the most recent announcement. As Alli read of the expedition to the frontier his eyes grew wider and brighter. He thought of the glory he'd find among uncharted lands thousands of leagues from this forsaken inn. Not to mention the pay was more than generous; That kind of coin was sure hard to come by. Think of the songs you'll write, he thought to himself. Sensing the onset of a slight buzz he made his way up the stairs towards room 7 before his speech became too slurred to formulate complete sentences.
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This was the perfect disguise. Amidst the commotion and festivities stood a petite young maiden with a diminutive height and a slender, yet shapely figure. Her shape was further accentuated by the garments she wore, a lightweight ocean blue dress with brown over knee high boots. The dress ended below the shoulders with a sharp v neck that ran a significant length down her chest. The waterfall of blue that cascaded down from her dress shimmered and swayed around long, smooth legs that moved gracefully as she delivered drinks from table to table.

She was a tavern wench, or so she appeared to be. As she carried trays stacked with tankards of ale and plates piled with stew and furmity she eyed each patron sceptically, gauging how valuable each person had the potential to be and weighing that against how risky it would be to manipulate each individual. She also had to consider who would be most vulnerable to her new persona, however, her sultry wench image could make most of the drunken fools here drool till they died of dehydration. Nevertheless, she had to be careful. The guards were already onto her due to her botched pickpocketing job which had ended catastrophically when she was forced to flee the scene. She’d narrowly escaped through a maze of alleyways and immediately obtained new clothes and a new identity. Presently she was Madeline Gibson, tavern wench.

As she tried to look inconspicuous she couldn’t help but notice a mass of bodies gathering around the announcement board. This spelled opportunity for Madeline. Slowly, as to arouse as little suspicion as possible, she made her way across the inn, her leisurely pace only adding to the alure of her persona. She reached the board after a moment and eyed the most recent flyer. The Frontier. Perfect.

Madeline casually approached the stairs and noticed a group of various individuals who’d all signed on to the expedition. She introduced herself as Mara Kent, an ambitious cartographer with a dream of mapping the frontier. This would be easy.
 
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Matthew along with Galvyn had taken a desk along the wall of the room and moved it so that it faced the door. He sat his quill, his pen, and vast quantities of paper down on the desk, along with a large ledger sitting on the right hand corner of the desk...
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...The ork was sitting at the desk, with the Knight Bors leaning against the wall with an arming sword hanging from this left hip. Their eyes were weary and tired. They had been preparing for the last few days for this expedition, securing everything from spell tomes, to digging equipment, to journals, to medical supplies, food, weapons for any soldiers they could scrape up, and more importantly: volunteers. What was funny was out of all of them, Volunteers were the hardest part of all this.

"Tis easy to secure supplies and a ship's services, but volunteers? Every town, city, and berg from Slavintown to the last town is either starting to get its populations under control or people who are just too scared to venture forth into that glorious unknown." complained the Ork.

"That's the problem Professor, some people are afraid of the unknown. They want nothing to do with it. They like the familiar, some are curious but have too much at stake to venture beyond the borders of their shires. I hate to say it but we may get the same problems-"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ork and human looked up, both with widened eyes as the Ork beckoned for the knocker to come in. Imagine their surprise when a few people came in.

"Is um...is this the place to sign up for the expedition?" asked as man with a lanky frame. Professor Bone-Piercer and Bors looked at each other, their worry switching to smirking as they nodded to the man.

"Just place your name on the paper right here" stated the Ork as he tapped on the paper opposite to the one he was touching, "Just put your name here and be at Pier 14 to board the Dantalion in Three Days time." he said as the lanky man marked his name on the paper. The man tipped his cap and turned and left. To their surprise more came as they entered the small Inn Room...
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The jail had an overrun crowd that night, so many drunken brawlers, so many thieves, so many. Kenric sat there in a dank cell, a shiner across his left eye from a drunken brawl as he looked up at the dim lights of the jail. All he had on him was his knife that he somehow managed to keep even after the guards confiscated his other weapons. That and they put a restraining ring on his finger to keep him from using magic. He had already tried but removing it caused him great pain so better to leave it alone till he was released. Thankfully he didn't have a bounty on his head and he wasn't wanted. He had taken care not to earn such...talents. He sighed as he leaned against the wall, hoping like hell that the money they confiscated would be enough to make bail and he could just get out of town before anymore trouble came his way.

"What a day." he said quietly as he closed his eyes for what seemed like an eternity...
 
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SIGN ME IN

After enjoying the meal she had ordered, a simple fish that must had probably been on the verge of being disposed before serving as special of the day and some sliced and steamed carrots and potatoes with a small round bread that seemed rough on the outside but was quite succulent on the inside and mixed well with the mead Lothroniel was having, she then got on her feet and quickly picked the rusty cooper key that was attached to a wooden keychain by a simple piece of brown leather. On the wood, the number of the room was painted in black but it was obvious by how faded the color was that such key had passed through the hands of many that visited such Inn.

Covering her head once again with the hood of her brown cloak that was made from a cheap but thick cloth, she adjusted the huge leather backpack on her shoulders; the bag was as big as the small wood elf, most people believe that all elves are tall but wood ones are the smallest around since they need to easily walk between the branches of the forests, the tallest ones standing at 5’7’’, Lothroniel was a normal sized elf for a female of such kind standing at 5’3’’ and therefore her backpack seemed enormous on her petite frame which made the image quite comical to whoever watched her walk with such thing on her back. The cloak flew down her figure and reached just below her knees while her simple white cotton dress reached her ankles, to attach the dress better to her body and show the curves of her breasts and waist, she wore a brown vest decorated with golden ink that formed a pattern of leaves all over it. She was pretty but would probably not stand out on the crowd, her feminine face was hidden in the mess of her long brown locks and all the dull colors of her vest ended making her blue eyes seems bluer but not enough to call anyone’s attention, the huge backpack combined with the large belt on her waist and the quite unfeminine boots on her feet made she hides all the pretty she has. Lothroniel was never worried about looking pretty or feminine, she comes from a traditional family of wood elves and her family in special always worked as potioneers which made her be a nomadic kind and being so, she was more concerned about agility and comfort on her clothes than looking pretty.

She walked upstairs and soon found a line, getting on the tip of her toes to check where it went, she soon found out that such line was for room 7. What she expected? With such payment of course there would be a line, she sighed as she waited her turn on the line, to pass the time she decided to mentally make a list of the herbs and ingredients she needs to gather for such a travel, she would need all sorts of medicinal potions and probably something to protect herself from the dangers she may found, things like sleeping potions or even venoms. Once she was called inside the room, she looked at the two males at the table, she had watched the person before her inside the room and she knew all she had to do was sign the paper, she was already holding the quill in between her fingers as she started to write her name in an elegant letter. Once it was done, she headed to her room, unlocking the door with her key and getting inside to lay her body on the bed as quickly as possible since picking ingredients and brewing potions could be a tiresome work, even more when she had to walk around town to sell them. She removed her cloak and belt and put them inside of the backpack, she then slid the backpack under the bed and removed her boots before laying down, a soft sigh left her lips as her long hair that reached the middle of her back sprawled all over the sheets of the bed as her body reluctantly made her relax from the tiredness and slowly but certainly fall into a slumber.


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Valens' had signed his name and received his instructions. He made his way out of the Inn, having accomplished his goal, he decided what he would do In the mean time. He had no other plans and nowhere to stay currently, and the Inn was probably full from the rest of the people that had signed up.
He knew he'd need to go grab the stuff he had stashed before he came into the city, as it'd be useful on the journey. He made up his mind and started his trek to the outskirts of the city.
He made his way to his stash, careful not to draw anymore attention than necessary. He recovered his staff and spell tome, things that would be crucial for the continuation of his work.
Strapping his staff to his back and tome to his hip he made his way back into the city, wondering what would be in store for him as he waited.
 
Alli stumbled up the steps and came upon a dwindling line that snaked around a bend and into what he assumed was room 7. Perhaps this would be a greater test of his patience than he’d expected. They said patience was a virtue, but it was always his downfall. The youthful dancing, singing, lute-playing lad hadn’t always been a bard. Prior to that he’d followed in his parents’ footsteps and attended the College of Winfield where he studied natural magic. Due to his talents he became an illusionist, however, where he expected to find adventure there was only academia. So he did what any rational dreamer would do- he dropped out and bought a lute and here he was.

Holding onto the wall for support, he swayed through the line until he had made it up to the desk where two men sat behind a desk. He reached for the quill, his fingers fumbling around the thing until he grasped it firmly in his hand. He proceeded to sign his name, a jumbled mess of drunken letters, and made his way back to the main room where he called for another Dragon’s Blood and continued to pluck at the strings of his lute.
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Mara was the last person to reach the room, taking her place at the far end of the line. A tangle of drunkards, gamblers, and hopefuls flooded the room ahead of her, however, she waited patiently, maintaining complete composure. The reason she was late was because she had stopped by her room in order to change into something a little more practical. If she was going to pose as a cartographer she should at least look the part. She’d ditched the sultry blue dress for a dull, roughspun garment that held the appearance of a scavenger than the comely maiden she’d been portraying only moments ago.

By the time she’d gotten into the room she was the only volunteer present. Alone now, aside from the two men seated behind the desk, Mara strode forward. Her stride was a little more loose, less composed, as was befitting her new identity. She reached the desk and signed with a deft hand: Mara Kent, before turning quickly and exiting the establishment. She would head home now to prepare; while the others would be packing survival gear she needed time to pack an entirely new life.
 
Kenric spat as the guards led him and a few prisoners out. They were apparently going to be led to an overnight holding facility up the street and await trial. Ken on the other hands had other ideas. To the blessing of the gods he was the last in the line, with only a small bit of rope holding him to what amounted to a chain gang. He chuckled as they were led along, the guards more focused on getting them there than paying attention to how many they had. Without a thought he drew his knife, carefully moving up behind the prisoner behind himand cutting the knot that held him to the chain. As soon as the group rounded another corner, he pulled away, disapppearing into an alley way adjasent to an Inn and watched as the gang moved on to the holding area. It took him long hours but he finally undid his bonds, cursing like hell as he realized the binding magic of the ring he was forced to wear couldn't be undone. He sighed, shaking his head as he sheathed his knife and entered the Inn. He stared at the scene, rolling his eyes as he quietly snuck upstairs. It was then he noticed the line, his head tilting a bit before he wandered in and looked around. He watched as the group stepped forward, leaning down to apparently sign their name on some pieces of paper in front of an Orc and a human, the latter looked rather nasty. He didn't even care, so long as the guards were not looking for him. He was the last after a woman signed her name.

"So uh" he said as he picked up the quill, "Where will will be heading may I ask?" he said, trying not to sound like he had no clue what was going on.

"To Anthwyr" replied Bone-Piercer, not even noticing.

"On the Frontier eh?" stated Gray with a smile, Good good, anywhere but here and far away to boot, he thought, "Sounds like an adventure to me!" he said jotting his name on the dotted line, "By the way um...I'm a bit of a mage and well...this is embarassing." he said as he pretended to blush, "But a bunch of cardsharps kind of swindled me of some of my money and worse yet my sword and um..." he said showing his finger, "They kind of slipped this on me when they made their escape. Could you um...help me out with this?" he asked sheepishly, hoping like hell they bought it.

Bors eyed the man, his face stony as he looked Kenric over, He's lying...I've seen those objects before...the City guards use those restrain wizards who could cause trouble, "Hang outside for a minute. We don't like strangers seeing where we keep our equipment" stated Bors sudenly. By then Kenric had already signed his name on the paper. His heart was racing like madness as he leaned up and walked outside. Seven more came in, most of them freelance mercenaries by the looks of it, and signed their names. As soon as there were no more, Bors checked to see if Kenric was still outside. Nodding, he closed the door and turned to Matthew.

"Than one out there" stated Galvyn.

"What about him?" asked Matthew.

"He lied about that ring" he said as quietly as he couid, "You only get those slapped on you when you're under arrest by guards" he warned, "Should we call the watch? Hand him over?" he asked.

The Ork pondered for a moment, scratching his chin as he looked at Kenric's name on the paper, "No...use a despelling ticket on his ring." he said handing the warrior a small enchanted scroll, "Give him and the rest of them that signed on the Gold. Instruct them to use it on whatever they need in terms of supplies. We'll compensate them of the difference along with the other 500 upon return from the Expedition" he stated as Bors stared at him cautiously, "If this Mr. Gray is dangerous...keep an eye on him more often than the others. If not and he got that as he claimed then we'll have no less wories than with the others." he stated. With Bors nodding to his friend's council. He turned and opened the door, nodding to Kenric to step forward.

Kenric gulped a bit, stepping forward and held his breath as the bigger man opened a small slip of paper and placed it on his finger that had the ring. A mutter later and the ring left his finger, the sensation of mana rushing through his body as if circulation of blood finally returned to the body. Kenric continued to hold his breath, as the warrior handed him a piece of paper and stared at him, "Have the barkeep place this on the board downstairs. Tell him to take the other sign down and put this in its place. Be back tomorrow to recieve your 500 Gold." he said before turning and closing the door on Kenric.

The man stood there speechless...Wait wait wait wait...I'm getting freed, i'm getting taken somewhere far away from here...and im getting paid THAT?! The gods either have found favor in me or they're setting me up for a really shitty deal in the future, he thought to himself, shaking his head as he did as he was told.

The sign he had read: "Posting Closed: Quota for work ended for Exploration Wantings. All who signed on for Bone-Piercer Expedition report to room 7 tomorrow morning to recieve their 500 advancement to spend on supplies and other personal provisions. Will be compensated along with the other 500 upon return from expedition."
 
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THE INCOME

As soon as the sunrays invaded the room, Lothroniel’s eyes darted open, her sea-blue eyes stared at the ceiling as she groaned a bit before sitting up on the hard mattress of the bed; she stretched her arms over her head and yawned as she tried to wake herself up better. After a couple of minutes of her looking at her feet and trying to find the courage to start another day after a night so well rested, she finally put her feet on the wooden ground of the Inn and got herself up; she always had a hard time falling deeply asleep in Inns since she always get quite worried about being attached or being theft so to be sure the later haven’t happened, she pulled out her backpack from under the bed and quickly checked to see if everything was in its place.

The elf then picked her belt from the backpack but left her cloak there since it was morning, she closed the backpack and attached the leather belt to her waist, and it remained a bit loose and rested on her hips instead of tightly embracing her waist. After doing so, she sat on the bed and quickly slid her feet inside her dirty and old brown leather boots. Once she was fully dressed, she swings the backpack to her back and slid her hands into the straps before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Lothroniel walked to the counter of the Inn and handed to the same dwarf she saw last night the key of the room she slept in and asked “Do you fellows serve soup in here?” the dwarf nodded while he was cleaning a cooper mug and said “Aye ma’am. We have tomato one, peas and mix of vegetables.”

She saw people once again standing in front of the warning board and quickly said to the dwarf as she picked a silver coin from her coin bag “A tomato one then.” She rested the coin on the counter and walked to the board to read that she had to once again go to room 7 “They will cover all expanses, hu?” she smiled to herself and then chuckled “Such a shame I’ll not have much expanses since I gather all from nature.” She shrugged and walked back to the counter and waved to the dwarf “Hey lad! Can you bring me the soup in a mug? I’ll have that while I walk around the Inn.” The dwarf made a confused face but since he had already heard a lot of requests much more odd than this one, he did as she asked and placed a mug filled with tomato soup before her. Lothroniel picked the mug and then rushed upstairs while sipping from her breakfast; there was already a line to get the income from room 7 so she was going to have more than enough time to drink her soup and with that she got at the end of the line and started to sip from her mug of soup.


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Valen had made his way back into town, spending what little he had left on a few pieces of fruit for a meal. He had decided to find a relatively safe space to sleep, and closed his eyes for the night.

The sun's rays peaked their way into his sleeping spot and roused him from hi slumber. A quick allowed him to make sure he still had everything, which he did, he got up and stretched before making his way back to the Inn. He entered the establishment and went to the board, as someone who frequented jobs such as these, he expected to see a notice about where to receive the 500 offered before the trip. As expected it was there, as well as a notice saying that the process was closed, and no one else would enjoy accepted.
He smiled giddily as he made his way upstairs to receive his money, maybe now he could have a decent meal and get his clothes mended.
 
Alli awoke to find himself sprawled across the bar with his arms wrapped around his chest and a tankard tipped over in front of him on the counter. Damn, he thought. Must’ve knocked out. Really gotta stop drinking so much. The lush bard rose from his position at the bar and was barred from his hangover by a commotion at the announcement board. He moved to investigate but crashed to his knees, doubling over in pain from the sharp needles radiating within his head. Rubbing his temples, he stood and slowly crept towards the board, cautious not to agravate his headache again. At the board he read the update and, excited at the prospect of gold, scurried up the steps, cursing all the while at the debilitating pain in his skull.

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Mara, as she was calling herself now, rose from her slumber excited at the prospect of her new identity. She’d hated her brief time as Madeline, dressing as a seductive tavern wench. So uninspired. This new undertaking would be quite satisfying in the challenge it presented. She was not particularly learned in the field of cartography and had only spent a night preparing yet she already looked the part. Accompanying her roughspun outfit was now a makeshift backpack made from sticks and a bundle of cloth, a roll of animal skins and leathers upon which she’d drawn a few detailed maps, and a notebook with a few rough sketches of topographical features and such. Packing this away with a quill and ink she finally strapped on her double-bladed sword with its specially crafted harness and scabbard, and left her apartment, which was owned under the name Madeline Gibson. Before exiting she had lit the fireplace and purposefully placed a few logs so that they were touching the carpet. The entire building was engulfed in flames by the time she arrived at the inn. Madeline was dead. And in walker Mara. She ignored the early arriving patrons and offered no response to the barkeeps’s silent question. With a cursory observation of the announcement board she read the note regarding her payment and started up the stairs toward room 7. She entered the room along with a group of other volunteers and did her best to walk with the pose of an adventurer, walking with a little spring in her step. She had to act like a cartographer not a wench, now. Upon accepting her payment of gold she made comment of purchasing some useful cartography tools before heading out to do just that. That was the beauty of her game of identities: it wasn’t a lie when the lie became your reality.
 
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The morning came as Kenric groaned, standing up after hiding in a corner of the bar for the whole night. He stood up, waking to find most of the volunteers for the Expedition were underway. He sighed as he made his way up the stairs, only to find a line of people in front of him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, watching as the several warriors and explorers came to and fro. Two things kept him complaining more: The fact the volunteers were coming out with a huge bag of gold, and a small elf that was standing in front of him. The smell of the wild was in her hair, he couldn't help but feel a calming effect on him as he breathed in both the musky air of the inn and the wild pine of the Elf's hair. He shook his head as he looked ahead, quite thankful the line was starting to shorten...


Bors and Bone-Piercer didn't have a good night's sleep, as Bors had to play guard duty while the Professor had to pull out the massive chest of Gold in order to start paying their new volunteers in advance.

"I still don't like this idea" stated Bors, "having this much gold on us at once."

"It will all begone by the time we pay them out." assured the Ork, with Galvyn scoffing.

"Oh It will be gone alright. I've got three platinum coins that says they blow all that gold on women and booze by the time we set sail!" stated Bors.

"They may" stated Matthew calmly, "That's why we have extra supplies just in case" he said as the first volunteers stepped through the door. One by one throughout the day, they came through the door, confirming their name, and receiving a bag of gold coins. It was at this time our adventurers would be coming in, with Bone-Piercer calling out the following name first, "Valen Nerkict" Called out the Ork.
 
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TOMATO TRAGEDY

While she was drinking her soup, Lothroniel decided to check her potion’s book to make a list of ingredients she might need to pick for the travel to the Frontier. She was now with her backpack precariously hanging just by one shoulder, pressing against the male before her while she loosely held the mug with her tomato soup in the other hand.

Disrupting the peace of the line, the elf then dug into her bag and shifted around with her tongue stuck out while she tried to look for her book. Once she picked the thick leather book between her fingers, she let out a satisfied “Aha!” and placed the book between her thighs to hold it, such position made her curves be visible to whoever wanted to check them out. As she was busy with her free hand to close her backpack and put that back in place behind her back, Lothroniel once again hit the man before her with the backpack.

Soon she was almost finished with all the bustle she was making, all that was left was pick the book so she stretched her hand down to grab it and ended tilting the hand with the mug; such motion caused her to pour tomato soup all over the lower abdomen of the man behind her. She looked at him and her eyes widened, she let go of the mug and it hit his left foot. “Oh my! I’m so sorry.” She picked her book and started to look over it “I’m sure there’s a potion that can clean your shirt here somewhere…” she flipped through the pages while her blue eyes scanned it quickly, she was so focused on the tomato on his clothes that she hasn’t even noticed the foot that might be hurt.


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Valen entered the room, once again taking in the two men before him, the Ork seemed the more calm of the two, while the soldier seemed more high strung and gruff, like most soldier types were, itd be fun to mess with him.
Valen greeted them with a slightly dramatic bow, "Good afternoon gentleman," he straightened himself, "I've come for the supply fund?" He said, posing it almost as a question, but with what felt like the tone of a statement.

He thought it odd they'd have so much gold just lying around, but with Mr.Soldier hanging around, it must be easy to protect it. "That is what it's for, correct?" He asked, this time clearly making it a question of sincerity, and a question that made it sound as if he already knew the answer. Which he did. He'd been through this before with other jobs he's taken, some would spend it on women or booze and be left broke and without supplies, but Valen knew better, and if they were giving this much out for supplies, then he'd definitely need to stock up.
He stood waiting for a response.
 
The line was surprisingly cramped, or at least Alli thought so. Who knew so many people were brave enough to risk their lives for a bit of gold. Perhaps it wasn’t bravery, just desperation that prompted their action. Whatever it was Alli didn’t care too much for it because now he had to squirm through a congested line full of ragged scum and scoundrels. Nevertheless, this gold was certainly worth it, as was this expedition, what with all the treasure and not to mention the glory upon their return. He’d finally have something worth singing about.

Feeling a sudden bump from behind Alli spun around gracefully and narrowed his eyes, only for them to widen at the sight of a petite wood elf, clutching a book firmly between her thighs. This position granted an advantageous view of her curves to the lush, who sipped gingerly at yet another Dragon’s Blood as he gazed not so subtly at the girl. She was pretty, but not like the dull, shallow kind. It was a natural kind, which would be expected of a wood elf. Alli had always liked their kind and found himself associating with them rather often in his travels. “Woah there!” He exclaimed with a grin broadening by the second. If she’d heard this she paid him no interest, fumbling with her equipment with growing difficulty. He looked on as she retrieved the book and proceeded to spill the contents of her mug on the man behind her. With a chuckle Alli bent over to collect her mug and paused to admire the flurry of brown curls that cascaded down her flushed cheeks as she flipped through her book with haste. Realizing she was quite busy he simply held onto the mug waiting for her to find the spell she was looking for. With his patience diminishing he opted for a more witty fix to the situation and cast a quick, albeit subtle illusion spell giving the man’s shirt the appearance of being dry. “There,” he snickered. “Good as new.”
 
Kenric couldn't help but watch as the young lady turned around. His eyes became glued to the wood elf as he saw her own soft blue orbs. When she was squeezing the book between her thighs, he felt a smirk form as she fumbled around with her books. Without a doubt in his mind, this one was a beauty...

"Not so modest are we?" he asked. His comment was rewarded with her losing grip of her mug and spilling her soup all over him. The heat made his face go from subtle to pain as he yelped from the sting of the heat. When she realized what she had done she had dropped her mug to find a potion to clean his shirt. The only made the situation worse as the heavy mug land on his foot. Anoter yelp jerked from him as he started hopping on one foot like some jester at court. He heard her voice for the first time....by the grace of Elytheria it was a sweet song! He shook his head as the pain subsided, putting his foot down as the man in front of them picked up the mug, "There's no need!" he said with a small blush falling over his face as he saw her trying desperately to find the potion to clean his shirt, "I was going to get rid of this old thing any way! It's no trouble at all Miss!" he said, not wanting her to worry. When the man in front of them cast an illusion spell to make it look like his shirt was clean Kenric wasn't amused, "Thank you sir" he said as he sighed, "So, I guess you two are signing up for this deal as well huh?" he asked.


"That is correct Mr. Valen" stated Professor Bone-Piercer, nodding for Galvyn to hand over the gold to the man before them.

"As stated, whatever you spend with this will be compensated along the other 500 upon our return from the expedition." stated bors as he placed the heavy bag in the man's hand, should you survive that is
 
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BREWING TALK

T he wood elf was too absorbed in her potion’s book to notice the male behind her telling her that it was fine; it also slipped from her attention that the male before her had made a spell that made the shirt be as good as new. Lothroniel just removed her eyes from the book when she heard the male behind her thanking the other male, she blinked her eyes and looked at the both males while she closed her book; the situation slowly sank into her and then she said once she perceived what happened “Oh! Thank you, guess a spell is faster than a potion.” She chuckled softly and it sounded a bit nervous, she bit her lower lip out of embarrassment.

She blushed softly feeling silly and clumsy, looking down at her feet; her speech was directed to the male behind her in line “Again. I’m really sorry for all the mess.” She then nodded in reply to his question and said “Yes, that sounded like a nice opportunity to explore new fauna and flora. I wonder if there would be any different or rare plants to brew potions…” her eyes now were sparkling from talking about the thing she has the most interest about in life. Potions were her passion. She blushed a bit more and looked from one male to the other “What about you two?”


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Valen took the bag and it disappeared under the folds of his robes, "Thank you kind sirs. We shall see each other in two days time, at Pier 14." He said with a bow, before exiting the room.
He made his was downstairs, already putting together what he'd need for the expedition, he put those thoughts on hold as he felt his stomach rumble slightly, Ok, food first, supplies later, he thought to himself with a eerie giggle as he made his way to the counter, ordering a plate of food and a drink. He saw a slight commotion as he waited, if it could be called that, an elven girl was talking to two mages. He could tell they we're mages by the faint hum only mages could hear, but then again, the girls pack was humming as well, Ah, an alchemist then, he thought. He thought it an interesting gathering, and wondered what a diverse group was doing here. He wondered if they had gathered to take part in the expedition as well, it was highly likely, as such skills would be useful. His food arrived and he removed his hat and scarf setting them to the side so he could eat, his face now visible to everyone.
 
Alli was still grinning but managed to compose himself enough to respond to the elven girl. “Plants are cool, but I’m here for the adventure. Hopefully I’ll find some much lacking inspiration for my music as well!” he said, plucking a cord on his loot which sent a pleasant hum through the air. “I’m sorry,” he suddenly blushed and extended a hand in her direction. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Allston, Allston Layne. But you can just call me Alli if you like.” He has almost reached the front of the line and although he’d been anxious to get out of this room he didn’t much mind his current company. As he waited for his name to be called upon he stood a bit crooked though still standing at least a full head above her. His joyful brown eyes stared down at her figure, curious about who this girl was.
 
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