Song of Heroes IC

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Despite the apparent somber mood that the rogue appeared to be in before, he was quick to crack a lively smile as he heard Tira's voice behind him and listened to the question she made. "I wouldn't be myself if I said no to such a pretty face, would I?" He spoke, looking over his shoulder at the female swordfighter. With nonchalant ease he gestured at the seat next to him and waved the tavernkeep over, assuming Tira would want a drink.

To say that he was surprised the warrior princess had sought him out was an understatement, considering she'd made no effort to hide the animosity she'd held towards him and his admittedly less than stellar first impression throughout their contract together. However, he certainly wasn't one to turn company away, and perhaps someone to talk to was exactly what he needed after that quest.

Not that Tira was the most talkative of people.

"Should we toast, then?" He spoke up once the woman had a drink in hand. "To a job well done?"

[New Finnish Republic]

Edward
One Week Later...

---

In the midst of the bustling streets of Velathri's market district, Edward waited patiently in front of the small wooden shop as its owner looked at the cargo the armored man had brought him. It was cart full of a wide variety of slain animals, ranging from plump rabbits to deer with large protruding antlers that were arranged in ornate patterns. Based on the fact that the blood dripping from their various wounds was still fresh, it was clear to the shop owner that they had all been hunted that day, but the man could hardly believe that it was possible for only a single man to obtain such a vast quantity of animals in a single day.

"Mind explainin' to me how you managed to do this yourself, lad?" the man finally asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the armored man in front of him. While he wouldn't dare accuse Edward of it out loud, the thought that he could be dealing with a thief crossed his mind. It wouldn't have been the first time he had dealt with someone stealing the bounty of a hunting party, and given that what was presented in front of him was the amount one would expect from a large group, his suspicions were valid.

Underneath the visor of his helmet, unseen by the shop owner, Edward rolled his eyes before answering. "Traps. Lots of them."

In response to this the shop owner rubbed at the grey stubble that lined his cheeks. While it was true that using traps to secure the animals as they were moving would make it easier for a single hunter to increase their bounty, the man was still skeptical at best. "And I'm supposed to believe that?" he asked, eyeing the armored man warily.

Edward let out a small sigh before walking back to the small cart behind him. He noted the shop owner tensing up slightly, possibly in fear that Edward was going for some sort of weapon. After loosening the thread that secured a large burlap bag, Edward poured out what was inside, resulting in a loud clanking of metal as dozens of traps ranging from small to large fell onto the ground below. Marks of fur and blood stained where the sharp metal ends had latched onto the creatures, which the shop owner was keenly aware of the implications behind these.

"If it's still not enough, I can show you where I laid these traps," Edward said in response, a slight hint of annoyance in his tone now. His patience was beginning to run low, and if things kept up he knew was planning on just bringing his prizes elsewhere. However this seemed to not be needed, as the shop owner finally let out what seemed to be a groan of defeat.

"Fine, I'll take them. I'll give you the standard price on them, and..." The man's words momentarily stopped as he eyed the long blue cape that was slung over Edward's back. "...I'll throw in a little extra on the side as a means of apologizing for not believing you." While the shop owner hadn't been foolish in his initial rebukes on the treasure trove of animals presented to him, now that it was clear that it was genuine he knew he couldn't risk offending members of the Legion. Not if he wanted to maintain a business presence in the city, at least.

"Deal," Edward replied with a small nod, heading back to the cart. Before the shop owner could respond, Edward suddenly hefted two of the larger deer that he had caught onto his shoulders, letting out a small groan from the weight but otherwise successfully placing them in front of the man's shop. The shop owner stood there wide eyed for a few moments, before he too began to unload what remained of the cargo.

After a few minutes of this, Edward's cart was finally unloaded and his coin purse was significantly heavier than it had been since he had left early this morning. Pushing the cart by hand, he made his way over to where he had rented the small transport, throwing in a extra coin as a means of an apology for the mess left behind. He carried his sack of traps with him by hand, receiving a few odd glances from some of the townsfolk as he made his way towards the Legionnaire headquarters.

Two armed legionaries, both wearing red cloaks over their shoulders, gave Edward a small nod as he approached them, which the blue cloaked legionnaire responded to with one of his own. He was exhausted from his day spent out in the nearby wilderness as well as his negotiations with the merchant, leaving him with even less motivation to make any kind of conversation. Thus whenever a fellow member of the Legion tried to approach him, which admittedly was a small amount, Edward would merely nod and continue making his way back to his quarters.

Once he arrived, he let out a loud tired groan as he tossed the bag down next to his bed. Taking off his helmet so that he could better see, he walked over to the large bucket of water in his room, grabbing a small wool towel and began to go to work in cleaning off his traps. He could have waited to do them later, but he neither wanted the smell in his room nor risking the remains staining the traps in any way.

After what seemed like an eternity, the deed was done. Tossing the small towel into his dirty clothes hamper in the corner of his room, he poured the water down a small drain located next to the hamper, letting the water be sent down towards the sewers located below. It's engineering was far less complex than some other cities in comparison, but the drainage systems Velathri provided was enough to keep the city hygienic enough to avoid the spreading of plague and disease.

With all of these tasks done, Edward glanced out of his window to see that the sun, while having certainly traveled a good distance across the sky, was still up, indicating it was likely in the later parts of the afternoon. Considering he had been up long before the sun had even risen, a sense of fatigue had filled Edward. A small rumbling in his stomach indicated to him that his morning meal of dried jerky and water was no longer sustaining him, thus prodding him reluctantly into leaving the relative peace and quiet his room had afforded him and instead brought him back into the bustling streets below.

Making his way into the tavern he and the rest of the Legion frequented often, Edward's eyes caught the faces of several familiar members. His eyebrows raised slightly at the sight of the priestess they had met on their previous quest wearing a fresh red cloak around her shoulders. It appears that we must not have scared her off, he thought to himself sarcastically as he gave Roxana a tired wave in greeting as he passed their table. While in most situations he would have likely joined her for a meal, he was much too exhausted to handle Roxana's teasing at the moment.

Besides, she looks like she's busy with the others, Edward rationalized to himself as he found a table to sit at. Unstrapping his helmet and placing it on the table, Edward ran his fingers through hair, still damp with sweat from his long day. He planned on taking a small bath later on to clean himself up, but he couldn't detect any lingering odors coming from him before he left so he had decided to take care of his hunger first before moving onto that.

He gave the waitress his order for food, a large dish consisting of smoked fish and a mixed arrangement of vegetables on the side. In addition to this he order a tall glass of honeyed mead to drink, feeling as if he had certainly earned it that day. While he normally didn't like to eat so extravagantly, his recent acquisition of money from his hunting caused him to be a bit more relaxed with his coin purse. Not to mention his day spent silently stalking through the woods, finding trails, setting traps, and hauling back what he had gained had certainly drained him of enough energy to justify eating so plentiful.

Once his food arrived, Edward wasted no time in digging into his food, becoming oblivious to the others present in the tavern around him.

[Radea]

Absolon-7

Arden Rooke
Paean Legion –Tavern Hall
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trip home via the sea was quiet. Especially for Arden as he recovered from his injuries. The crab claw, massive in size, had done noticeable damage. The shipboard doctor marveled at Rooke’s endurance, noting that it was incredible that the legionary was still conscious, let alone walk. Nonetheless, Arden spent much of the voyage cot-ridden to allow his wound to heal enough to travel on.

Upon returning back to Velathri, Rooke’s thigh was examined at the infirmary and restored with the healing arts of magic. The nurse warned a scar there would likely always remain, however. The regrown muscle wasn’t quite good as new at first and Arden walked with a limp for the week around Headquarters until he had regained his strength. The commoner felt his recovery time was miraculous all the same, compared to healing injuries before joining the Legion. Though, he still questioned if the infirmary had given him the minimum care required due to his rank.

Speaking of miraculous, Arden’s thoughts drifted to the Paladin Yvonne as he marched to the Legion tavern hall. In the chaos of the battle at sea, he hadn’t seen the young Paladin and didn’t speak much on the voyage home. It seemed to be a cycle. Initially energetic to be travelling together, Arden then felt Yvonne distanced herself. A faint sigh expressed the silent wish that he understood women, especially the zealous type. Luckily the door to the tavern greeted him before the Red Cloak could dwell on these thoughts any longer.

Pushing through the door, he was greeted by a sparsely populated hearth room. In the corner, a regular assortment of elves (some he knew and some he didn’t) were heckling each other in their usual manner. It seemed like only weeks ago this whole place would have been overflowing with people. He hadn't seem his companions from the escort contract and saddened to now see them here.

Parchment in hand, the heavy footfalls of the large human announced his presence to Louise de Bossigny, the lobby clerk. Rooke cordially smiled as he slid his parchment across the counter to the administrator. “Reward equal to 138 ducats. Completion of delivery contract.” He hadn’t spoken to the woman very often, but she had that fiery red hair. Some village elders claimed that a mark of ill-tidings.

Leaning on the counter to shift weight off his leg, Arden looked over his shoulder at the few in the tavern. “Is this… everyone so far today?” He asked Louise, a mixture of small talk and genuine question as he waited for his pay.

[Finland SSR]

Sylcella

Roxana Ma'gonid

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

---

Of course, Roxana was just going to have her friends cover up for her. Right as Dido was about to take the most sultry piece of peach off the place, Sylanna suddenly snatched it and held it up above her head on purpose, taking advantage of her height. The Dark Elf's mouth opened in a perfect o when she saw the peaches underneath her nose suddenly vanish, and by the time when she realized exactly what was going on, Syl had already walked away, sat down and handed the peaches back to Roxana.

God damn mainlander elves...

Not just mainlander elves, apparently. There was a fresh face between the trio as well. Not even an elf, from what she could tell - and judging from the way she spoke with Roxana and Sylanna, she was clearly a newcomer among the Paean Legion, hell, the two elves were even surprised she was here.

"Hellooo there, newbie!" Dido yelled out as she plopped down on the bench right next to Roxana and wrapped her arm around the shorter High Elf. It was both an annoyance to ol' Roxy - and annoying Roxy was an artisanship soothing to her soul - and also a way to prevent Roxana from pushing the plate of peaches away while Dido was snatching the slices one after the other and shoving them to her mouth.

"So ya fresh round these parts, eh?" the Dark Elf continued, her voice muffled while she was chewing the fruit. "Nice to meetcha, my name's Dido and I'm the voice of reason here, as you should know. Me and Roxy are the bestest of friends! Look, she even shares her peaches with me, ain't that nice? And what's your name?"

[Absolon-7]

Arden Rooke

Louise de Bossigny
The fiery haired woman at the Velathri Legion base was feeling not too energetic this day as she was not looking forward to the quarterly meeting between the Legion Chairman and the Council that was to be held in the vast building in a few days time. All that meant was far more paperwork to fill out and complaints from Legionnaires about the heightened security and the tavern being shutdown during its duration. Louise was busying herself by reading the political comics on the city newspaper but the sound of footsteps in front of her desk prompted her to instinctively ready her pen for work.

"Bonjour, Monsieur. Excusez-moi," said Louise as she took the contract to inspect it. She swiftly and mechanically filled out the ledger in front of her and deposited the contract into a box before she took out yet another book and stamped the center of it and filled out a line with the desired reward money. In her smooth accent she spoke, "Here is your bank note for the reward money. New policy of not handing out rewards over one hundred ducats on site. The heavens know why management makes us fill out even more papers."

She heard his brief question and rubbed her chin, "I suppose but I did just sign in a returning White Cloak's band. Number of people here is quite erratic at times but perhaps there's more over in the tavern down the hall? I only started my shift half an hour ago. Also shouldn't the rest of your party be here? Quite unusual for just one person to show up, non?"

Syl and Mir

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

Roxana Ma'gonid
Roxana blinked at Mircella's response as it was a lot more convenient then the usual reasons for joining. Her eyebrows scrunched up when she mentioned stuff about meeting 'figure of beauty and heroism' in the Legion. Roxana wondered where she was going with this tangent until Sylanna looped it back to Eddie's faux pause a week prior. Roxana joined in with Mir at laughing at Syl's joke but once the taller elf gave back the bowl of peaches Roxana's eyes and mouth widened in glee at getting back her rightful meal. She voraciously dug in skewering one peach chunk with a fork and popping it into her mouth.

"That time might go by quicker if you play your cards right," offered Roxana in between peach half eating, "You can count on me and Syl for recomme-"

The young woman was abruptly cut off as her sentence morphed to a squeak as she felt the nefarious grip of Dido sullying her shoulder with her grip and then pillaging her bowl of peaches once more its bounty shrinking by the second. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Roxana glared molten daggers up at Dido before maneuvering below the arm to get out of the unwanted contact. She also cupped the bowl and slid it away so she could bend over it like a cat protecting its prey.

"Oh please, Dido. I'd rather you not fill this recruit's head with your usual nonsense," barked Roxana, "Someone that bumped into me while dancing and making me drop a barrel of wine on a crabman chieftain a storey below and almost ruining a diplomatic event is not someone that should be listened to."

After a few moments, the sounds of a cheering and whooping entourage could be heard from the hallway to the tavern that originated from the lobby. It was none other then the party for one of Velathri's native born White Cloak Legionnaires, Vittorio Garibaldi the Hidden, who ironically was one of the few White Cloaks that fraternized with the lower ranks. Once reaching the room he gave a bombastic wave to the tavern's occupants.

"Greetings everyone! I would like to announce that the Qomstan Sandworm has been slain! Yes, that illusive 5 star beast that was on the brink of destroying the Qomstan Sultanate and killed two entire parties of fellow Legionnaires and half the Sultanate's royal guard! Soooo free round of drinks on me!," he shouted as he walked with his party deeper into the tavern.

"Who drinks this early in the day..." muttered Roxana.

[Finland SSR]

Roxana Ma'gonid

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

---

"Hey, it's evening somewhere on Anthem!" was what came in response to Roxana's lament about it being too early to drink. Dido forgot the question she raised to Mircella nor her plans to annoy the green-haired elf further and further, and instead stood up, yelling with the rest of the crowd:

"Hurrah! Screw the Qo... Qu... hrm... Huzzah for free drinks!" Free drinks always unite people more than news about some creature in the distant east getting slain. And with that loudly yelled, Dido stood up and ran off to join the free drinks crowd - perhaps forcing out more than one thankful sigh, but it wasn't on her mind anymore.

Covered up in a light cloak, Betty stepped into the tavern, immediately seeing herself surrounded by a cheering crowd following Vittorio the Hidden - she wasn't sure what all the commotion was about aside for the fact that the mob was making their way towards the bar, so she weakly raised her hand to fit in before sneaking out, lest she gets picked up by the wave. Walking through the tavern with no direction behind her footsteps, she soon came across Siegfried, sitting alone by a table with a bowl of soup and a golden cloak flowing off his shoulders.

"Hellooo there, Mister Siegfried!" Betty cheerfully exclaimed, waving her hand. "You look really weird without armor on, you know that?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

---

Mircella regarded the advice dispensed by the two continental elves with a smile, taking note of the generous offer Roxana was about to make before the eye-catching Solfataran interrupted her - it wouldn't do to let something like that be easily forgotten after all. Turning to look at Dido, her smile turned rather amused at the dark-skined elf's words and antics, as well as Roxana's reaction. She was clearly a thorn on the High Elf's side, but at the same time, she didn't seem like an inherently evil or unlikable person. Somewhat mischievous, at most, and who was she to frown upon a little mischief?

Roxana quickly debunked Dido's claims, mentioning a story that piqued the priestess' curiosity, though she didn't seem to delve any deeper into it. Unfortunate. She thought. Perhaps I could ask her to tell me more about it later.

Sylanna, meanwhile, was content to sit next to Roxana - and opposite of Dido - and playfully roll her eyes at their antics. They were a common sight for her ever since she had befriended the High Elf after joining the Legion. She didn't know the details of their falling out, but had long since accepted the sight of them bickering as a part of life in the Legion. However, something happened soon enough that caught her attention as well as that of everyone else at the table and, indeed, everyone in the tavern as a whole. A familiar white-cloaked legionnaire walked in, telling of his deeds and offering drink to all the tavern's patrons. He struck Sylanna as a bit boastful for her tastes, though she otherwise had nothing against him - anyone who fought to save others - even if there was coin in between - was fine in her book.

"Well, it's never too early for a drink up in the Reaches. I learned that one fairly quickly." The Snow Elf said with a shrug once Dido had left. She then playfully threw an arm around her friend's shoulders, much like the Solfataran had done earlier. "I guess we should be thankful to Vittorio for getting rid of two monsters today, hmm?" She joked afterwards with a small grin on her face.

"He seems like a smart man." Mircella commented, drawing the taller elf's attention. Noticing this, she continued. "Offer to pay for a round of drinks in the morning, when the tavern is not nearly as full as later in the day and not everyone is looking for a drink, and you appear magnanimous without spending too much coin." She explained.

"I think you're reading a little too deep into it, Mir." Sylanna remarked.

[Radea]

Absolon-7

Finland SSR

New Finnish Republic

Arden Rooke
Panean Legion Tavern Hall
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The fire-haired woman replied in a language Arden did not quite understand. He had heard Louise speak it before, but not directly to him. Was it high noble speak? Some form of Elvish? Ms. Bossigny understood Common, at least, for she took the contract form that the High Elf Eumenes had provided as proof of completion and began a flurry of bureaucratic movements. One document disappeared in to one box while another was quickly stamped and slid in his general direction from across the desk.

Examining it briefly, the Red Cloak replied with uncertainty, “Right… I’ll make sure to stop by a bank house then.” He slid the note into his satchel as Louise answered his own question.

She heard his brief question and rubbed her chin, "I suppose but I did just sign in a returning White Cloak's band. Number of people here is quite erratic at times but perhaps there's more over in the tavern down the hall? I only started my shift half an hour ago. Also shouldn't the rest of your party be here? Quite unusual for just one person to show up, non?"


Arden rubbed the back of his head, mildly embarrassed, “I’ve been in the infirmary for a week, so they likely already passed through. I’m the late one.” He forced a chuckle and smiled briefly. A commotion from the bar room signaled that Rooke should investigate the tavern for his comrades.

“I’ll take your advice and go check the bar stools for my friends.” Rooke politely grinned as he walked backwards towards his destination, “Thanks for all your help, Louise.” As he waved a quick good bye, he called out “Our River!” Yes. That was what Louise de Bossigny said to people when they left sometimes, right?

Passing through the threshold, the Legion’s red-haired clerk turned out to be correct. The hearth room had quite a few legionaries in it, though not as many as he’d seen before. Plenty of tables were empty when there often isn’t a seat open in the house. Granted, it was also morning.

What intimidated him was the variety of cloaks. So few red meant lots of seniority. The most apparent was the entourage of people surrounding a tall man in resplendent finery, fabric the color of obsidian with fine laces of silver. A white cloak adorned his shoulders.

Whatever the occasion, the white-cloak appeared to have generously ordered a round on him. The barkeep placed a couple mugs on the counter before turning back to fill a few more. Glancing around, Rooke shrugged and swiped one up. He looked into the ale with a careful eye, “Well… I haven’t celebrated my successful contract since the infirmary, so… might as well.”

With one gulp, the human winced and noticeably reeled. “Oh yeah, cough, I’m going to nurse this one.” Arden was unaccustomed to the hair of the dog.

At another table sat Sylanna, the illustrious purple-cloak elf whom had led the first contract Arden had ever participated in. He knew her, but didn’t know the other elf and human who sat with her. The other elf, the bright-haired one, seemed to have a face of pure annoyance.

“Best avoid that unless invited.” Arden thought to himself as he sipped from his mug. Still, he made an effort to wave at Sylanna as a friendly gesture. Just across the way sat another human with fair blonde hair. He looked to be pleasantly partaking in his own victuals as a tanned elf stood before him; all haunty. Rooke couldn’t remember her name, but he did remember her bullying his wood elf friend Vulluin a few weeks ago, when new contracts had gone up. Arden had an affinity for his fellow man, even if some elves where alright. Even if he felt the Legion played favorites by raising Elves faster than humans; possibly due to the influence of the dominate Elven nations.

With a gulp of liquid courage, the former merchant turned mercenary slid next to the younger man and raised his mug. “Cheers to good company, am I right? Always feel likes we’ve got a friend around here, even if they wear the White.” Rooke thumbed toward the entourage around the generous hero of the tavern. His bulky frame sat on the bench so his shoulder faced the mischievous tan elf - an intentional social cue.

[Idiot People]

Haunted Manor Rescue

Lucan Aburns
Haunted Manor

He decided against using his boon before knowing the effects of it. He instead drew his sword and began to run at the spectre. An arrow whizzed past him as he ran and struck true before Siegfried landed a few blows himself. He slowed himself to a stop as the foe wailed and faded into the nothingness

So it was over, supposedly. Lucan felt restless. He hadn't really gotten much of a chance to attack and the adrenaline of the fight coursed through him. Still, he let himself settle in his skin before going over to the room he had seen previously. Peering inside, he took a closer look at some of the items.

Vials and ingredients he didn't take much interest in, he wouldn't know how to use them, but he took a keen interest in the books of magic lore. He didn't know what was planned to happen to them, but he carefully looked over the titles and took two or three for himself to look over before he would hand them over to proper holders.

After doing so, and with a bit more weight than he came in with in his satchel, he went over to the newly freed adolescent. "Hey, there. How are you feeling. You aren't hurt?" He looked over the boy, who was decidedly silent, to find no apparent injury. "We're here to take you home. I bet your family must be missing you." He gave a friendly smile, hoping to put the kid at ease.

And so, walking with his fellows, Lucan stood outside the manor with the boy by his side. "I think I'll take the kid back and make sure he gets home okay. I'll catch up with y'all soon."

A flash of something caught Lucan's eye, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, so Lucan dismissed it. He took the boy on his shoulders and escorted him home, making sure he was properly settled before returning to the legion. In light of his ruined dark cloak, he wore his red legion cloak plainly on his shoulders for all to see.

[Absolon-7]

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

Mircella and Sylanna

Roxana Ma'gonid
Roxana rolled her eyes as Dido conveniently ignored her commentary on an early contract the two took together in favor of joining the beginning of a morning drunkard gathering. Dishwater gargling hussy. The short elf crossed her arms and sat back on her chair to reaffirm herself from Dido's intrusiveness. How that woman went to bed soundly with how awful she acts was beyond her. Roxana's eyes widened once Sylanna took her turn in wrapping her arm around her shoulder. She indiscriminately coughed at the sudden gesture but Sylanna's joke made the elf laugh off her previous grumpiness at Dido. It was actually quite comforting to know that while Sylanna was incredibly strong she could also do such a playful gesture with ease.

"Mircella may have a point. Vittorio's a crafty one," said Roxana nodding.

Some distance away the famously nicknamed "Onion Knight" Siegfried was scarfing down a bowl of hot mutton. His blonde hair matched his golden cloak draping his shoulders quite strikingly and his stalwart frame was a clear sign of someone with years of fighting experience. He scratched his chin and thought of he needed a trip to the barber sometime in the week. This scruff was going to ruin his style. He looked up from his mutton to see the ever sparkling Betty greeting him.

"Why hello there Miss Betty," he said but her comment on his appearance made the older man raise an eyebrow, "Excuse me, lassy? I do say, does my stubble make me look that bad?"

As the tavern life continued naturally on all fronts, one of the front desk attendants came shuffling down the hall to the tavern's entrance before making a sharp turn. The brunette had her arms full of rolled up papers and stood in front of the contract board with a worried look on her face as she nervously looked from side to side. Abruptly another black haired woman came scrambling down the hall carefully holding a cup full of thumb tacks. The two quickly got to work to putting up a plethora of contracts both local and ones copied and sent to Velathri from abroad. There were the usual minor ones about a single afternoon's work of pay as an extra laborer or a full day's pay for some specific errand. A few had more 'meat' to them so to speak with actually having to go somewhere with the element of danger. However, there were three contracts that had a certain imposing presence to them.

After multiple disappearances following an earthquake in the mining town of Zareen, in the Empty Wilds, caused the miners to refuse to head into the mines and leave their homes unattended until the situation was resolved, Duke Ardashir of the Nine Princedoms of Ashar has requested the Legion to send adventurers to investigate. Legionnaires are advised caution, as little is known of the threat and the area has become the target of frequent wolf attacks in the last weeks. Volunteers will travel to the port city of Piketown in the western coast of the archipelago, where further transportation will be provided.
Purplecloak required. Accommodations for travel will be handled in the front desk.
Pay:150 Ducats per party member

The University of Velathri is funding an expedition to the Great Bog's very heart in search of a temple of the long dead Church of Eternas that had long been rumored to have fled to the Great Bog two centuries ago. The expedition is in need of an experienced core of adventurers to complement their own private security as they delve into the hostile quagmire. An eyewitness from a local has lead to the location of the building, half sunken in a mudfield near the Acid Lagoon of Baron von Mackensen, where it is said that the Eternas church hid a plethora of artifacts and holy weapons. After taking the contract, Legionnaires are required to report to the University's warehouse for further instructions. Plenty of medicinal herbs and healing scrolls are recommended for the festering diseases of the Great Bog.
Bluecloak required.

Once the two clerks left and a few daring Redcloaks and Bluecloaks took first pick of some of the safer contracts for either themselves or their parties, Roxana tilted her head to see if there were any that stood out. However, at the distance she was all across the tavern their description were nothing but scribbles. She sighed and looked at her bowl of peaches now nearly empty but with a few last succulent halves left.

"So would either of you like to see what they have for work this time?" asked Roxana clinging to her peach bowl.

[Tomia]

Tira
Tira stood in near the board, ignoring the crowds that were swarming to see the new assignments. She peered past them to see what was available. One caught her eye, it involved an investigation into a mining town within the Nine Princedoms of Ashar. While she wasn't exactly jumping at joy at the prospect of more intrigue and mystery, it seemed like the people there needed help and that was as good a reason as any to take a mission. On closer inspection, she saw that a purple cloak was required for the mission. She obviously wasn't a purple cloak, so she would need to find one and make sure that they joined this mission as well. She scanned the room before she saw someone she recognized as a purple cloak. She knew very little about her other than her name was Roxana. She saw the purple cloak sitting with a pair of other people, but they didn't seem particularly preoccupied and so she approached their table.

"You're Roxana right? I'm Annabelle. There's a mission that requires a purple cloak, I wanted to know if you were planning on participating."

[Absolon-7]

Tira

Roxana Ma'gonid
"I suppose so," mused Mir twirling hair on her finger, "Why don't you be dear and check them out for us."

Roxana blinked at her friend before grumpily starting to get up as it looked like her ploy to get someone else to get work was foiled. Sylanna reluctantly let go of Roxana's shoulders, however, a newcomer approached the trio of girls. It was some brunette woman Roxana had seen in passing for a while but never got the chance to talk to as of yet. It seemed she needed a Purple Cloak to get at a contract she wanted and so Roxana's plot had miraculously worked after all through no effort of her own. Roxana sat back down and motioned with her hand for Tira to sit down.

"Come, come. Let's see what this contract's all about," said Roxana as the contract was slid onto the table. The three girls took turns reading it with mixed results. "Mystery? Danger? In places unknown? Good pay? Looks like the perfect contract to me."

"The Empty Wilds, eh. I hear the Legion is barely established in that area. Won't be easy traversing there,' muttered Sylanna rubbing her chin.

"Wolf attacks? They usually don't act so bold unless they're starving or their victims were particularly dumb," amusingly observed Mircella.

"Alright, let's go find the boys. I'm sure they'll love this one," said Roxana rolling up the contract, "Hopefully we coincidentally run into them somewhere. I figure Simion should be by the firing range...."

Sylanna turned to the Redcloak woman and asked, "Good to see you again Annabelle. I'm sorry I don't think you've been introduced to the others. My friend across the table is Mircella and the green haired elf running out to the lobby right now is Roxana. But lets go check on her."

Roxana swiftly made it outside like a bouncing doe in the woods and hopped down the stairs but she quickly caught herself and cleared her throat. She didn't know what got into her acting all giddy like a school girl but it wasn't something she wanted anyone to see. She stood at the foot of the stairs and partially hid behind a bush to spot a specific marksmen in the field in front of the building. Her head bobbed up and down trying to spot the silver-white hair of her friend slightly rustling the bush. She needed to look professional when she approached him in introducing the contract.

Meanwhile, inside the tavern Siegfried finished his mutton and wiped his face with a cloth from his back pocket. He got up and walked to the board to look at the new batch of contracts and a few had already been taken but there was one that did seem interesting. He plucked it from the board and sat back where he previously was and Betty had been waiting like a starry eyed pup. He rubbed his blonde mustache in contemplation before leaning towards Betty.

He handed her the contract and nonchalantly said, "Say what do you think of this one, lassy? Say have you ever seen the Velathri University? My nephew got in there just this year now if you'll excuse me..." Siegfried then got up and stood on the bench seat he was taking up, "Here yee here yee. Your local Siegfried will now take applicants for this expedition to the blackest and deadliest parts of the Great Bog. All expenses paid by that stuffy University board!"

[Finland SSR]

Roxana Ma'gonid

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

---

"Well you've certainly got a very interesting order here..."

Inspecting the innards of the dismantled and taken apart hand cannon, two men sat on different sides of a table inside a rather ordinary looking shop in one of the many streets of Velathiri. One of them was an aged, balding veteran of his art, using a small eyeglass to zoom in on all the machinery he's pulled apart and placed on the table, whereas the other was a young adult with a mane of white hair on his head - and the two of them were certainly into it. The former had to listen to the latter's plans for most of the morning - and the papers and sketches surrounding dismantled weapon indicated that it was a productive exercise.

"Yeah, now that you can see all the trinkets from up close, I think it should be clear where what is supposed to go." Simion stated calmly, reaching forward to point to the lock. "I'll need that match replaced with a trigger pulling mechanism to slam the flint downwards in thiiiis exact arc. And carve out this exact gap for a rune to be placed on the base of the barrel."

"Not exactly the type of work I'm used to... I only ever hear about gunpowder weapons in passing." the clocksmith responded, put down his eyeglass and began reconstructing the hand cannon piece by piece.

"Well, that's what I've got these instructions for," Simion replied, his hand pulling one of the papers at the side closer to them both. "Usually, I work on this contraption myself and I would love to get these upgrades down myself, but... I don't have the tools for design this precise. You know what I mean, right?"

"Of course." the clocksmith nodded, the two men stood up and shook their hands. "You certainly seem to be... into this field. Not a lot of people interested in those gunpowder gadgets around these parts..."

"Well... it's what I signed my life off onto."

WIth goodbyes waved away and his hand cannon left safely in the arms of the Velathiri clocksmith, Simion departed into the streets of the city yet again. He's still got a lot of matters to attend to, mostly in the forge of the Paean Legion Headquarters, which he has taken a liking for and swiftly became its most common visitors. While the furnaces and tools in that place weren't the most cutting edge you could find on Anthem, they were certainly efficient and acceptable, and Simion's put them to use for a project of his. He's going to have to miss a round of missions or two and blow through most of his savings for the raw material necessary... but if his plans and sketches come out in exactly the way he wanted them to, then it will be more than worth it.

Making his way through the corridors of the Legion Headquarters, paying little attention to the commotion coming from the tavern, Simion glanced towards the stairs leading outside for a brief second and suddenly noticed Roxana standing behind a bush all by herself. From the way she glanced over the bush and tried to keep a low profile, it was almost like she was hiding from someone...

"Hey, Roxana! Everything alright?" the marksman called out, making his way down the stairs while lightly waving his hand.

---

Bettine Lambert, master of the Griffon!

---

"Eh?"

Betty didn't even get a chance to stand up and see the list of contracts offered this week before Siegfried suddenly leaned next to her and offered a contract for the two of them to take - while at the same time advertising Velathiri University to her. Slowly reading the contract handed to her, she mulled over the name of that institution.

University... That's a name she hasn't heard of. From the looks of it, though, it sounds like an institution funding expeditions to various places, including, in this instance, the Great Bog. All these scary names, like Acid Lagoon, Eternas Church, festering diseases... did not give the most optimistic overview of the mission, but it left Betty giggity and enthusiastic nonetheless. Hey, it's a place she hasn't been in and it pays! What's there to worry?

"Aye aye, captain Siegfried!" she stood up and called out. "Me and Matthias will go with you!"

[New Finnish Republic]

Edward
Paen Legion Headquarters

---

Everyone seems in a good mood today, Edward thought to himself as he watched more and more legionaries filter into the tavern. He frowned slightly at the sight of many already taking part in more than a few drinks, shaking his head as he mentally chided his fellow legionaries that such behavior this early in the day could only lead to trouble. Edward had seen enough drunken brawls take place amongst members of the Legion to know that such events ended poorly for all parties involved, especially for whatever establishment they happened to be drinking at.

The antics of Roxana caused Edward to raise an eyebrow, a small glimmer of a smile momentarily escaping his face as he saw just how flustered the green-haired elf could get when confronted by Dido. Those two never have gotten along, have they? Edward asked himself, unable to remember even a single moment that those two had ever managed to go more than a few moments without bickering when together. Elves can be strange sometimes, I suppose, he thought to himself as he merely shook his head and finished what remained of his meal.

It was just in time, it seemed, as suddenly a large commotion filled the air as new contracts were laid out for the taking. Edward allowed for the bulk of the crowd to die away before he too approached the board and began to read through the available contracts. He was somewhat disappointed initially as he read through the rather mundane tasks provided, most of which involved either simple errand quests or the elimination of some bandit encampment. For a brief moment, Edward was prepared to resign himself to finding a group of inexperienced Red Cloaks to help guide through their contracts, when suddenly his eyes fell on a contract that peaked his interest tremendously.

"The Empty Wilds, heh," Edward said softly under his breath as he softly rubbed at his chin in contemplation. The Empty Wilds was a region practically untouched by the influences of civilization, instead being completely dominated by the wilderness landscape and the creatures that resided within it. While much more hospitable in terms of climate in comparison to that of the Northern Reaches, the region was a dangerous place for those who were not wary of the dangers it provided. The sparse roads that connected many of the various areas of the region often fell prey to attacks from various beasts that sought out their next meals on unsuspecting travelers. In order to safely traverse the region, one would need someone experienced in survival in such treacherous conditions, which in this case happened to be someone like Edward.

As he stood around contemplating this, he happened to overheard the rather excited voice of Roxana peak out above the din of the crowd. It appeared that she as well as those accompanying her were intent on going on the Zareen contract. Given that it's full of mystery and danger, why am I even surprised, Edward thought to himself before Roxana practically leaped out of the tavern, much to his surprise. The others quickly followed behind, resulting in Edward muttering slightly under his breath as he reached into his coin purse to pay for his meal, tossing the coins onto his table before placing his helmet onto his head and making his way out of the tavern.

After some amount of searching, he finally found the green-haired elf. She's...hiding? Why? Edward cocked his head to side slightly in confusion, before realizing just who it was she was seemingly trying to hide herself from. Of course he's coming along, Edward thought to himself with a loud sigh before walking up to where Roxana was still crouched behind the bush. Simion seemed to easily notice the elven girl as well, calling out to her in what must of been a state of confusion at what he was seeing. Before Roxana could reply, Edward delivered a quick yet relatively painless chop to the top of the girl's head.

"Being an idiot, it seems," Edward said, his somewhat annoyed tone being neutralized through the metallic ring through his helmet. Crossing his arms, Edward turned his gaze over towards Simion. "New contract," he said plainly, wanting to bypass what would have likely been a drawn out and overelaborate explanation from the seemingly excited girl below him.

[Absolon-7]

Simion

Edward

Roxana Ma'gonid
Simion has to be somewhere in the training field he just had to be. Now, how exactly should she approach him? Going up all giddy wouldn't be wise. He'd just let it go to his head about her being all excited over work. She'd have to act all cool and nonchalant about it like it was just another contract like any other. Well it just was like any other high value contract but that wasn't important. Unforntley any plans she had were dashed as soon as she heard Simion's voice calling out to her descending down the front stairs.

"Yes, of course everything's alright," brusquely said Roxana swiftly spinning around to face him, "I was just keeping an eye out to see if Dido was somewhere. To avoi-eeep!"

Roxana found herself to the victim of Edward's chop who had suddenly appeared to her side. Roxana stared daggers into Edward as he ignored her to just say 'new contract' to Simion. How was Simion supposed to know if he wanted to go if he knew nothing about it.

"Well anyway, you two were one's I was looking for since me and the girls found another contract for us," stated Roxana proudly. She extended her hand to Simion so both he and Edward could read it. "I was..I mean we were wondering if you two would be interested in joining? Syl and Mir are already on board. We got some Redcloak to join too."

With these two the part for the contract should be well rounded and robust enough for whatever devious plots hid behind those disappearances and wolf attacks. Roxana rested her hands on her hips and straightened her back with a smug look on her face. Now hopefully nothing would come along to ruin her parade.

[Radea]

Finland SSR

Arden Rooke
Paean Legion –Tavern Hall
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arden was about halfway through his meager mug of ale when contracts were pinned to the board. Almost as soon as the two desk attendants departed, their space around the contract board was filled with individuals or parties eager to take on a contract worthy, or available, for their time. The blue-haired youth was often the last to claim a contract - often as a tag along. Many seemed to crowd around a particular contract, some in soft whispers and one in a surprised boast. A certain purple cloak elven woman - Roxana was her name, Arden recalled - spoke with Syllana and others at her bench and left the tavern in haste.

“That one is probably full,” Rooke whispered glumly into his mug.

"Here yee here yee. Your local Siegfried will now take applicants for this expedition to the blackest and deadliest parts of the Great Bog. All expenses paid by that stuffy University board!"

Just then, a large man with a large flowing gold cloak stood atop one of the benches and proclaimed his intent to venture into the Great Bog. Siegfried was his name, the so-called “Onion Knight.” Arden wasn’t sure why the heralded warrior had such a nickname. Siegfried’s pronouncement certainly didn’t sugarcoat it. Rooke’s bench scooted noisily as his legs rose seemingly on their own. He wasn’t certain what propelled him forward. Maybe it was that only a girl, younger than him, seemed to be volunteering. Maybe it was the charisma of the Gold Cloak. Maybe he was done with escorts and horse carts. Before his mind could make up a reason, Arden’s mouth spoke for him, “I’ll do it, sir. I’ll go the Great Bog with you. Arden Rooke, red cloak.”

The strapping lad stood at his full height, his knuckles white on his fists. Was he choking back craven thoughts? Arden’s eyes took in a brief skimming of the contract now that he stood closer. It was going to be the most difficult and dangerous task he had ever agreed to. Still, the lost Church intrigued him. If Yvonne had found purpose in a Church; couldn’t he?

[Charmera]

Battle of Illwar Plains, Four Years ago
Kerah took in the silence of the afternoon plains. There was a cool yet bracing autumnal breeze flitting through the field, pushing strongly against Kerah and the battalion of a hundred behind her. The green of the Illwar plains was dotted with occasional spots of colour, flowers of primary hues. The sky was glowing red from a setting sun, which meant that either Lord Ruen's army would have to retreat back to camp, or the battle would commence.

Kerah took a moment to glance at the enemy. The line of faceless troops, so far away that even Kerah's infamously good eyesight could not make any single one out distinctly, stood in silence as they always had. Kerah found that silence was more disconcerting that jeers or taunts. The dead quiet had a far more ominous weight than far away shouts. It reminded Kerah too much of the end to all these battles: a bloody sunrise and a silent field.

A sound of horns confirmed that they would be going forward. Kerah gave a nod to her Batallion Sargent Mullen. Mullen understood the gesture, and gave the order to march in his loud and demanding way. The spearmen began to move, their steps as steady as their eyes determined. Kerah knew enough to see the glint of fear in almost every soldiers eye.

The two armies marched towards each other, the steady metronome of footsteps breaking the once tense silence with an even tenser sound, like a drumbeat to annihilation. The enemy army was growing steadily larger, like prison walls they blocked their forward path. Kerah hated this part the most, the anticipation. It gave her too much time with her own thoughts.

She also had the archers to worry about.

Sure enough, after what Kerah felt was a thousand marching steps, she saw the archers on the other side of the battlefield begin their first volley. Kerah could tell it was aimed at her Battalion.

With a burst of golden energy and a wave of Kerah's outstretched hand, a barrier appeared between the arrows and her troops. Like a curved shield, the radiant barrier created a half-dome around the soldiers. The various arrows splintered and broke against the solidified light.

Kerah smiled. There were few feelings on the battlefield that could beat that. She took a moment to bask in the feeling of the arrows uselessly bouncing off her golden ligh-

With a resounding crash, the shield was broken suddenly by an explosion of fire. Kerah was sent backward, though she did not lose her footing. Embers from the fire threatened to set her hat or clothes afire, but lucky for her they were extinguished by the strong wind.

Kerah's eyes locked with a single figure in the opposing ranks of spearmen. The man stood in dark robes, with red streaks and a crest of a flame embossed on it's chest. Kerah glared at her opponent.

Two hornblows signaled it was time to rush forward. Kerah drew Azure Nightrender, a sabre glowing saphire blue, and she pointed forward. Her voice sang out and the unit and her charged in unison. A drumbeat of feet now became a raucous thunderstorm. Kerah aimed her charge strait at the enemy magician.

As the forward charge picked up, the enemy mage sent another fireball towards Kerah. Her instincts did not betray her, however, as she used the glowing blade to parry the fireball, dispersing its energies harmlessly.

The fire mage grunted in frustration and began preparing another fireball. She shot out a hand in response.

"Annular Nier!"

The magical energies dissipated in her opponent's hands. He gave her a frustrated look.

By now it was too late. The two were face to face.

The two spear units gave the two magic users a wide berth as they charged one another. For one, it was a point of honor not to interfere with a duel. For two, being anywhere near a magical fight was a stupid idea.

Kerah pressed her attack, suddenly lunging forward. She was parried by the staff of the magic-user and a fist filled with fire lashed out to meet her. She quickly hopped back and took a guard stance.

The staff says he's not a swordmage. The fistfire, however...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a fireball. She quickly spun out of the way, narrowing missing being burned.

She quickly decided that giving this man any time to recover would be a bad idea. She quickly launched a flurry of attacks. Stabs and slices with her Nightrender. The blade cut and scraped at her foe, but he was surprisingly masterful at blocking with his staff.

A soldier turned mage perhaps? Good stance. Good defense.

The staff smacked her in the face. She cursed. Focus.

She was nursing her cut lip for a second when her opponent tried to summon the energies for a fireball. She quickly reached out her hand once more.

"Annular Nier!"

The mage cursed audibly as the fire turned to smoke in his hands. He improvised instead, charging in with a flaming fist and his staff. Now it was Kerah's turn to be on the defensive, blocking his whacking staff and his jabbing fist. A few close calls almost saw her hat roasted.

Not good...!

She had to act boldly. She quickly used her elbow to smash his face as he tried to move in with a close range punch. He grunted, his nose not broken or blood, but hurt. he staggered for but an instant.

There!

It was all over. A sudden stab was all it took and the man was down. He grabbed his stomach in pain. It took but another strike to silence him completely.

Kerah sighed in relief. There were several moments during that fight where she could have been dead. Her opponent was no ordinary mage. He had combat skill to match. Outside the Scarlet Company mages generally weren't taught to fight hand to hand that often.

She looked over at the mage, a brown haired and blue eyes man. She frowned. He was about as old as she was.

The battle around her was now a dim silence, a black backdrop to the now crouching Kerah and the man she had killed.

"Who are you?"

To her surprise, the corpse responded. Yet she could not hear what it said.

Then she woke up.

Kerah's Room. Now.

Kerah awoke with a start. She felt around for her blade for a second, but then realized she had not put it beside her bed, mostly so she wouldn't cut something in her sleep. She sighed, then sat up in bed. The dream had been a memory, though she had never knelt down to ask the dead man who he was. She noted that she had been realizing quite a few old battles in her mind recently.

She supposed it was only natural. She had heard of others with similar experiences. Reliving old battles in their mind. Though the vividness of it had taken her aback.

Kerah decided not to dwell on it too much as she headed down to the tavern.
The Tavern.

He handed her the contract and nonchalantly said, "Say what do you think of this one, lassy? Say have you ever seen the Velathri University? My nephew got in there just this year now if you'll excuse me..." Siegfried then got up and stood on the bench seat he was taking up, "Here yee here yee. Your local Siegfried will now take applicants for this expedition to the blackest and deadliest parts of the Great Bog. All expenses paid by that stuffy University board!"

Kerah walked up to the blond-haired, goateed man and gives a polite tip of her large wizards cap. "... Redcoat Kerah Dawncrown reporting for duty," She exclaimed, almost saying her old and dead rank. She also had to resist saluting to the higher ranking adventurer. "By which I mean, sir, that I would be.. willing to join this... expedition." Her tone was respectful, but with a hint of unease of someone not yet used to certain words like "redcoat" and likely "Penean Legion".

Kerah observed the man in front of her, noting that two of his buttons were mismatched. She tried not to let that bother her, but there was a hint of an expression change when she saw this detail. She looked over to his companion, who seemed close to the Goldcoat, or at least friendly enough. Then there was the blue-haired lad, who she detected the hints of battlefield nerves she had seen on a few soldiers in her time. She wasn't sure if it was the danger of the mission or inexperience.

[Finland SSR]

Roxana Ma'gonid

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

---

Simion was not the only one of Roxana's friends who stumbled across her at this moment - just as she was explaining herself to the marksman, Edward suddenly lightly smacked her head from behind, drawing her childish ire and forcing Edward to explain the matter himself. There was a new contract and the elven purple cloak was here to recruit the two of them - she handed the page of the contract to Simion right after.

It was a yet another mystery, concerning several disappearances which have paralyzed work in the mining town of Zareen, and calling for adventurers to investigate whatever foul deeds have taken place there while also fending off feral wolves in the area. Roxana, Sylanna and Mircella were already with them, and if he and Edward were to join the girls, they'd essentially rebuild the team which they challenged the Beast of Margeride with, and that was certainly a competent squad...

"Sorry, Roxana, but I'm not in any condition to take on contracts right now. See, I don't have my hand cannon with me right now." Simion calmly replied and passed the contract paper on to Edward. A thought popped into his head, however. "The contract says you'll be heading to Piketown, right? Last I recall, that port has a lot of contact with the Great Cities, Thayar included, so it's probably got more magical supplies than I can access here in Velathiri... You wouldn't mind picking up a fire rune while you're out there, right? I'll give you the precise specifications on what its size should be if you can."

---

Arden Rooke
Paean Legion –Tavern Hall

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

---

Dido returned to the tables of the tavern tipsy, having managed to get not one, but two free glasses of ale in the free drinks frenzy - and arrived just in time to hear one of the men mutter about how one of the contracts was most likely already full. "Oh, we have new contracts already?" left the Dark Elf's lips as she immediately began looking from side to side.

"Well I'll be damned..." A group of people was already gathered around the contracts and picking out the pages for a closer reading. That onion-headed gold cloak was getting in on the business as well and inviting reds to tag along with him, presumably so he could lord his rank and strength over the foolish mortals. At least that's what Dido suspected. With the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar greenhead zipping out of the tavern with a contract at hand.

Ten ducats that it's the full contract which the poor sod was talking about. A sly smirk formed on the Dark Elf's face and her slightly intoxicated mind quickly formulated a plan.

"I wouldn't say it's as full as you think..."

After all, it's been way too long since these good friends have gone on a mission together...

[Auropa]

Corven Roche
Return to the legion headquarters

After the secret package’s delivery and receiving the more than satisfyingly weighty gold pouch in return, Corven was happy to enjoy the trip back to the legion’s headquarters in peace. He had gotten into a few fights, been ambushed by the undead, played politics (if a little) with an elf, travelled on a ship and best of all, got to fire a canon. All in all, not a bad trip. As he whistled a small tune and considered his travels, he figured that a few more jobs with these legionaries wouldn’t hurt, plus, he still needed to get some information out of a certain librarian.

After taking his cut, biding his fellow legionnaires a quick goodbye, he made his way towards his lodgings only to be met once again by an impossible sight.
“You complete and utter bastard.” Corven muttered under his breath as the all too familiar sight of his horse Hoarse stood before him lazily munching on nearby hay. After giving a short snort of recognition in his master’s direction, Hoarse promptly continued to ignore its surroundings in favour of its snack.

“Oh nonononono. You do not get off that easy!” Corven retorted as he dumped his travel sack on the ground and strode up to his horse “You! Worse than an ass! You were meant to come back around! Not-what? Run back home?! How did you even? It was a three day trip! How would you even get past - You know what? No, I don’t even want to know.” Corven stated in mock fury as he turned away from the shabby creature. As a few uneventful seconds passed with nothing but the sound of chewing to fill the void, the battle hardened mercenary eventually caved in his battle of wills. “Awww, you know I can’t stay mad at you pal.” He said as he turned back around and patted the creature’s mane. “But leave me again and I swear to all the gods above and below that you won’t so much as see another apple for at least a year.” He added as he collected his belonging and made his way inside.

In addition to being empty for the last few weeks, the room was kept relatively barren with only a few belongings inside packed near the entrance, ready for a quick exit should the need arise. Apart from that, a few pieces of simple furniture decorated the space paired with some basic maintenance tools for his equipment and a rack for his armour. Grabbing a piece of dried fruit from a central basket as he went, he moved to properly remove and inspect his equipment as he had so many times before.
His once shining, golden armour now stood before him dim from work, covered in dozens of dents and tarnished from the many signs of repair and metals added to fill holes born from less than pleasant encounters. His sword wasn’t much different, the handle, once ornate and pristine, carved from jet black onyx now looked worn, chipped and greyed due to use. The blade blade meanwhile had clearly been replaced in its entirety now being made from a somewhat standard but undeniably effective cold steel. Looking over his tools, Corven happily noted the damage had been somewhat limited for once. A few more dents to the plating and a bit of dulling on the edges of his blade but nothing worth concerning (or paying) the blacksmith for overall. Satisfied with his checks, he hung his armour up fully and sheathed his blade back to his side, a little time on the grindstone and it would be as good as new he decided ‘but first, I’ve got an elf to see’ he decided with a somewhat evil grin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The legion library
Investigating the mark

Lanassa meanwhile, had been patiently waiting for her fresh cup of tea to cool so that she might enjoy is as she happily finished off a few details on her most recent sketches. Being pleasantly quiet and mostly empty at the time, Lanassa was having a much-earned moment to herself in the library. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her work, in fact, a good part of her loved it. Being able to help so many with their research and important tasks, even if just a little, filled her with pride but at the same time, seeing so many faces and having to handle so many different requests all at once had a way of draining her like nothing else could. At times like this, she was happy to enjoy the peace and take some time to be alone and recharge.

...

“HEELLLLLLOOOOOOOO BOOKS!” Corven shouted as he once again slammed the door wide open with a thunderous crack. The sudden noise and movement startling the young elf enough to send her sprawling off her chair and to the floor once again.
“And what do we have here?” The red cloak asked as he approached the desk and came to see the face down girl. “Sleeping on the job again? You know, you should really talk to Orion about more lenient hours. I mean really this is the second time I’ve found you like this. Nothing wrong with that don’t get me wrong but the floor can play hell on your back and getting enough sleep is crucial.”

Hoping that this was some twisted nightmare, Lanassa chose to spend a few seconds longer unmoving on the floor as she tried to figure out what was happening and what she had done to deserve it.
“Hey these are pretty good.” Corven said from above.

Realisation dawning on her, Lanassa shot up to her feet, snatched the sketchbook from Corven’s view and slammed it shut “Don’t look!” She cried as she hugged the book close to her.
“…They’re, they’re not done yet. And they’re not that good, its just something I like to do…” She quietly mumbled as she went to put the book away “Sorry…”

“…No problem at all.” Corven said a little taken aback by her sudden movements and surprising volume “So, animal lover?” he asked with a half grin as he tried to take back control of situation.

Looking somewhat like a turtle trying to hide in its shell, the young librarian seemed to almost tuck her red tinted face into her body as she quietly mumbled a response “Its, its nothing really. Just a hobby really. I, I sometimes just sketch a bit… at the zoo…sometimes…”

“Well I for one love animals! They seem to be on the fence about me though…” He added with a short pause as he scratched his chin and remembered running from more than a few angered creatures. “For whatever its worth though, I think you’ve got some serious talent there. Not that it really matters of course, if you like doing something, then do it, and boast about it! Good or bad just have some fun where you can, ‘least that’s what I do.” He said with a hearty grin.

“You…You really think they look-“ Lanassa began to ask before being cut off.

“So about that research. You know, the super hush top-secret investigation the scary snow elf told you to do.” Corven said with his usual flare and volume.

“Sylanna?”

“Who?”

“What?”

“Exactly! So what did you find?”

“Uhhh” Lanassa mumbled out as she tried to prepare herself for what she knew she had to. “Well… I um, I did the research but well… I think, I think it’s probably better if she comes here for it. Its not that I don’t trust you! It’s just that, well some of it, or well, all of it is above a red cloak clearance and I, it’s just that Orion told me that I should always follow the rules and I know you told me-“

“Listen.” Corven said as he held up a hand to stop the librarian’s desperate explanation “I understand. I really do and I didn’t want to do this but I’m afraid I’ve got no choice.” Corven said as he looked around to ensure the room was empty.

“Oh um, you, you really don’t have-“

“We know these people are dangerous, Sylanna especially. The people with that marking, they didn’t just ambush us, they very nearly took us down. All of us. A full team of legionnaires. Now we know they’re some sort of religious sect and we also know that they are very dangerous. So our dear elf is up there, suddenly having to try and deal with some unknown players that are well armed and well trained. I know that rules dictate that I should bring her down and go over everything with her or another higher up cloak but we’re in some pretty dire straits here. Syl can barely hold herself together nowadays. I mean she’s tough and can put up a face, but everyone is always looking to her for guidance and strength and well, I just don’t know how much more her poor self can handle. We can’t afford to keep piling up problems onto her plate and I can’t bear to be the one that pulls her down to do research on something that may or may not be relevant when there’s so much she’s already trying to do. So please, tell me what you’ve found. I’ll make a short version and take what’s relevant to Syl so she doesn’t have to try and do everything alone. Help me, so I can help her. Please.” Corven said as he leaned forward with his best puppy-dog eyes.

“I…I…Alright. To help the legion.” Lanassa eventually said with a look of determination somewhat hidden behind several layers of doubt, fear and an urge to run away screaming.
“Here’s what I found.”

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After a lengthy discussion and taking a few pages with drawings for reference (much to Lanassa’s despair) Corven thanked the small, now borderline comatose’d, elf girl and made his way back home. Once there he wasted no time fishing out a bottle half filled with a dark oaky liquid before drinking deeply from it as he moved to sit on the edge of his bed. Tearing the glove from his left hand, the ever present mark still glowed from within his flesh like hot irons. Pausing for a moment to inspect the alien runes, he eventually fell flat against his bed with a single thought running across his mind before unconsciousness took him.

‘Saleem what have you done?’

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Paean Legion –Tavern Hall
A new contract

After waking up from his short, nightmare ridden rest. Corven rose to his feet and came to decision as he re-gloved his marked hand. Down time be damned, he needed to do something, anything, preferably violence though. Grabbing his things and donning his travel gear he made his way to the tavern for an early start. Or at least he thought it was early. By the time he arrived everyone seemed to be well into their drinks. ‘I love this place’ he thought warmly to himself as he scanned across the room, his eyes stopping in their tracks as they passed over one figure in particular. Maybe it was from experience, some natural talent or a twisted gift from some Machiavellian god but Corven had a knack for spotting and recognizing dangerous individuals and this man was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Making sure to keep a wide berth from the white cloaked figure, Corven moved to the counter and ordered himself a drink before making his way to the job postings. ‘Why is the writing on these blasted notices always so damned small?!’ he thought to himself as he squinted at the strange mix of letters before finally giving up and moving to the side. If he couldn’t get the chance to investigate the listings himself, then he would do the next best thing and listen out for opportunity. Something he didn’t need to do for too long as it turned out.

"Here yee here yee. Your local Siegfried will now take applicants for this expedition to the blackest and deadliest parts of the Great Bog. All expenses paid by that stuffy University board!"

“You had me at the second here yee.” Corven said as he approached the growing group, spotting a familiar blue topped head as he got closer. “Feeling religious are you Rooke? Well, I suppose faith does have its certain axe-wielding ‘perks’.” he said with a less than subtle wink as he looked at the other members of the expedition so far. The gold cloak showed years of experience behind what even Corven had to admit was an impressive level of bravado. Beside him sat a young girl that must have been his ward, ‘could be his daughter’ he thought, ‘but the face doesn’t quite match. Probably just visiting from town’ he decided as his gaze passed over her and towards the big hatted female figure beside them.
“You know that you can get those with smaller brims, right?” He said as he studied the large white monster of fabric atop her head.

“Well, who am I to judge fashion nowadays?” He exclaimed as he turned back towards Siegfried and gave a short, practised bow in greeting. “My name is Corven Roche, if possible, I would join you and the rest on the expedition.”

[Absolon-7]

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

Roxana Ma'gonid
Roxana's mouth opened slightly upon hearing that Simion wouldn't be joining them but she quickly closed it and looked at Simion with slightly annoyed eyes. However, his reasoning was sound as he would be without his signature weapon for a while so she couldn't complain that much. Her expression changed to a more wide eyed one of curiosity as he mentioned something about wanting a fire rune to be retrieved.

"Oh..oh. Well that's a shame. But yeah I'll get you that fire rune. Well let's go inside. You can tell me the specifications inside," said Roxana as she turned back to go inside but she stopped to poke Edward in the forehead, "Come along with us Eddie. Wouldn't want you to fall in a trap on the way."

Once inside Sylanna, Mir, and Annabelle were already in the middle of the lobby sitting on chairs along the wall. With pep in her step Roxana walked briskly towards them as despite Simion's absence they still seemed to be the makings of a good party.

"Well looks like Simion won't be able to join us but I figure he can tag along until we leave," jokingly said Roxana, "So let's get to registering."

"One slight problem Roxana. I'm afraid I won't be joining you either," said Mircella.

"You won't?" responded a confused Roxana.

"Yes, I appreciate what you and everyone else have done for me but a bird has to fly out of its nest sometime," said Mircella getting up, "Don't worry. It's mostly for my first official contract. Anyways, I better get going. See you all later."

With Mircella departing the group was left with less in regards to manpower and Roxana pacing back and forth in contemplation. The loss of a magic user and one of their ranged members would be a harsh blow but with two Purple Cloaks and one Blue Cloak their total level of skill should make up for tactical weaknesses. For the moment the short young woman would be caught unaware if anyone so happen to bump into her and more so the more devious types like certain elves. Sylanna rolled her eyes at Roxana's fastidiousness and simply crossed her arms but a thought popped into her head.

"Pardon me Annabelle," said Sylanna turning to the Red Cloak, "Would you mind I asked how you've been? I heard last time you were in a crew delivering something important. How did that go?"

Arden Rooke

Kerah

Corven Roche

Siegfried beamed at the first wave of applicants that volunteered. Oh the joys of jolly cooperation! The tall man hopped down from the bench following scowls from certain waitresses and waiters of the tavern who'd no doubt be in charge of cleaning where he stood. The first to join up was a strapping young lad that reminded Siegfried of his nephews. The second was a timid wizard girl with an extraordinary hat. The last to join was another young lad that had a certain air of confidence to him.

"Excellent! All of you are hereby accepted," boomed Siegfried with his arms crossed, "Now lets get to registering."

However, as Siegfried turned to go to the lobby he suddenly smacked against the chest of a much taller individual. He stepped back to rub his nose and opening an eye he came to see a giant of a turtleman before him with a Red Cloak wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

"I'd like to join too," slowly said the turtle man with some difficulty either due to his lack of lips or unfamiliarity with the language.

"Excellent! Nothing like a last minute addition to liven things up. Tally ho!"

A little while later at the entrance to the Velathri State University
The courtyard was bustling with young adults of nobles, gentry, merchants, and other more affluent social classes from all over the Heartlands as they clustered in groups of friends everywhere in between classes or going to and from them. The motley crew of adventurers seemed quite out of place in the prestigious environment but Seigfried managed to lead them to the University's warehouse that had its grand doors wide open. Inside it seemed quite busy itself as the beginnings of a mule train was right outside as workers bustled like honeybees transporting supplies and equipment to the wagons.

"Ah, looks like this place is just as fussy as when I attended. Now laddies let me tell you how I got expelled," said Seigfried to his party.

"Time for past memories will have to come later Seigfried," suddenly interrupted an older man than Seigfried in full armor approaching them.

"Wallace my old pal! How you've been! Remember the time you kicked me out of Professor Stein's-" said Seigfried before being interrupted again.

"Should've known you'd come. I'm guessing these are the chumps from the Legion you brought with you?" said Wallace not even giving time for a response, "If I'm going to have you lot in charge of my men I need to know how good you are. Or at least how good you claim to be. So how about all of you tell me what you are good for?"

[Radea]

Auropa

Charmera

Absolon-7

Arden Rooke
Paean Legion –Tavern Hall
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two volunteers soon turned to three as another woman approached Siegfriend and declared her intent to sign on for the contract. Her hat was of remarkable make; Arden even had to step aside a bit to give way to its wide berth. She seemed unsure of some of the words she spoke, but there was no denying this “Kerah Dawncrown” was not your typical sellsword. Her stance, the tone of speaking… sounded like nobility to the commoner’s ears. Kerah’s eye seemed to glance over Rooke, which caused him to avert his own.
”Hoping she didn’t notice.” His thoughts prayed.

“You had me at the second here yee.”

Only one man Arden had ever met spoke with such a cocksure voice. Turning to meet him, it was none other than Corven Roach. A disbelieving, but friendly, scoff welcomed the former gladiator to the party.

“Feeling religious are you Rooke? Well, I suppose faith does have its certain axe-wielding ‘perks’.

The joyed smirk on the blue-haired legionary’s face soured to an annoyed grimace. “That one can read me like a scroll...ugh.” He grumbled to himself with a quick face-palm to aid in regaining his composure. On the up side, there seemed to be one constant in his rotating party of compatriots, even if it was a snarky and vainglorious one. If they both survived a third contract together, the occasion might call for Corven and Rooke to get matching tattoos.

With beaming countenance, Siegfried the Gold accepted them as quest-mates and got the group registered. It seemed like an odd bunch, at least compared to Arden’s previous groups. A young girl whom Siegfried seemed to be fond of, a woman of noted fashion and wielding a blade, a bull-headed commoner, and the reliable wise-cracking gladiator. Of them all, only Corven and Siegfried the Gold seemed worthy of such a delve into the Great Bog. Still, Rooke was a poor judge of combat prowess given his relative inexperience and lack of training. As the Legionnaires began to depart the tavern, however, an even more unlikely companion ran into, literally, the Goldcloak. A giant turtleman that looked more monster than friend spoke crudely his intent to join the expedition. Siegfried wasn’t even phased and jovially welcomed the creature aboard. Nevertheless, Rooke made sure to give the turtleman plenty of space on the trek towards the Velathri University.

The campus was beyond words. The immense buildings with resplendent white stone and polished colored glass. The fountains pouring forth water so clear it might have been used as a mirror. Small masses of individuals of seemingly great important hustled to and fro. Many held tomes of immense pages and others debated philosophy that Rooke couldn’t grasp. No peasant would ever have thought of seeing or visiting this place. He wondered if any of his descendants would ever be able to learn at such a college. The blue-haired legionary was noticeably lost in wonderment, prevented from going astray only by being led on by Siegfried. The Goldcloak was guiding them beyond the splendor, however, and brought them to a warehouse where large wagons were being loaded with various supplies and cargo.

”Wagons, why is it always wagons…”

A weathered man with skin as tough as leather interrupted Sir Siegfried with a snarl. The guard captain went by the name of Wallace and he didn’t seem to think too highly of the Paean Legion.

"Should've known you'd come. I'm guessing these are the chumps from the Legion you brought with you?" said Wallace not even giving time for a response, "If I'm going to have you lot in charge of my men I need to know how good you are. Or at least how good you claim to be. So how about all of you tell me what you are good for?"

Rooke folded his arms defensively at Wallace’s remark. The Legion was many things, but it held a rigorous standard to be officially accepted as a member. Still, a job was a job and if Arden’s past experience as a trader taught him anything, it’s that you have to endure through the customer complaints. “I’ll start,” Rooke began with a gesture of his thumb to his broad chest and a serious face, “Arden Rooke. I can take a hit and get up as many times as I need or want to. Close quarters brawls are my second talent.”

[Finland SSR]

Roxana Ma'gonid

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

---

Roxana was clearly disappointed with Simion's decision, but she didn't fight it, and instead offered the marksman to tag along with them until they're able to depart. Really, was she this miffed by his break? Sure, they've been teaming up for a while, but he didn't think he was that critical to their squad's success... Roxana could wield more ranged firepower with those ballista arrows and her Elven wisp, and Sylanna with Edward could sweep pretty much any melee opponent before he even got the chance to reload. And, of course, he was probably the most fragile of their team. Maybe there was some other reason, who knows, but he really couldn't see it.

He could at least offer some consolation, though.

"I'll see if I can team up with you on a mission after this one. My hand cannon should be fully reworked at that point, unless I get to some technical difficulties... or a spark of inspiration."

While he watched Roxana and Mir converse over her deciding to step out of the mission as well, a nefarious force began to approach the green-haired elf from behind. As soon as the priestess departed, she hopped forward, grabbing Roxana in a bear hug from behind.

"Hey there old buddy old pal old lass with a chest so flat that you could safely wear men's armor!" Dido exclaimed, feigning joy, and snatched the contract paper from Roxana's hands. "Whatcha got there? Oh, you got a contract! But pretty much nobody in your squad... Oh, the solution is pretty simple - you can't say no to the service of the best damn dual swords-wielding blue cloak on the face of Anthem, can you?"

Startled by the dark elf's sudden appearance, Simion began to reach for the sword attached to his belt.

"...Who's she?"

---

Arden Rooke
Paean Legion –Tavern Hall

The Tavern.

Corven Roche
Return to the legion headquarters

Siegfried

Bettine Lambert, master of the griffon!

---

Siegfried's contract began attracting more and more people - in the span of a minute, his squad grew from one person to five, more than adequate for taking on a mission, especially when a Gold Cloak was involved. A woman with a very very large hat which just screamed that she was a some sort of witch. A warrior with a strikingly blue set of hair. A rugged looking rogue with a really weird last name. And finally, a laconically speaking turtleman who looked so large that even Matthias couldn't eat him in one sitting. Aside for Siegfried, it appeared that all of them were Red Cloaks - but all of them seemed to be formidable in their own right, so Betty definitely couldn't complain.

"Nice to meet you, everyone!" the young griffon rider exclaimed, oozing with excitement and offering her hand for a shake to everyone gathered. "I'm Bettine Lambert, but you can just call me Betty!"

She could have called down Matthias to get everyone to the State University in a few minutes - but, still unsure whether her griffon would treat the turtle as an ally or as a delicacy, she opted to wait until they actually arrived to university grounds. He was vigilant, after all, and always knew where his rider was. And so, the team set off to Velathiri University - immediately upon reaching the institution of higher learning, Betty's mouth went agape. She had no clue what a "university" was or why it was asking for them to complete a mission, but Siegfried explained it to the best of his ability - it was a place where rich people could pay philosophers and scientists to teach them about the world, the sciences and the arts. Only when she stepped inside the courtyard did she realize the full scale of the institution.

"Everyone's here to study?.." she muttered under her brought. Betty hasn't gone to school, much less a university, she could barely even read. The thought of hundreds of people all gathered in one place to study sciences and arts was difficult for her to even comprehend. Before she could mull over it for too long, however, Siegfried led them towards the warehouse, where, before he could start droning on about his exploits in the university, he and the rest of the squad were met with a grumpy guards captain, presumably in charge of the soldiers who will be tagging along with them in the expedition.

And this man didn't seem to hold the Legion at very high regard.

Oh, I'll show him...

"What we are good for? What I am good for? Huh, you wanna know?" Betty spoke up, then stepped away from the group, giving some room, then raised her hands and loudly clapped her hands. "MATTHIAS!!!"

It took a few seconds, but suddenly her griffon descended upon the ground, the loud slam picking up wind and dust, and the screech it released overwhelming all background noise. Betty grinned, hopped onto Matthias's back and cuddled the griffon a little underneath his beak. The magical creature calmed and sat down.

"This. I can do this."

[Auropa]

Corven Roche
Velathri State University

After finalising their team with the addition of a large, shelled humanoid Corven had never seen before, the group set off to Velathri. The trip there proved to be thankfully quiet and left the usually talkative mercenary with plenty of time and space to consider his recent discoveries. ‘Cult of the godless…’ the whole thing seemed almost painfully familiar yet still alien to him, but however close he may have been to getting answers, he still needed more information. Staying true to the universe’s ever twisted sense of irony and purpose however, his current task was leading him to no place other than one of the continent’s most famous centres of knowledge and learning, the Velathri State University. If his luck held, then he might stumble upon a quiet moment or two to dig around for what he needed, and if not, then he was still getting paid regardless.

The university was an impressive collection of large, expensive looking structures with a seemingly endless buzz of activity about them as students, researchers and professors all went about their many daily tasks. What seemed most foreign to Corven though, was the level of intent and organisation that seemed to be behind everything. More accustomed to the chaotic streets of his home and used to seeing luxurious mansions sharing streets with cobbled together shacks, the whole campus looked to be impossibly organised with each brick, person and building seeming to have some long, pre-determined and intertwining purpose. While trying to guess how much the campus must have cost to build, the group eventually made its way to the warehouses and one less than enthusiastic older man.

"Should've known you'd come. I'm guessing these are the chumps from the Legion you brought with you?" said Wallace not even giving time for a response, "If I'm going to have you lot in charge of my men I need to know how good you are. Or at least how good you claim to be. So how about all of you tell me what you are good for?"

‘Figures.’ Corven thought to himself. While lacking manors, the man wasn’t absurd for wanting to better understand the capabilities of the mercenaries. Although, with the exception blue topped brawler, Corven didn’t know much about the styles or capabilites of his companions and wasn’t one to go against hearing a bit more about them.

Arden went first and gave a brief albeit apt description of his skillset. ‘But would it kill the man to show some flare?’ he thought to himself as the fighter went silent.

Next came the young tag along girl whose presence had thus far confused and worried him. Children had a bad habit of throwing off fights in the worst possible ways and having someone so inexperienced in the team could end up putting them all in danger. Which begged the question ‘why was she here and why would the legion allow it?’ After realising that she wasn’t in fact a relative of their boisterous gold cloak, Corven had been quietly trying to figure out her purpose. Though as she stepped back and called out, it became all too clear as a massive beast came down from the sky to stand beside her. ‘Holy shi-! Well, then… A beastmaster huh? Not bad for a kid.’ Corven decided as he resisted the urge to take off running and did his best to maintain his composure.

“Can’t match that entrance I’m afraid.” He eventually said with a short nod to the girl and her beast “But I’m an experienced swordsman with some light defensive and offensive magical options at the ready. As for what I do best, I’m fast, precise and good at adapting on the fly. I tend to spend my time in the field moving about, doing quick attacks or providing support where and when its needed.”

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Before she was able to strike up a conversation with Annabelle - not that it was the young woman's forte, so perhaps she preferred the interruption - Sylanna noticed a familiar dark-skinned elf return to the group's side, sneaking up on Roxana and promptly locking her down in a bear hug. Come on, didn't you just leave? The Snow Elf thought as she watched Dido's antics, feeling some annoyance in sympathy with her friend, as well as a twinge of... something else that only seemed to feed her irritation.

"Just an old friend of Roxana's with an inflated sense of ego. Pay her no mind." The Snow Elf said in a hushed voice to Simion before walking over to the Thapsian and the Solfataran, protectively throwing an arm around the former and deftly fishing the Zareen contract out of the latter's wily hands, once more holding it just out of the shorter woman's reach. Good thing us elves of the North are taller and stronger than those islanders.

"I personally would say we have pretty good odds without her - wherever she is." Here Sylanna pointedly turned her head this and that way, as if looking for someone that wasn't around. After a moment, however, she dropped the act with a chuckle, and then handed the contract back to Roxana. "But I think that decision is best left up to the most experienced legionnaire in our party, in any case." She stated more seriously.

[Absolon-7]

Arden Rooke

Bettine Lambert, master of the griffon!

Corven Roche

Wallace rubbed his beard as the Legionnaires started to step up to make the case for their usefulness. The first to do so was a blue haired man by the name of Arden and he seemed no better then a common thug's capabilities. The next was a young girl she seemed quite pathetic until she whistled and called down a magnificent full grown griffin. Not only he but everyone else stopp what they were doing to do a double take at the fantastical creature's sudden appearance. Soon enough they went back to their business so as to not draw the beast's attention. The next Legionnaire was a man full of himself which simply cause Wallace to roll his eyes. Then came the hulking turtleman to introduce himself.

"My name is Twigy," flatly said the turtleman, "I can smash stuff."

"Right. Well I think that's enough," said Wallace stepping away from the group with a tired expression, "We'll be leaving in the morning so tell some aides to set up tents for you."

"Don't you want to hear what I can offer? I've been told I can make a quite ravishing beef soup," mused Siegfried as he hurried to catch up, "Speaking of ravishing how's that wily cousin of yours, Rosemary eh? She was quite a stunner back when we-"

"No," coldly said Wallace as he spun around to get close to Seigfried's helmet, "No."

Siegfried stood dumbfounded but took two steps back as Wallace clenched his fists and left them. The group was left to their own devices it seemed with it being their own responsibility of where to sleep for the night whether it would be in a tent in front of the warehouse or a local inn. Seigfried managed to secure himself a big tent right at the entrance to the warehouse and the start of the journey would begin at the crack of dawn. The baggage train would be lead to the Velathri port and hop on board the University's own barge to the great port city of Nathmor in a trip of several hours. The thriving port city was one of the few civilized spots in the Great Bog and the settlement itself was built on a thick layer of coastal rock that contrasted with the fog filled forest around it. The barge docked into the port and it would be a few hours until the baggage train was unloaded full and ready for travel.

In an even more boring manner the highly orchestrated travel down the main road was hampered by a gang of feral macaques throwing rotten fruit at the horses scaring them and knocking over a pile of barrels. After that debacle was over with the baggage train was all set and ready to arrive at the main gate of the city that lead to the Great Bog. There was just one catch.

"What do you mean we can't go on!," shouted the boisterous voice of Seigfried from the front of the wagon group. The man-at-arms stomped his way back to the group of Legionnaires, "Well good news and bad news chaps. Good news is we were given gifts in the form of local delicacies for free so crack it while it there. Bad news is the fellow who's supposed to lead us to the Church is missing. Apparently he was here but some brigands of a dastardly nature kidnapped him some days ago. And Wallace wants us to find him. Luckily, we got some eyewitnesses."

Seigried continued one describing the possible locations. One location where the man matching the guide's physique was spotted was on an old part of the town that was a large islet connected to the main city by a bridge. A local barkeep had spotted the guide being roughly escorted by masked thugs into a building. The area was notoriously ignored by local law enforcement and was stubborn in letting its own denizens catch criminals themselves. It was also known a significant portion of buildings were abandoned or inhabited by squatters. Rumors of a gang having a base in some caves beneath the islet also persisted. The other location where he was apparently spotted was an old barn at the very edge of the city's controlled area. After a large expanse of rice patties the untamed Bog actually started and the old barn was a well known landmark for the city's frontier. A local farmer had spotted the guide being escorted yet again by being tied on top of a donkey. He was apparently lead into the barn but the farmer ran away as fast he could upon seeing the thug's brandish their swords.

"it is indeed strange he was in two such different places in only a few days time but no matter! We must find the fellow even if it kills him!" eagerly shouted Seigfried, "I myself will be going to check out the barn. Any takers to go with me?"

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

Sylanna

Roxana Ma'gonid
Roxana flared her teeth as she felt the disgusting arms of Dido wrap around her in an intrusive bear hug. She could only watch in horror as the contract was snatched from her small hands. That miserable hussie of a dark elf had some nerve barging in on their group like she was wanted. Luckily Sylanna was there to whisk her and the contract away from Dido. Roxana happily received the contract back before glaring daggers at Dido but Sylanna's ruse of pretending there was no one there made a slight giggle escape Roxana's mouth.

"You know what? Fine. Join our party. But you'll have to listen to every order me and Syl give you. With no complaints," angrily said Roxana with her hands on her hips, "Now if you'll excuse us we need to go actually sign up. Plus me and Syl still have to get ready to go."

Ignoring whatever sassy retorts the obtuse woman returned Roxana lead the group to get signed up for the contract minus Simion of course. The whole of the group now assembled by the front door of the building with Roxana facing them all.

"So let's meet back here in an hour. I need to actually get my gear from my place," said Roxana, "So everyone got that?"