The moon Dosojin hangs low in the sky as the bedraggled travelers begin to appear in the village of Sodgrove. The lights in the thatched cottages were still lit, there were still folk about, but things were coming to a close. The strangers made their ways one at a time through the windy road, coming at last to the enormous house shaped edifice at the top of the hill. Looking back, one could see the land surrounding the village for quite a long way, and the men in armor who stood in the towers behind the large house could see even farther.

This gave small comfort, given the recent past.

However, the sky is clear, and the sun set, so the weary travelers came to the large house, yellow timber roof shaped like the arch of the letter A. The main entrance is a double door affair, easily fifteen feet tall. Inside is a warm inviting room. Crossing the threshold, you are approached by two well groomed servant boys and the Housekeeper, an elderly lady with laughing blue eyes. Your heavy pack and cloaks are taken as the Housekeeper greets you heartily and asks if you need rooms for your stay.
"We have a few left," she says with an inflection in her tone that suggests you should take her up on the offer before they become full.
You are ushered into the mead hall where you see perhaps half a dozen other folks. They look up when you enter. Some tables are open, and the couch, and the bar has only one person at it. The other tables are occupied by local folk, obviously given their full curly beards and plain clothes.
The bartender sees you enter, nods at the Housekeeper, who leaves, and nudges one of his barmaids and points you out. She looks up at you and smiles sweetly, approaching to tend to your needs.
There is also a pair of minstrels setting up their gear near the massive stone fireplace.

SODGROVE, EAST ROSE

As Torigad walked through the doorway to the bar there was awkwardness to his walk, he hated interacting with people his hood was up partially disguising his face. He mad eye-contact with the beautiful barmaid walking towards him he blushed slightly realising his immediate attraction towards her so he loosened his hood a tiny bit showing the soft glow to his hardened face. “Just a mead for me, I guess, er…. Yes….” The barmaid started to walk away attending to his needs “oh, Please” he called after her.

He walked now with even less confidence than before what an idiot he thought to himself, as he walked up to the counter pulled a barstool which made an ungainly creak attracting everyone’s attention the pretty barmaid chuckled to herself, and a few of the commoners did the same, this made, Torigad feel even more depressed and alone. Ah, well at least I got my mead.

SODGROVE, SOUTHERN EAST ROSE

The bartender slides a pint mug into Torigad's reach and offers him some pipe tobacco.

"Welcome to Sodgrove, stranger. My name's Yissu. What can I call you?" He smiles at the dark skinned dwarf, trying his best not to appear unsettled by his odd presence.

SODGROVE, EAST ROSE

Torigad shuffled on his seat nervously his hands started to shake slightly but he replied "Torigad my friend and you?" as soon as he said it he knew what a fool he had been "Thanks for mead, sir" He said trying to repair the embarassing situation.

The bartender chuckles nervously, and decides not to point out the obvious.

"Yissu Kimessi, at your service, m'lord. I run the Broken Tankard mead hall. Anything else I can get you, you just let me know. We have pork ribs and kebabs if you're hungry..."

"Yes actually.......Yissu could i have a Kebab, please."
Torigad was famished from his journey back from the local woods where he had been camped out the last few days. A kebab, would be nice he, thought to himself

The bartender wanders into the back with orders for the cook as the two minstels begin tuning their instruments.

A couple of long bearded human locals enter, curly blonde beards well groomed for a friday night in Spring. Soon Spring will become Overspring, and then the Stillness.

Torigad turned to the music he noticed the two men but left them be if they approached him he would communicate or at least try to but at the moment he wanted a kebab and a good song and another glance at the sweet barmaid.

The two musicians were elves, a man and a woman, the woman setting up a series of large drums, the man tuning a rather ornate mandolin or somesuch stringed instrument. Strangest thing, whenever the man plays a note, you taste cherries. Then he twists the key on the end of the string and the cherries twists into kiwis.

The man is probably five and a half feet tall, and maybe 150 pounds. His skin is a goldish color, his hair is stark white, and his eyes are a vivid green you can see from here. He is dressed in a very expensive formal coat and tails, his voluminous silk neck dressing, as it only could be described, cascades down the front of his shirt like a waterfall.

The girl is perhaps only five feet, and a very curvy five feet it is. Her skin is the color of the skin of a ripe peach, her hair color could only be described as honey, and it is incredibly long, braided up in a very professional and formal style. Her dark blue silk evening gown is augmented by a gemstone necklace with the largest emerald you've ever seen and earrings made more for the operas of Bizzuks than the mud streets of Sodgrove. She looks up when her partner speaks to her and smiles at Torigad coyly.

The bartender returns shortly with a pile of pork kebabs on a plate and a refill for your mead.

"Are ye expecting company, m'lord?" he asks, noting that you appear ready for battle.


You could swear that the shadows caused by the fireplace moved in time with the music. The male bard notices you watching and smiles friendly-like, leaning towards the girl and saying something to her in a strange broken language.

Trigad was thoroughly creeped out the shadows the wry smile and the tasty music all gave him strange vibes he was not scared as such he was more generally wary. "Not that i know of i am just resting here although i hope to find at least a couple comrades to go venturing into the stillness with."

Yissu started at your comment and stared at you in amazement.

"You're going to go back out there? Have you not heard what roams outside these gates? You're lucky you even made it here... where are you from, anyway?"

The bartender refills your mug and waits for your answer.

The two musicians begin playing a very interesting warm up melody, involving some brilliantly played mandolin and a drum beat with a double back beat that becomes part of the room's architecture. The flavor of the music mixes well with the food.

This was a subject Torigad believed he was no longer restricted by awkwardness he raised his voice a tad and proceeded to say "Are you telling me yussi you rather stay cooped up in this city, always scared always alone or are you going to make a stand and make a name for yourself. When i venture out into the wilderness again as i have before i will have both my repuatation and my pride intact i refuse to be a boring shop or innkeeper. I....I have a destiny" this felt odd to Torigad speaking in front of so many people what was he doing?

Fifteenth day of Elmonth, evening
Sodgrove, East Rose

The bartender, Yissu, stares at Torigad in awe, touching his moustache thoughtfully. He laughs heartily and speaks.

"You're a braver soul than I. What with the horrible creatures eatin' the livestock, we might not make it to planting time, much less to harvest in Summer. Dreadful little beasties, too."

The two musicians suddenly speed up the playing, with eyes closed, and begin singing a long note in unison. The wall behind them comes to life as the shadows begin twisting and mixing with some kind of moving image on the back wall and ceiling. The two elves' voices undulate between harmony and dissonance, without either drawing a breath. Soon they reach a crescendo, a maddening pulse and tempo,breathing life into the dull crowd. Suddenly the song breaks apart, shattering into millions of pieces, leaving behind a rather innovative rendition of an ancient dwarven folk song between a dwarven princess and a "steel dragon". The display on the wall depicts swooping and wheeling dragons in silhouette.

"These guys are good," the bartender says at the end of the song. The room cheers them and pound the tables with fists and utensils, and goes back to their drinking and socializing.

"Thank you! We're Die Kind. Tip your waitress." The male minstrel shouts to the room after the pounding subsides.

SODGROVE

A tall, thin man enters the Broken Tankard as the cheering dies down inside the main hall. Pulling back his hood, he reveals jet black hair, piercing gray eyes, and a slightly pale complexion.

He waves the servant boys off as they approach, "Not tonight boys, I'll tend to my own gear." And looking to the Housekeeper he adds, "...If that's acceptable. I know some establishments have rules about what can and what cannot be taken into the drinking hall. In either case, I would like a room for the night."

Ixion was tired. Normally he'd lavish the chance to find the loophole in the posted rules, the one thing they didn't think of, and point it out with a smirk on his face. But it had been a very long trek from East Rose, and he'd run out of provisions a day and a half ago. Better to just hand her the way out of this before it even starts, he thought.

"Yes, I think I'd prefer to see my room first and get settled before joining the merriment."

Fifteenth day of Elmonth
Sodgrove, Southern East Rose

The Housekeeper nods stiffly.
"But of course, my lord. Right this way."

She leads Ixion upstairs to a corner bedroom. The door plaque announces it to be room number 3.

"Here we are, my lord. Clean towels in the closet. I can have the boys bring up a copper tub if you like." She eyes Ixion closely, taking in the human.

You hear music playing again below.