The night was late as a watcher foresaw the death of a dragon. Intreaged, he picks up his staff and starts to wonder in the direction of the dragons servent. A little gnome that was powerful himself. The watcher could see the magicial aura around the little gmone though not sure if such power had yet to be revealed.
This intreaged the watcher even more for maybe there was a chance that the watcher could see his powers revealed.
(Steelight I hope this works as a good intro for you sorry I didn't know what to do with your watcher.)
*******
Meanwhile in a grove of trees a young elven barbarian sat in a circle of his kin. The elders had met to discuss a very important matter.
"There is a very old and very wise dragon that has passed into the other world but has left us his knowledge now according to the vision that we saw there are two of you that deserve a gem that he left his knowledge and wisdom in. If you have the will in your heart please step foward and we shall see if you are the ones." One of the elders proclaims.
At first all was quite and no one moved. Then a druid by the name of Katerana stood up "Good elder please if it be the will of this great dragon allow for Foreate and I to go and claim this gem."
The elders motion for her to come then after seeing another vision, they shake their heads in agreement.
"Now who will go with Katerana and her animal companion to recover the other gem."
The elders wait......
*******
Futher away a powerful gnome weeps at the lost of his dear master and friend. He picks up the bags holding the gems and heads out.

The vision was truly intrigueing. Why would such a sight come to him during his meditations? It had only been a matter of month since he had undergone the ritual that bound him and his Guardian, and he had taken his place as a Watcher.

It was said that when events called to a Watcher, it is his duty to answer. Within moments of his mediation coming to a close he sent a message to his Guardian. Within an hour they mists that guarded the gate between The Monastary of Kyr'nor'in (one of the ancient bastions of the Watchers and their knowledge) and the material plane parted, and the Watcher headed out with his Guardian, a young man clad in dark clothing and darker spirits.

They descended from the cloud-covered mountain top without a word, the Watcher spending as much time pouring over his sacred book as paying attention to the path they tred.

In two days time (and only a slightly greater number of words) they reached the location that had called to him in his vision. This was where his journey, and his observations were to begin. Armed with that knowledge he began to search the area for any sign of the gnome he had seen, or the lair of the dying (likely dead by now) dragon.

A young elf sat in a grove of trees in a circle with his kin listening to the elders.

"There is a very old and very wise dragon that has passed into the other world but has left us his knowledge now according to the vision that we saw there are two of you that deserve a gem that he left his knowledge and wisdom in. If you have the will in your heart please step forward and we shall see if you are the ones." One of the elders proclaims.

He thought to himself, can this be me, is this my calling?

At first all was quiet and no one moved. Then a druid by the name of Katerana stood up "Good elder please if it be the will of this great dragon allow for Foreate and I to go and claim this gem."

Katerana will go, he thought, can I be the other?

The elders motion for her to come then after seeing another vision, they shake their heads in agreement.

"Now who will go with Katerana and her animal companion to recover the other gem."

The elders wait......

Silence grows in the forest and all that can be heard is the crackle of the fire. Then with a start Faet springs to his feet. He is young and shifts his weight back and forth, and looks from right to left at the others before speaking.

"I, Faetulcien Galontauré called Faet, I will go." He says courageously. And stands waiting for the judgment of the elders with a chiseled look on his face. This is the face his father made when he would not take no for an answer.

A lone elf sat meditating, nearly nude, in the middle of an ancient grove. Beside him lay a wolf of extrodinary beauty. It's fur a light tan with darker auburn highlights. The elf himself was beautiful as well. The moonlight shining into the grove seemed to be absorbed by his deep tan. His hair hung loosely down his back and was the same color as the wolf's. His body was lean but muscular. His breathing was slow and steady and small beads of sweat were sliding along his skin.

~~~
He was trying to clear his mind. To escape from the events of the day. Something was pushing just at the edge of his mind. He tried to keep it at bay, but it was too strong. Finally he let down his walls. The vision came flooding in...A dragon, stones, a small gnome, a journey, a yearning to follow. Then it was over....
~~~
The elf came out of his meditation and slowly opened his eyes at the same time as the wolf. The moonlight reflected from the elf's eyes showing their deep emerald color. The wolf turned to look at her friend as he spoke to her. "I do believe we may be needed somewhere my love."
With that the elf stood and started walking to the edge of the grove. The wolf stood, stretched and followed slowly behind. Before exiting the grove the elf turned and spoke something in the druidic language. Upon exiting the grove the elf stooped to pick up a pack, leather armor, and a quarter staff. The wolf picked up a harness in her mouth with sheathed blades.

The elf pulled a shirt, boots, and cloak out of his pack. After pulling on the boots, he stood and slid the loose shirt over his head and donned his blood dappled armor. "Looks like I got carried away today. We'll have to find a stream on the way so we can clean up a bit." The elf then gently took the harness from the wolf and placed it over his shoulder and around his waist. The way it was set up placed a scimitar on his left hip and a sickle along his side just below his right arm. He closed the pack and placed it on his back. "Well, time to see what kind of trouble we can get into."

He tossed a piece of dried salmon to the wolf and ate a piece himself as he began to walk through the forest.

A third day passed as the Watcher and his Guardian searched for the sight of his vision, but to no avail. They would need supplies soon, and they had seen the chimney smoke of a large building in the distance. Perhaps an inn or tavern of some sort?

As the moon rose in the evening they opened the door to the Thirsty Turtle inn. The room was lively as any crossroads place would be this time of the evening. With one last look over his shoulder at the beauty of the risen moon and the constellations of the dragon and the Eye of the Watchers detailed by the celestial stars he stepped in. Without a word to anyone they approached the innkeeper. The Watcher said nothing, only pulled a few coins from a pouch hidden somewhere in his traveling clothes to pay the man. The dark clad (and well-armed) human seemed to speak in his stead.

With only a head nod the traveling Watcher ascended the stairs, presumable headed to his room. The other remained in the common room... for the time being.

Pyrrhus stood down the road from the inn, staring at the Thirsty Turtle and wondering if tonight would end as badly as two weeks ago. It really wasn't entirely his fault. Those men, if they cared so much about their coin purses, should really have kept a better eye on them. And, if losing all their coins was going to be such as issue, they shouldn't have been playing three-dragon ante in the first place.

Pyrrhus was a fledgling sorcerer. Or a thief, depending on who was talking. He wasn't as brutish as the common thug that corners you in an alley and just shakes the money out of you. And, unfortunately, he wasn't as subtle as the second-story burglar you find in larger cities that enters and leaves and it's three weeks before you know your grandmother's necklace is gone. No, Pyrrhus' niche was in an uncanny ability to simply talk you out of your money. When that failed he'd use flashy displays of magic to distract you while his pet rat, Fionn, made off with your coins. His marks always knew they'd been had but Pyrrus usually talked them out of a fight with some quick words and some faster magic as easily as he talked them out of their coins.

Last week his marks weren't so easily conned a second time. So here he was, a new town, a new tavern, and, hopefully, a new take. He tied his red-brown hair back into a small ponytail and marched for the door. "Here we go, Fionn. Let's see if we can't avoid having to pay for our own room tonight, eh?" Pyrrhus grinned as he reached inside his cloak and patted his familiar's white fur.

Opening the door to the tavern, Pyrrhus' grin faded immediately. Standing by the bar, arms crossed and seeming (to Pyrrhus) to be scowling at the other patrons, was the most well-armed and muscled bouncer the sorcerer had ever seen a barkeep employ. The mage just stood in the doorway for what seemed like an eternity as he watched his imagined fortunes flee to the safety of this guard's shadow.

"So much for any profit here." he whispered mournfully to Fionn as he finally left the entryway. Sulking over to an empty table as far from Muscles as was possible, Pyrrhus flopped down, utterly defeated. His jaw hurt just thinking about what could happen if he tried any of his tricks with that guy standing there.

Fionn climbed up from the inside pocket where he'd been hiding to Pyrrhus' shoulder and poked his head out of the coat's collar, squeaking quietly to his master. "I know." Came the reply. "No money, but you're right. They don't know me here and it'll be warm. Oh, and dry!"

"Thank you," Pyrrhus said, feeling slightly better about the situation. "You know what? I'll even get you some cheese if they've got it."

As they entered the inn the smells of a tavern pervaded his senses. He was struck by the delicate aroma of desserts, and the hearty, smoked aroma of meat, the pungent smell of pipeweed, and the ever enticing smell of alcohol. Where the watcher liked wine, the guardian liked his quaff strong like a Dwarven mead. Something to knock you back and make you think before having another. The watcher made his way toward the innkeeper with the guardian following loosely behind. The guardians eyes flitted this way and that taking in the scene. He made quick examinations of every patron, and the room itself. He took particular note in the exits, mobility, the drunks, the armed patrons, and the women. As the watcher came up to the innkeeper he produced a few coins and handed them over without a word. The guardian spoke in his stead. "We will need two rooms, one for myself and one for my friend here. The money should cover his room and board for tonight, and I prefer to work for mine. I can provide security for the evening, of course with your permission. We are not sure of the length of our stay, but our arrangements will be known to you."

The innkeeper looked the dark clothed man over. He wasn't overly tall and didn't look overly muscled. His dark cloak hid most of his features. What the innkeeper could see though were the vast array of blades tucked into sheathes on his body. He was also sure there were many that he didn't see. This man seemed dark and deadly. It wasn't just his clothing or the weapons. It was his eyes. They were grey with flecks of green and had a depth he had never seen, even from the military veterans who would pass through. The innkeeper knew his establishment was safe this night. He nodded to the two men and handed each a key. As the other man walked up the stairs the dark clad man spoke again. "I'd like a flagon of your best dwarven mead and some of that pot roast I smell wafting in from the kitchen."

The innkeeper moved his way down the bar, getting the attention of one of his serving girls and started speaking to her. The dark clad man removed his cloak and laid it neatly on a nearby barstool, and began to stretch. His dark hair was tied into a ponytail and reavealed the pointed tips of his ears. Even under his armor you could now see his physique. He was lean but muscled. He had the look of someone who was quick, and nimble, but also had strength when it mattered. The serving girl walked by as the dark man was strecthing. He stopped and caught her staring at him. She offered a coy smile before quickly ducking into the kitchen.

The guardian was again scanning the room. Everything looked fine and he was sure this would be an easy night. He was kind of hoping for some action though. Of course he practiced while in the monestary, but it was nothing like the real thing. He felt he was losing his edge and it needed some honing. Another patron entered the inn with a defeated look on his face, and made his way to a table on the far side of the room. This man looked a bit shady. Perhaps a trickster or swindler. He made a note to keep an eye on this one throughout the night.

The serving girl arrived with his meal and drink and set them on the bar. She was good looking, well endowed and full of spirit. He immediately thought of ways to get her to his room. As his mind worked he produced a silver piece from seemingly nowhere and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up and she smiled graciously. She pocketed the coin and spoke with a sweet country accent. "I'm Delra. Let me know if you need anything at all. I've been told to take care of your needs tonight." With that she turned to take care of other customers.

He immediately thought of what exactly his needs were tonight. The guardian grabbed the flagon of mead and took a deep swig.

Several minutes passed before the Watcher reappeared in the stairway. With a gaze that seemed to penetrate into the very soul of every patron he looked out over the tavern. Without a word to anyone he strode slowly but purposefully over to an empty table near the bar. With a nod to the Guardian he sat.

Already his bald head was sweating from the heat of the many gathered humanoids, and though he had changed from his travelling clothing to a light gray, full-sleeved shirt and loose cotton breeches, he was still warm in such a closed environment. Quietly he sat.

Within moments he was writting in a large tome. He didn't seem to be carrying the book when he entered the tavern area, but perhaps the eyes have deceived.

The Watcher looks around again, with a certain serenity in his expression, taking in the whole of the room before returning his gaze to the book. A moment later his quill is a blur over the pages as he begins to write.

As soon as he saw the watcher nod he got the attention of the serving girl, Delra. She quickly made her way over to him smiling the whole time. "I have an odd request and I hope you can fufill it. My friend has some very eccentric tastes. Could you fetch me a glass of Frostwine?"

"Sir, Frostwine is pretty rare and expensive and ..." The guardian had cut her off before she could say anymore.

"Delra, dear sweet girl, I will make it worth your while to fetch some Frostwine and deliver a glass to my bald friend over there with the book." He slipped several sivler coins into he soft hands.

Delra scurried off to the cellar and returned shortly with a wine bottle. She grabbed a glass, carefully poured the wine and delivered it to the man writing away in the book. She glanced at the guardian and gave him a wink, before returning to her other customers.

The guardian leaned against the bar licking his lips. The thoughts of the things he would do to that girl later pouring over in his mind.

Pyrrhus retrieved a gold coin from the pouch hanging from his belt and placed it on the table, then took a moment to securely close his coin purse. Using the table to obscure the hand motions associated with casting a spell, the mage twisted in his chair and spoke a cantrip to the wall, away from the other patrons.

The magic now in place, Pyrrhus coughed, as if that had been the reason he'd turned away, and readjusted his seat and waved the barmaid over. As Delra approached he cupped his hand over the coin on the table and began willing the cantrip to do its work.

"Hello and good evening," Pyrrhus said to her when she reached his table, "I would like a plate, or perhaps a bowl, of whatever is creating that wonderful smell back there in the kitchen. At least I think it's emanating from the kitchen. Now that you're here, I could be mistaken. It might simply be your lovely perfume. Is it lavender?"

Delra smiled and laughed slightly. She was used to patrons making advances, but the lines usually had something to do with her physique or what the particular drunkard thought he would be doing later, never on the lavender she rubbed in her hair to combat the smell of sweat and mead on a busy night.

"Uh, no, sir." she said, focusing on the man's food request. "What you smell is the thyme on the pot roast. Would you like some?"

"I would be delighted if you gave me some time. As it is though, I'll take the pot roast. Also, a hunk of cheese for my... ack. Fionn!" As soon as he heard cheese mentioned Fionn climbed out of the collar of Pyrrhus' coat and scurried down his arm to the table, looking at Delra expectantly, as if she could just materialize it there for him.

Delra jumped back at the sudden appearance of a rat in her barroom. "Shoo! You dirty thing!" she cried and was about to snap at the creature with her towel when Pyrrhus leaned forward and covered Fionn with his free arm.

"Woah woah! He's not dirty! And as long as you bring him some cheese he won't even leave this table and he certainly won't go anywhere near your kitchen, I promise." The mage waited for Delra to compose herself before leaning back and addressing his familiar. "Fionn, you know better. You don't come out till I introduce you. You're too good looking to just run about as you please, it gets all the ladies in such a fit. Now back in the coat until she brings you some food."

Fionn looked from Pyrrhus to Delra and back again. Then with what might have been rodent for "sorry", he squeaked once and hopped from the table at his master, catching a hold to the front of his shirt. With as much grace as possible, which is to say none at all, Fionn climbed sideways from his perch into an inside coat pocket.

Pyrrhus just looked down and stared, waiting for Fionn to finish his distracting sideshow. Once the rat was finally settled, he slowly raised his gaze to Delra. "I'm so sorry for that. He forgets his manners sometimes when we've been on the road for awhile. Here, I have something to show you before you leave." he added, and he removed his hand from where it had been cupped on the table.

He had been covering a lump of something. It looked vaguely like a wooden growth, it was dark tan and had a grain to it like the table, but it was partially translucent and reflected light like stained glass. A small loop grew out of the mass and, as Delra watched, one side separated from the table and lifted a small blob of -something- about eight inches off the table. The blob formed itself into teardrop shape and whole thing, base, stem, and blob turned a light green. To Delra it almost looked like a rose bud. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, it began to bloom.

The bud changed to a deep red color when it opened. It had lost the wooden texture it had before, but it still reminded her of stained glass in a way. The rose continued to open but the petals were becoming progressively smaller. The first, and much larger petals had unfurled and completely folded back to merge into the stem while new petals kept appearing from somewhere deep inside the flower.

The color shifted again. This time from the deep rose red to a rich pink. The petals continued to shrink in size, but there were more of them now. No longer a rose, but a peony grew from the bar table, much to Delra's delight. The flower continued to bloom. New petals emerged from the center of the blossom pushing the older ones out and over to merge into the stem. Each new generation of petals was slightly smaller than the last and the color was changing again as well. The undersides of the petals was still pink, but the insides were all a bright yellow. The bar maid was now staring into a chrysanthemum.

The petals continued their perpetual motion for another moment, and then reversed their course. The most recently "bloomed" petals pulled back into the center while about half of the outer petals merged into the stalk. The other half blanched white. A daisy now sprouted from the table; however, instead of collection of golden pistils in the center of the flower, there sat the coin Pyrrhus had set out earlier.

"Go ahead, take it," he said. "Pay for the meal and the rest is yours."

Delra hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out and plucking the coin from the flower. As soon as she touched it, the whole thing disappeared like so much dust in the wind leaving only the coin behind. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break it. I'm sorry."

"Nonsense," replied the mage, "It's a flimsy spell nearly everyone learns to toy around with. Nothing it does ever lasts very long. That coin though is very real. Clink it against something, anything. Hit the table with it."

"I, um, okay." With a shrug, Delra tapped the table with the edge of the coin. Three short taps and three concentric circles color, red inside blue inside purple, slowly spread across the table from where she'd hit it with the coin. Startled, she dropped the gold piece and the color vanished on the fourth 'tap'.

"I can't take that, it's too much. Just pay for the roast and I'll bring it out, okay?"

"I'm sorry. Listen, no more magic, alright?" Pyrrhus pleaded before she could get too far away. "Please, take the tip by way of apology for Fionn and myself. He'll stay out of sight and I'll not do any more magics. Unless you want to see more of Fionn. Or the flowers. I'd understand if you picked Fionn over the flowers, that happens a lot. But please take the tip, okay?"

"Okay." She managed a smile, took the coin, and hurried off the the kitchen. With the scholar, the body-guard, and this... whatever he was, tonight was not going to be boring.

The Elders looked at the young elven barbarain. They already had forseen that he was the one to go with Katarerna. They nodded quickly and before anything else could be said the young barbarain and druid were standing outside the Thirsty Turtle.
Katarerna notices that she is equiped with her pack and a purse of coins. Not at all comptable with her new setting she motions to the young barbarain to go inside. Standing outside the inn is a large muscular bouncer who tells the barbarain to lay down his weapons in a locked compartment before he enters.
As the party enters a gnome that the watcher had seen in the vision enters the inn he immedatly notices the mage thief and the gaurdain to the watcher. Along with with one of the druids and the barbarain but he wounders where the rest of the party is. Surely the watcher was nearby....
The gnome reaches into his bag as he slowly approches the mage thief only to notice that one his gems is missing. Deveasted he starts looking for his masters gem. Only to notice a small rat hurrying up to a safe pocket in his masters clock.
"I do believe your little friend has taken something of great..." The gmone starts to say but then notices a shine from the stone. "I'm Lokis and I do believe that I have a very important mission for you."

"Fionn! Get back here!" rasped Pyrrhus in a strained whisper when the rat suddenly dropped to the floor and scurried toward a gnome that had just entered the Thirsty Turtle. "I promised the lady that..." the mage cut himself short when he saw the gem that Fionn had so expertly lifted from the newcomer. It was worth the chance of getting caught, that thing would definitely bring a handful of gold coins. Maybe even platinum if he could find a gullible enough mark. All he had to do was get out before the gnome noticed it was missing.

"Fionn, remind me to get a pet cat..." The gnome had noticed. And he was headed straight for Pyrrhus' table. "A really mean cat."

"I do believe your little friend has taken something of great..." the gnome paused just as he reached the table, giving Pyrrhus an opening.

"Friend? I'm not sure what you mean, I'm new to town myself and haven't, as yet, made any..."

The gnome, not about to let anything distract from his mission, cut Pyrrhus off mid-sentence, "I'm Lokis and I do believe that I have a very important mission for you."

This was not at all how he'd imagined the conversation going. The gnome was supposed to calmly ask for the gem back. Or angrily demand. Possibly scream, "Thief!" and get Muscles involved. Maybe even completely lose his head and lunge at Pyrrhus with a dagger or some-such, but offer him a job? That was so far outside the group of responses he was ready to argue with that Pyrrhus just sat there, mouth open and ready for some quip, but no words came to mind.

After what seemed like an eternity spent sitting there trying to wrap his mind around what this gnome had said and anticipating some kind of trap, Pyrrhus finally managed to find his voice. "As I was saying, I'm not sure what you mean by saying some friend of mine has done something, but the second half of what you said sounded like a job offer." He started out slowly, struggling to get back into form after being so thoroughly derailed, and built back up to his normal fast-talking self.

"And I'm always interested in offers of employment. Please, sit down, have some food, rest your feet, tell me how you think I may be of service to you. Lokis, was it? I'm all ears."

The Watcher sets down his quill and begins his duty of observing once again. The gnomes entrance and the sputtering thief had grabbed his attention. There was something about them from his visions. He sat in silence, his eyes wandering over the scene, taking in every conceivable detail.

This bears the markings of destiny. Perhaps this is why I am here. Yet I can take no part, or I may violate the covenants of the Order. Curiosity, however, is a strange thing...

The teleportation spell made him dizzy, but he knew it would save them time in the long run. Decades of wilderness living had brought a comfort with the non-verbal communication between the two wood elves. So when the gesture came from Katarerna he took it instinctively and moved to enter the building in front of him. Many sounds of many voices came from inside. He was not accustomed to this, but but his smooth movements showed her that he was at ease.
The large man at the door said to remove his weapons, and at first he thought about resisting, but even without his greatsword he was sure he could take the man down. Unstrapping the leather harness that held the sheath in place, he gently set it into the container. Then taking the dagger out of his boot, did the same.
Entering the sights and smells of various races and foods assault his senses, but taking it all in stride he finds a roof support beam and leans up against it with his arms crossed.
He was content to let the gem the elders spoke of find him. In the middle of the room only a few moments after he'd leaned up against the post, a gnome was startled to find a rat stealing a gem.

The lone druid and his wolf companion had been travelling for several days. Neither really knew their destination. The druid was following what could only be described as a instinctual pull. At last the two companions came upon an inn.

The hour was late, but there was still activity at the inn. Before he even thought about entering the inn, he searched out a spot to rest for the night. Nearby to the inn was a small clearing that would make the perfect place. He knelt down and whispered something into the ear of his companion. She padded of lightly and curled up to lay down near the edge of the clearing.

He proceeded back to the inn to hopefully find some information regarding his vision. A gnome was entering the doors just ahead of him. He stopped and relinquished his weapons at the door. Walking in he was assailed by the sights, and smells. Granted he had been in establishments like this before, but this place was overwhelming. After regaining his senses, he spotted an empty table and proceeded toward it. He passed the gnome chasing after a rat, a monk reading a tome, and another elf leaning against the wall. Reaching the empty table he sat , and waited. He wasn't quite sure what he waited for, but he waited none the less.