"If you are the group heading to the Chakran Mountains I would wish to have enough money to to buy you drinks," replies Elessarae, "but circumstances have left me with limited funds, an I have a distance to go yet and may be forced to sing for my board and bed."

She glances at the dwarf with an aplolgetic look. Had she not been sent off on this mission halfway between home and Megilindar Nost she might have been given funds by the Elder Council to see her through her travels to the Chakran Mountains and back, but that did not happen so here she was living off the tiny purse the Elder had tossed her to purchase a horse and tack, and the 15 silvers the High Druid had given her. Not a lot of money to see her through her travels from the southern end of Silvaria to the far north, and there was still a a lot of territory to cover to reach the mountains.

"Are you the group headed to the Chkran Mountains?" Elessarae asks bluntly, otherwise there was no reason to be here with them.

Geim does wonder about a bladesinger without any funds but she looks an honest lass and something might have happened to seperate her from her money. THere were several odds things about the youngling, but her would ask his questions after he offered her the information she wanted and perhaps were less guarded in her manner. Drinks loosen the tongue.

Geim stands up. "Aye, that be us," Geim pipes up while giving a stern look to Thondrek. "Just sit yourself down and I'll be buying you your first drink." I am Geimiedehfer, Cleric to Kharox, at your service." These are my companions, though they can introduce themselves while I get back to my drink, after I order yours.

Geim motions the tavern serving girl over. "Bring what she wants will ye?"

Malius was in high spirits his shopping having gained him a few needed magical items and the knowledge of those he carried. The best of those was the black armor he now wore; somehow he felt the color fit him.
With the shopping over he mounted his warhorse once again and rode out to meet Draven and await the rest of the party once again.

Pulling up next to him he thought of the best way to approach the human fighter. After what seemed like a long silence between the two Malius addressed him straight forward.

“Draven, I seem to have found a Ring of Magical Protection that I cannot use. I thought perhaps you might have a use for it.”

Holding it out to him Malius waited for the Draven to take it from him.

( The ring is +1, If he does not take it I will put it away for now)
With the party together once again each having spent their time shopping, or clearly in the case of Gothard and his master in a tavern somewhere, the party was once again ready to continue their journey to the Chakran Mountains.

They left the city behind them fast; having improved their speed now they traveled on horseback. Only a few minutes on the road, they were halted by a young Sylvari man on a slender horse. He wore the loose but official clothing of the messengers they had seen running around in Istalindir, and in his hand was a letter.

“I’m glad I found you. I have a message for you, but I couldn’t find you in the city. I thought you already left. I’m glad I came back.”

He handed the letter to them and took off. Its contents were clear:

Dear friends,
Matters are far more serious than we thought. I took my findings from the Aratar Barad to have them investigated. It seems that the trees drawn by the sages of the tower are infected trees that are what’s changing the animals in our forest. A cure has been found, but I need your assistance in taking down the biggest of trees. You’ve dealt with the affects of the trees before and with success. Come to Hith Elee, a small town, on your way to the Chakran Mountains. The Sylvari Empire will reward you greatly for your service.

Lady Quilanday
After a small discussion, with Malius less then thrilled at having to once again deal with a Bladesinger, the group agreed to comply with her request, reasoning that it would not take them far from their path, would be the heroic thing to do, would bring them some more money, or whatever reason would make any of them interested. They set their course slightly more south-east, and continued their trip.

The forest flashed by quickly now, the devastation that was raging in the once quiet woods was visible throughout their journey. With night fall they camped and once more, the night was a haunted one. As Malius stood his watch he could hear strange noises beyond the campsite, what seemed as if light footfalls through the mist. At one point the Sylvari Ranger swore he had seen the shadow of a skulking creature, but on second glance it was gone. Upon the change of the watch Malius relayed all that he had heard or thought seen and his thought that the companions were clearly being watched, but never throughout the night harmed or disturbed.

The following morning brought an early rise. Two hours later they arrived at their destination: Hith Elee. They were greeted by a druid, who called to them from a tree. He told them that a Bladesinger Lady had arrived the night before, and was staying at the Solanis Paean Inn.

A little later they were sitting in the common room of the Sylvari establishment, while the innkeeper brought their wine. It was a small inn, but comfortable and welcoming. The walls were filled with woodcarvings of many types of wood and shape. Below the stairs leading up stood a young horse, alive and well, glancing at them, but focused on the next floor.

Hith Elee was a small town, slightly bigger and more populated than Birch-Root had been. The innkeeper had told them the Bladesinger was getting ready. When she finally came down, it was not the Lady Quilanday, but a young slip of a Sylvari girl wearing a chain mail shirt and outfitted with a short bow, a longsword and a pair of daggers, one looking to be made of silver.

She was tall for a Sylvari, taller than even Malius at 5‘4“, and slender as a willow, yet as she moved to examine the young white stallion that for some reason was, inside the Inn rather then in the town‘s stable, muscles rippled under her fair skin where it showed. Her silver hair was braided back and hung down her back to her waist and along with the chain shirt she was dressed in tones of gray with matching boots.

As Malius watched her he could not help but admire the girl for even among Sylvari she would be considered a beauty, as she turned to fully look at them his breath caught in his throat at her full beauty. Yet he also could see her youthfulness, for a Sylvari, she was only a teenager, and that fact did not match up with her supposed calling. Every Bladesinger he had known including his lost love, Mira’elan, were not teenagers but experienced blade wielders and warriors who had to meet very stringent prerequisites before earning the title of Bladesinger and this young girl, though incredibly beautiful, was in no way a Bladesinger.

The frown of disbelief on his face was still there as her eyes met his and for the first time Malius saw beyond her youth. There was something behind those eyes that spoke of hardship and loss, a wariness of many roads traveled, of lives taken, and sadness at being alone. This was no naïve young girl for sure but one who perhaps knew the hardships of the road. Malius could only think to himself that mayhap for some reason the Council of Bladesingers at Megilindar Nost had granted her the title for some heroic deed.

“Good morning, I am El…, the Lady Elessarae Isiliri. Excuse me, the last 4 days have taken a toll on my mind, I was sent north to join a group of adventurers, I hope you are them.”

Just then the white stallion chose to bump her as if telling the girl not to forget him, with a first smile for both the horse and party, she introduced him.

“And this is Moon Shadow, also called Comrade. He is my ward.”

The first of the party to respond was Geim who offered the girl a seat at the table where the companions now sat.

“Sit yourself down lass there is some extra room, for you, but not your ward. Then you can tell us more so we be understanding it better.”

Yet as was his nature Thondrek too spoke up, but not so much in greeting as in getting something for nothing.

"Well if the Lady be kind enough buy the next round, she can happ'ly have me chair, and the floor ta speak her case."

As the girl, or as she had named herself Elessarae, took a seat at the table she first replied to Thondrek and included a question all in the same breath.

"If you are the group heading to the Chakran Mountains I would wish to have enough money to buy you drinks, but circumstances have left me with limited funds, and I have a distance to go yet and may be forced to sing for my board and bed. Are you the group headed to the Chakran Mountains?"

"Aye, that be us," Geim pipes up while giving a stern look to Thondrek. "Just sit yourself down and I'll be buying you your first drink." I am Geimiedehfer, Cleric to Kharox, at your service. These are my companions, though they can introduce themselves while I get back to my drink, after I order yours.”

Geim motions the tavern serving girl over.

"Bring what she wants will ye?"

As the rest of the party moved to introduce themselves the Sylvari Ranger hung back allowing the others to go first. With no ale or food in front of him he continued to watch the Sylvari girl before them gauging her reactions as the others introduced themselves. For some reason, as yet unnamed, Malius felt a hesitation to introduce himself, he tried to blame it on his wariness of Bladesingers, watching Mira’elan leave on an ordered ‘quest’ then to find out she had died on said ‘quest’. But somehow it was more then even that an inner hesitation in no way related to rational thought. For now the Sylvari Ranger would remain quiet lest his voice relay this inner nervousness.
When the others had finished their introductions then he would tell her his name.

She sits and calls out to the maid, "Cider," and then looks about to smore carefully observe the others in the group. Rather heavy on Dwarves, but then it did not matter to her, they were going to the Chakran Mountains for an entirely different reason tha she. Elessarae wondered how long they might be together, until her duties took her a different direction.

Loda looked at the young Sylvari with a smile, remembering her youthful days as a slender beauty who could get any man she wanted, then she remembered,

She was still living those days!
She gave a chuckle and snorted, covering her mouth. She looked at Gothard who was on his back, with a look of embarrassment on his face.

" Oh get over yourself Gothard, your no better."

She listened as the others spoke up about drinks and seat offerings and names. Geim and Thondrek both spoke up first, with this new girl announcing herself as Elessarae. Loda spoke up next. She stood up, braided long beard and long black frizzled hair back in a pony tail down to her lower quarters all waving around.

" Welcome little girl to our party, you may ignore the slight arrogance of some of these dwarven men who are now crowding you, they apparantly have gotten used to this dwarven beauty over here."

Loda smiled and laughed.

" My name is Loda, and this is Gothard, my friend and companion."

She patted the head of the black wolf with the grey underbelly.

" I am glad to meet you, another one who cares so much about the woods as I do. I hope to see this blight gone, as it has sadden me so much."

Thondrek's attempted humor had gone miserably wrong, and so with a huff he stood from his seat and approached the serving wench whose attention had been gathered for an order of cider. Slipping her a pair of gold peices he whispered, "Fill the good lady's place with as many ciders and a hot breakfast as one will buy with my welcome and apologies, and keep the change for yerself."

In response to Loda's remark on Dwarven beauty the duskblade gave the waitress a gentle smack on the rear to usher her on her way as he went outside to retrieve his travelling gear. A guisarme was hard to manage in a small inn so he had opted to leave it outside, a quick glance to ensure it was still there, a tightening of straps and a brisk walk around town would bring him back in time for introductions to have been made, and hopefully stomaches to have been filled.

Geim loks over to Loda. Aye your a beauty" she says but he he does not like her constantly getting drunk. Perhaps if he mentioned it. she might moderate it a bit. Or she might hit him and that could be interestng too.

Aye she is a beauty when she is sober and that be not as often as I would like," he gets off evenly and then quickly continues, "Aye, the woods be infected with these foul beasties. The ones we've met are tough to kill and dangerous never know what they can do. Met a huge boar most vecently hopped like a frog and snorted a red mist that foul the air the trees and bushes where it settle the bark got blackedn and the leaves turned reddish.

He hadn’t spoken since they had left the tower. Hanging back as rear guard, Draven Ire’Dante had allowed the oily black cloud of sullen secrecy to linger over him, until they had reached the Sylvari city. Without a word, he had left the group. He had business to tend to.

When at last they had completed their business, he was waiting impatiently for them, and when they set out again, he was clearly still enwrapped in his own dark thoughts, and as soon as they had reached Hith Elee, he left them again. Any protests about his skipping out on their meeting with the awaiting blade singer would be ignored….

So perhaps it was a surprise, or perhaps it wasn’t when in the middle of the groups introduction to the young and surprisingly unfamiliar Blade Singer, the doors to the Solanis Paean Inn were thrown open, and he returned.

Ignoring the uneasy glances of the innkeeper and his patrons, Draven stood in the doorway a moment. In the gloom of the Inn, he was a wraith, enwrapped in a cloak that could have been sewn from shadow, and seething with an aura of malignance that would have surprised his own party…save perhaps Alyssia. From the shadows beneath the black cowel, burning golden eyes danced over the party and settled on the young elf maiden.

“Further out of our way, and another added to the number.”

His voice was a cold rasp.

Strolling closer, slowly, until he stood over the table the party sat at, his unnatural eyes fixed on her, he pulled back his hood, and let his cloak slide over his shoulders, now out of the elements. His ebony hair fell over his chest, framing his skin, pale as the moon, perhaps as cold as snow. His black, leather armor was freshly cared for and tended, and as he slung the massive dai katana from his shoulders and leaned it on a nearby pillar, the faint light of the tavern danced across the icy runes etched into it’s black surface.

To Elessar, it would have taken more then a moment of pondering to determine whether the being before her was man, or some form of fiend. His face was proud and handsome and carved from ivory, hard as the face of a murderer, but lined with something…deeper., and his unnatural, golden eyes burned with a light that spoke of malice, hate, and again, something more. This was a darkness on the group, and what his story was, she could not guess.

He studied her in silence a moment, before turning, grabbing his blade, and strolling to the bar where he spun a stool around and leaned his back against the bar, after “The strongest” from the keep.

Geim waited for Draven to introduce himself, but that di not happen. "And, that is Draven, my Lady" Sort of with us on his own terms. A good man to have with you in a fight.

"Anyway do you have any fresh new for us we have been cut off for a while. DO they know how this is happening. I understand that they want us to help them clean this problem up. What do you know."

"Greetings to you all," she repliesm though the young human woman and the elf had yet to speak and others of the group had introduced the shadowy man now at the bar.

"There is news," begins Elessarae, "and I would impart it to all, so in this I must wait on the leadership of the town, and the local druid, if any. What I have to report can be said all at once and all questions answered to the best of my ability." She lowers her voice so just those at the table can hear her, "Suffice it to say Sylvaria in under attack by the Goblins out of the Chakran Mountains."

Geim gives the young elf maiden a look. Not of disbelief but questioning for sure. However he said nothing because she said she would say it once. So he could wait until all parties had gathered to her what needed to be said.

Loda looked at her as she spoke and brought up a point that she wasnt sure if she had gotten or not.

" I be a druid, if ya havent noticed yet. If you dont find one here, you can always fall back on me!"

"Thank you, but if you are the group going to the Chakran Mts. then I need a druid here, to help the people, though a druid with us would be very helpful also.

Now here was a oxymoron and Dwarf Druidess.

" Aah, I see. Well a druid in both places will be a good thing for everyone then! Especially with this horrid disease running rampant, who knows how much help the local druids need."

Loda looks down as if almost saddened, thinking of the devastation she had seen. But also happy as she knows she alone has stopped some form of corruption, the red mist,and with group of trusted friends, toppled some of the biggest corruptions. That can only mean that with enough effort and teamwork, they could bring down this great evil.

She looked back up.

" But no matter what,I'm sure we and everyone else who helps will pull through this all together, with even more than we started with."

"Aye, Ldda ye be s fine Duidess" Geim adds, and then thinks to himself--none better when you are sober. HE did like the little Druidess and never mined a good drinker but not all the time. She shook his head wondering what had brought her to this state.

"Give me a monment and let be try fetch Draven back." Geim says as he rises up from the table. The cleric runemaster mode his way over to where Draven stood. her clears his throuat to get Draven attention. "Hrrumph, huh huhh. Draven
This girl...bladesinger be set here to meet up with us and has things to impart. I am asking ye to join us. Now, she be wating until town officials come to tell what news she has and when they do, I be asking you to join us at least then. Though you be welcome now, laddie. We've been through some tough times and it took all of us together to get this far." Geim waits for a monment "Are ye coming now or later?"