Assal laughed at the bard. "If you think I'm worried, friend, then you are gravely mistaken. I merely warn you that I may not be able to protect you from yourself," he explained with a mocking grin, nodding at the steadily increasing number of empty tankards.

"Two more, Maria!" he boomed, handing over a few more coins, once again more than was strictly necessary. "So tell me, Tralen the Bard, what have you heard of my lost blade?"

Looking happily at the next round of ale, Tralen picked up his mug without a second thought. "Your sword my friend, was last talked about in Pardinal. Not take in mind, this was a month ago in my travels."
Taking a long drought from the mug, and wiping the foam off his upper lip, Tralen grinned to Assal. "The Ruins of Athera is where I heard that this sword was resting. In the hands of some bandit or such." Tralen put his head in his hand and laughed before finishing off his ale once more.

"Ruins of Athera?" Assal repeated, "I know little of the lay of this land, though if I am not mistaken, this place is a good few leagues to the north-west.

"Pray tell what you know of these Ruins. Are they bandit-controlled?"

Tralen laughed again. "Like I said, this was a month ago I heard this, rumour..." Letting out a little hiccup, Tralen stared off into space.

"It is possible they moved on, or they could still be there. The trail *hic* could be cold by now." Squinting his eyes, Tralen stared at Assal intently. As he stared, he started leaning forward until he was teetering on the edge if his stool.

Assal sniggered as he realised he was drinking Tralen under the table, before coming to the conclusion that he too was getting steadily tipsier.

He took a long swig from his flagon, putting it down to savour the ale before responding, "Any trail is a good lead, and with luck we should encounter an enemy to beat soundly, and many tales to tell afterward!"

He raised the tankard once again, this time toward Tralen, to raise a toast. "To adventure!"

"I shall sing many song about our adventure! Raising his mug, Tralen tried to roar out something, but instead let out a loud belch.

"HA! ADVEEEENTURE!" With that last word, Tralen collapsed, face-first onto the Inn floor. If one listened closely, they would hear Tralen singing in his ale induced slumber.

Assal grinned and downed the rest of his drink, then turned to Maria to get two rooms for the night, as Tralen wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

With little effort, he hauled the half-orc onto his shoulders and set off for rooms 1 and 2 on the third floor of the Inn.

He nodded as he passed a couple on the second floor, and soon arrived at the door labelled with an ornate metal 2. He tried the door, and found it was locked. He lowered the bard to the floor and tried the key he had been given, and the lock clicked open.

Without paying attention, Assal shoved the door open and tossed the bard onto the bed... without noticing the ornate metal 1 that had dropped to the floor from where it once hung on the door beside the 2, nor the chest he'd shoved as he'd pushed the door open.

Nor did he notice the previous occupant of the bed in room 12, the cloaked woman from before, and now found himself with a sword at his throat.

In the alley next to the tavern known as The Bleeding Lute a man stood patiently waiting in the shadows. He wore darkened leather armor with with large pauldrons that came out to a point, over his chest was a tabard of deep red with a dark gold trim that bore only a single emblem. His right arm was covered in dark leather that had many of overlapping straps with metal studs placed in a way that it appeared to be a tightly fitted pouch. On his left arm there was no armor under the pauldron save a single bracer made of metal with thick wire wrapped around it that covered the majority of his forearm. Around his waist he had a dark golden belt with four oval shaped compartments on each side and two square compartments on the front and back, on his back set two short curved blades running horizontally across the lumbar portion of his back directly over is belt. Extending down from his waist were large leather pieces covered In metal strips that ran down his leg to his knee then arced slightly upwards going around the outside of his leg. On his knees he had metal pads that came to a very small point, around his calf he had leather straps over his boots that held two blades on the outside of his calf. His hair was dark with a slight blue tint and parted with his bang to the right side and a long strip of hair on both sides of his face that came down to his chest and were held tightly in a grey bindings with the rest of his hair hanging freely in the back. If you looked closely you could see the tip of a sharply pointed ear coming out each side.

He stood peacefully in the night with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs one over another leaning against the side of the tavern. He closed his eyes and smirked "I almost didn't hear you sneak up on me do you have the parchments?". The shadowy figure handed him a rolled scroll containing a few pieces of rolled paper and disappeared as quickly and quietly as he came. With that the elven man turned to head inside.

He slowly opened the door to the sound of a song when he looked he was rather surprised to see a Half-Orc singing the man gave a little smirk and quietly found a seat in the back and slowly scanned the room. The large Bald man was the first he saw sitting at the bar a white cloaked man, and black cloaked woman and most curious of all a small kobold clad in armor.

Now he played the waiting game... After witnessing the interactions that night the man observed a dark elven woman head off to bed he made a note of where she went and continued to watch as he saw the large human and the minstrel discussing a misplaced sword. The man grinned when he heard where the sword was misplaced "what good fortune" he thought to himself.

Soon after the pair had become rather intoxicated and the large man carried the bard off to bed. The man stood up and slowly walked a few steps behind them when they entered he quickly slid three sheets of paper under the door and briskly walked back down stairs. " now we wait the man said under his breath"

Aquascales saw the half Orc bare pass out on the floor, but had no time to react before the warrior Assal brought him upstairs. A few seconds later, another man in dark leather armour followed them. Aquascales began to follow them upstairs to check on them upstairs, to make sure everything was all right. And the Tralin was right, he did want to come with them adventuring. He passed the man clad on dark leather came down. "Excuse me," Aquascales said politely. He arrived upstairs to the realization that he had no idea which door they entered. Maybe the new the man in the leather would know. Aquascales began to descend the stairs.

The sound of someone trying to open her door jerked her awake immediately, her sword was out of his scabbard and in her hand as she darted to the opening side of the door. When the person pushed open her door, despite the chest that was against the door; this attested to the strength of the intruder. She stayed to the side in the corner as someone stepped in and tossed another body on the bed where she had been laying.

Ok this didn’t look like an attack against her, since a large body, half-orc by the look of him, was not an efficient weapon. She though she recognized the ‘thrower’ as someone from downstairs. Perhaps, she thought, they had the wrong room.

Instead of skewing the person in the back, she reached out with her sword and set the blade alongside his throat where he couldn’t fail to notice it.

“I hope for your sake you have the wrong room.?” she said in common. She was ready to cut the person throat if they made a wrong move, which if he did that is exactly her intent.

(Edit: spelling errors. It is late! )

As the man was walking down stairs he heard a kind reptilian voice behind him. The man thought to himself "right on time". The man quickly turned to face the kobold and with a low bow said "What an honor to be in the presence of a paladin of the almighty Bahamut king of all dragons." The man recovered from his bow saying "I feel as if I should share this with you, I recently heard of a evil man named Tharex the Merciless in pardinal. He runs a slave ring and is ambushing people on the roads and capturing young maidens to who knows what evil means." the man watched to see the the kobolds reaction hoping he was getting through to him. "I wish only to see these young ladies reunited with there families and Tharex brought to justice for his heinous acts." After saying that the man quickly reached for a small map and handed it to the paladin "Tharex has been seen near the Ruins of Athera on large plantation just a few miles to the south." with that the man gave another low bow.


On the letters the man man dropped off read simply Wanted: Tharex the Merciless. For crimes of robbery, slave trading and murder! Last seen on the Herndon plantation in Pardinal. REWARD of 10gold dead or alive.

Under the third paper was a smaller one saying

"To the mighty heros,
An addition reward of 10gold for each of youwill be awarded for your for your assistance in the execution of Tharex. An addition 1g for every one of his subordinates executed as well your reward will be waiting for you here upon successful completion of this task. You need not bring and proof of your feat I will know when you are done."
-M

With a start, Tralen opened his eyes as he hit something not so softly. Still laying down, he looked around and noticed he was in a room. Pushing himself shakily up, he turned and looked behind him to see Assal and the woman from earlier. Staring wide eyed at the two, paying no heed to the sword at Assal's throat he started to speak.

"Wash going on? Don't youth knowsh who I am!?!?" Stumbling back and landing in a seated position on the bed, he started mumbling again. "I ish the greatesht bard to wander theshe lands! My name ish Trailing! Thus Maestrosh!"
Suddenly Tralen fell on his side and he closed his eyes. Not even 2 seconds later he started to snore quite loudly.

Assal was very quickly aware of the sword at his neck, and even as Tralen spouted drunken gibberish, he slowly but surely reached backwards to his spear to detach it from its shoulder strap and lower it to the floor.
"I mean you no harm. I appear to have the wrong room," he added as he noticed the lost metal 1 on the floor, "If you would be so willing, I shall leave and take my companion with me, and if so required I shall repay you for any harm suffered."
As the blade was removed from his neck, nonetheless kept at the ready, Assal slowly re-attached the spear, before roughly picking Tralen up again and leaving the room.

Parchment pressed onto floor can give quite a fair amount of friction. Parchment pressed onto parchment does not. Assal and Tralen fell to the floor with an almighty CRASH! and the three sheets of paper went flying.

Aquascales listened to what the man in dark leather armour told him. He was indeed intrested in what was being said. After all, as a Paladin of Bahamut, it was his duty to deal with this Tharex. "I am highly intrested in dealing with this Tharex..." The Kobold began,"Athera I think that is where the other two were headed to as well. I think that if I were to join up with them, we would stand a better chance." Aquascales took the map, and began to examine it." Are you coming as well, sir?"

"I mean you no harm. I appear to have the wrong room," he added as he noticed the lost metal 1 on the floor, "If you would be so willing, I shall leave and take my companion with me, and if so required I shall repay you for any harm suffered."

As the intruder spoke she kept a close eye on him, she watched him reach back for his spear. She allowed it as she knew she could slit his throat before she could bring such a slow and unwieldy weapon to bear on her at this range.

He seemed sincere, soshe took a step back removing te sword from his neck. She lowered it slightly but did keep it at the ready; her only reply was to nod.

She watched him lift his companion and carry him out of the room, she moved to behind the door and when they promptly fell to the ground with a loud crash. She chuckled slightly, a musical sound, then closed the door and this time put the large iron bar in place so even with the key someone would be unable to open the door again unless they broke it down; still she slid the chest against the door once more.

She stood to the side of the door just inside her room and listened to what was going on in the hallway. She thought she had heard voices.