The last meetingplace was about a day of traveling away from the ruin where everything would eventually take place. The barn in which the final briefing would be given was old, worn down and surrounded by barren land and a small village could be seen in the distance, probably about an hour of riding away, if not more.
The barn was mostly empty, safe from some furniture that had seen better days. The only thing looking decent was the hatch in one of the corners of what used to be the living room. That hatch was still pretty well oiled and for good reason.
It hid a ladder that went into the cellar, where a few people had gathered. They were expecting a few more, but most were there.
The cellar was pleasantly warm, thanks to a hearth-fire that was steadily burning. The smoke wasn't really that much of a risk anymore; if an uninvited individual found them here, it wasn't the fire that gave it away. On top of this there wasn't all that much that could stop phase one.
Close to the fire sat a young, dark haired man, late twenties, not too tall, ears that betrayed elven ancestry, in gear that had seen it's fair share of damage. It was a balanced mixture of armor and warm clothes. His shoulders, chest and back were properly reinforced, but there wasn't all that much plate in it. Mostly mail, leather and thick layers of cloth. Corin Darbon spent a fair chunk of his time on horseback, so his gear complemented this. As protective as it could reasonably be, without becoming too much of a burden.
His furlined cloak was draped over the back of the wooden chair he sat on, enjoying a bit of roast meat and having a pleasant chat with the man who got most things done around here, Ignacio. His partner in crime would likely be here shortly and it'd be then that they would hear the final details of the plan.
"How are you feeling about all this?" Ignacio asked. Corin grinned.
"Pretty good. Should just be a quick enter and snatch," he answered nonchalantly. He knew that, as a battlemage, Fell was risky business, but he knew how to handle the sword that was dangling from his hip and was confident it would be a regular job, especially with two of them.
"Boss says it'll definitely be more than that," Ignacio said with a light shrug.
"Yeah, but there's a reason your boss isn't doing this himself, isn't there?" Corin shot back with a grin.
It was probably a good thing the hatch just opened and Corin's attention shifted, since Ignacio had been unable to keep the doubtful look away that briefly flashed on his face.