A New Home

[Scyrus42]

Areus fell through reality, tumbling through space and time until he landed flat on his face. His staff clattered to the ground next to him as he groaned from the impact. He got up off the grassy earth and looked up. The sky was blue and the trees were alive, there were no explosions and no shouting. He sighed, inhaling the forest musk of tree sap and pollen. He had made it to another world

He picked his staff up off the ground and began walking through the wood, searching for any sign of civilization. He checked his pocket and found a collection of gold coins, something he hoped would have some worth in this new world.

He stopped walking when he found a particularly tall tree. He dropped his staff to the ground and began climbing. After working out how to scale the tree without his cloak catching on the branches, he gazed over the treeline to find a town in the distance. He dropped to the ground, landing on his feet this time and headed for civilization.

In an hour or so, he made it to the town. He pulled his mask off and hung it at his belt to limit suspicion. While he got a few funny looks, people mostly kept to themselves. He glanced around until he spotted a familiar sight, a hanging wooden sign with crossed mugs.

He made his way to the tavern and stepped in. He got a number more looks and heard some murmurs, understandable given the large black cloak and the staff. He stepped up to the bar, pulled out a chair, muttered a translation spell under his breath, and ordered a drink.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Dilari usually went where the work was. That usually meant that the fae never stayed anywhere very long and she usually ended up all over the gaff. That didn't particularly bother her though, because this particular plane wasn't home. At least, not yet.

Given how young she was, only just now an adult in fae terms, she had a long life of adventuring, gathering up treasure, and working on an impressive hoard for her future.

This was going to require a lot of patience on her part, even if all she wanted to do was stumble upon a nice hoard already gathered up and crafted so it could be said and done. Not much of an adventure, granted, and she wouldn't learn much from such a fortuitous find, but then she could actually start the hunt for a dragon rather than the treasure to lure said dragon.

Ah well, she mused while nursing a cup of water. Ale and mortal alcohol had never sat well in her stomach. Wine tasted alright, but it wasn't something this particular tavern in the tiny town offered. So, water it was. She was just passing through, as she usually did, and idly looking for work. This small town had a problem with their mine, some distance away, and had to have it shut down. She'd already been contracted to check it out for a modest sum, but if it meant doing a good deed and getting paid, Dilari was all for it.

At this rate, she was really going to have to find a travel buddy. Someone to be a little more up in the front of things since she much preferred using her bow and javelins. Both distance weapons.

The fae was pulled from her musing when the door was opened and it drew the attention of the barkeep across from her. The woman who owned the place was a stout, humble looking woman in a plain dress and stained, canvas apron.

While an odd new comer was certainly a thing to look at – Dilari had been such a person when she'd arrived earlier that morning – the barkeep was still a professional lady, in so much as one could be out here, and stepped up to serve the strange man.

Once he had a drink, Dilari leaned against the bar, still on her stool, and greeted, "Traveled far?"

@Scyrus42

[Scyrus42]

he finished his mead and dropped a gold coin on the bar. A pint couldn't be that expensive? He turned his attention to the stranger that called him, or rather, down. The girl was more than a foot shorter than him and appeared to be nursing a glass of water instead of an ale or something stronger.

He wet his lips, getting used to the new tongue he was speaking. "Farther than you could fathom, miss?" His eyes took a cautious scan of the girl.  While small in stature, she seemed ready for an adventure.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Dilari glanced at the gold coin he placed on the bar. She could usually, usually guess round abouts where someone came from if the stamp on the coin was familiar.

His wasn't.

Not that it mattered to her either way. The fae wasn't about to say she knew everything in this world, even if she'd been on it for a handful of years. Her focus had been quite narrow in regards to picking up jobs and collecting baubles, trinkets, shiny things of value, and money. She wasn't on an expedition to learn all she could, though Dilari wasn't opposed to learning.

She just liked it when such things came naturally and didn't go out of her way for it.

"Name's Dilari," she answered, lifting her cup and gesturing toward him. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of company?"

[Scyrus42]

he bowed his head and smiled at the girl in front of him. "Areus, I'm... new to the area and wanted to settle down somewhere."

He rapped on the bar to get the barkeeps attention and got a new full mug of mead. "But settling down requires coin and I could use some extra"

[SanctifiedSavage]

She nodded some at his introduction and sipped her water. New to the area, indeed. "It seems this is a pretty quaint place, all things considering." The fae made a show of looking around, her gaze idly passing over the few people in the tavern who were sitting at tables and drinking. Conversation was quiet but not hurried or anxious.

Even if there were two strangers in their midst. The small town was out of the way, but they still occasionally had a visitor or two. New faces meant some extra coin circulating around the town.

"Does this mean you're looking to set up around here? Cause they're runnin' a little low on work and all, since the mine up in the forest north-west of here has been boarded up. Something about some tunnel-web spiders infesting the place." She smiled some when her attention drifted back to him. "They're a modest lot and the bounty for clearing it out is a lofty 100 gold. It's what the town mustered to those willing to go take a look. I figured I would, in the morning."

Dilari made a show of looking him over. "What... ah, what is it you do?"

@Scyrus42

[Scyrus42]

he tapped his fingers along his staff in thought on what she said. "I'm a Warmage by trade, a soldier. but I've had enough of war for the time being. I was thinking of setting up a forge somewhere nearby,  become a blacksmith like my mother."

he thought to himself before continuing. " I believe we can assist each other, some gold to get materials would be nice and I can't very well make anything without some ore to work with"

he spread his fingers and let lightning arc between them. "while I wish to be done with the political hellscape that is war, killing some monsters in a cave is fine by me."

he opened his pouch and ran over how many coins he had on hand. "if it wouldn't be too forward of me, might I stay the night with you to plan and to get some rest before setting out in the morn?"

[SanctifiedSavage]

 Dilari nodded a little when he made mention that he was tired of war. It was a common thing, soldiers wanting to retire at some point. She'd met some. Former soldiers, now adventurers. Wanting to find a handful of coin to retire and find a nice, slice of peace. While she never understood the point of war, since she wasn't a politically minded fae, she wasn't naive enough to think that it just wouldn't exist. "I'm sure if you helped these good people out, they wouldn't mind if you wanted to set up nearby." It was a heavy assumption but not a terribly inaccurate one. Ultimately, of course, they'd not be able to stop him either.

Given enough time, granted, he might be able to endear himself to them assuming he was at base, a decent person. Helping them clear out the mine would go a long way in establishing that.

"I'm willing to split the pay, of course." Greedy she might be for gold, Delari wasn't to the point of nudging someone out of a job if they needed it. "And if the mine is working, then that'll get you some ore too." All of it sort of worked out for him, then, if this ended out well.

When he asked to stay with her, though, she quirked a brow. "I haven't a room. I tend to stay out side unless it's terribly uncomfortable. Rooms are usually a bit claustrophobic, to me. I'm sure the room will either be quite cheap, or even free, if they know you're heading up to the mine to help though. That being said, I'm not going anywhere for awhile and I'm willing to stay here and chat until the evening falls and I should sleep. We can talk until then, hm?"

[Scyrus42]

he chuckled. "then we have reached an agreement". he reached out a hand to shake. he turned to the rest of the tavern "Y'all got yourselves a pair of exterminators for the mine" a confused murmur went around for a moment and a few patrons raised their glasses to us.

"that was less enthusiastic than I expected," he said through gritted teeth. he put his hood up and turned back to Dilari. "you know the area better than I do, what should we expect in those caves?"

he turned to the barkeep briefly. "can I get a room here?" she nodded "if you clear that mine out, it's on the house" he nodded and returned his attention to Dilari.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Dilari watched his hand a moment, if only because it wasn't reflexively custom for her to shake it, before she remembered that was a human, mortal thing to do. Smiling with delight, she gladly took it and 'shook' it as was custom. Her skin was smooth, much like that of a plants, and cool to the touch. A bit cooler than a human's might otherwise be. When he announced it to the tavern, she covered her mouth and laughed a little. "They're... pleasant people, who just want this done and over with, I imagine," she said, because saying that they were 'simple' sounded rude aloud.

Saying she knew the area better, though, was a little bit of a stretch. Dilari had only just wandered this direction from a recent job herself, so she knew very little. Instead, she pulled out the roll of parchment that detailed the job that she'd received. "I picked this up in a waystation not far from here, where the village had it posted for would-be adventuring sort, much like myself."

The parchment was nice enough, and the writing on it basic and blocky, but the message was clear. The small village of Murlayfield hadn't been able to go into their mines for about a month now, and had blocked it up with all manner of planks to keep the spiders inside. The information about the spiders were scarce, either because the name in and of itself was obvious or because they just didn't have anything to offer. After a moment, allowing the man to read, Dilari said, "I asked about the spiders, since I've not come into contact with any tunnel-web spiders before. They say they're about the size of a dog, or small mule, and they tend to turn the whole place into a web-nest. So it's likely a mess, and fire may be our best bet. At least, that's my basic adventuring sense speaking. Have you any encounters with spiders before?"

Best get the measure of the man she was to wander into a dark mine with.

[Scyrus42]

he smiled and let flames lick along his fingers. " I have that covered, I haven't fought many larger than natural spiders, but those I have fought were far larger than what you described" he took a look at the parchment, glad they used a conventional written language.

"I will probably need a map, I can obtain one today and be ready to set off by morning. in terms of other tools and weapons, I have all I need" he tapped his staff on the ground. his stomach grumbled a bit. "though some provisions won't go unwanted." the inn they were in appeared to only have rooms and a bar, so any food would have to be obtained elsewhere.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Dilari watched the fire the mage produced before nodding a little. "I have some alchemist fire, myself, and an ever-burning torch to help clear the way. Wouldn't want you using up all your magic on clearing out spider webs, after all," she said, smiling a little. The fae wasn't sure what he considered natural, since that varied from place to place. The faewyld had natural spiders bigger than horses, but she hadn't encountered any such size thus far.

Nor did she really want to. Spiders that were bigger than she was were a thing she'd wanted to avoid, if at all possible. Even the tunnel-web spiders they were going to clear out might give them a problem if there were a lot of them. Fire only spooked them if they didn't have the number advantage and if they behaved like natural, monster spiders. The heavens help them if they had any manner of intelligence to them.

When he mentioned a map, she shrugged a shoulder. "I can lead you there in the morning. I doubt you'll find any sort of map beyond what someone might be able to sketch you on parchment. Not much by way of mapmakers out this far in the middle of the woods. The lovely barkeep gave me directions and I have a fair head for such things in the forest." Playfully, she added, "It'd be a sad day indeed if a fae become lost in the trees." When he mentioned food, she glanced around as though someone might just up and offer it before shrugging a shoulder once more. "I've been foraging during my travels, since my diet tends toward plants, roots, and such vegetation. I imagine you wouldn't be interested in such a thing though, hm?"

[Scyrus42]

he snorted. "I'd eat plain dirt if it were better than bland military rations" he smiled to himself for a moment before the smile dropped a tad. "but I would rather not eat dirt if it's all the same to you, I wouldn't turn my nose up at some good, green plants. if I feel a need for something hardier, I can always hunt myself"

he nodded to the barkeep who placed a key down on the bar. " I exhausted myself earlier just getting here, so I shall be retiring early, see you tomorrow Dilari." he got up from his stool, dropped another gold coin for the drink, and walked upstairs to the room.

"quaint," he said, taking his cloak off and folding it up. he stripped off his greaves and his tasset and lay them on the ground. he stepped over to the bed and pulled back the woolen covers. he lay his head down and almost immdeiately konked out for the night.

[SanctifiedSavage]

When he made mention that he would prefer to eat dirt then military rations, she smiled a little. War had a funny affect on people, she found. Having never been in a serious confrontation herself, at least not on such a grand scale, she could never begin to really comprehend what such a thing might be like. Before she could offer to actually go forage for something for him to eat, though, he said he was exhausted and was ready to turn in. Whatever he had done to arrive in the small village must have been quite taxing. Seeing that he had been of a magical nature, Dilari assumed it must have been some manner of magical travel. She nodded her understanding and wished him well rest.

Since it wasn't quite evening, she remained in the bar with her water and idly chatted at the various people who found some manner of courage to talk to her. Mostly, it was the barkeep who found the courage to do so. Asking timid and soft spoken questions about who Dilari was, where she'd come from, and once realizing the fae was both receptive and quite friendly, they spoke at length about the small village of Murlayfield and the little bit of gossip that such places had. Though the names of the people didn't really mean anything to the fae, she suspected the woman just enjoyed having someone new to share such things with. Since the village was small, they had no standing guard beyond those willing to take up the sword when something went bad. Spiders, though, were beyond such people. Hence the bounty placed. Though the people were a little hesitant at the new comers, they were all quite grateful to have someone there to take care of the problem.

Before the sun could set too far below the horizon and leave all the light from the sky, Dilari went out to forage as she'd planned. Taking her time, picking through the surrounding brush and growth to find particular leaves, roots, and even some supple stems that she thought would taste good. At least, to her. It ended up turning into quite a small salad that she had before finding a smooth bark tree to climb up and settle in. Only once true night had fallen, and the forest filled with the chirp of crickets and the song of night-birds, did she fall asleep.

The fae woke with the dawn. It was easy to stir at such a time when the forest around her was a sort of external clock. The sounds of the animals changed and she was quite attuned to it. A different shift of creature came out as the sun rose and they made entirely different sounds, thus rousing her from her sleep. After stretching, Dilari slid down the tree and lazily foraged for her breakfast. This time, she was mindful in trying to gather some for her new companion. While she wasn't sure how he'd feel about red clover, chickweed, and taro.

She entered the tavern just as the lady barkeep from the night before was opening the doors to sweep out the dirt from the night before. They both smiled a greeting and Dilari took a seat, her collected plant breakfast in a wooden bowl she traveled with. Claiming a table, the  fae waited for her new companion to rouse.

[Scyrus42]

Areus awoke suddenly, about to leap out of bed to get ready for battle. that was until he remembered he wasn't a soldier anymore. he closed his eyes for a few more minutes, feeling the sleep slowly leave his body. when he finally got out of bed, he stretched, popping his joints and shaking off the rest of the sleep.

he strolled over to the window and opened the shutters,k letting in the early morning sun. and taking a deep breath of the new world he was in. he picked his greaves up and strapped them on, feeling the familiar weight of leather and plate mail. he put on his tasset and belt, suitably armored. the last part of his wardrobe lay folded on a chest in front of the bed. with a flourish, he swung the cloak over his shoulders, affixing the buckle at his neck.

he grabbed his staff from where it leant on the wall and walked downstairs. from the top of the stairs, he could spy his new friend sat at a table drinking another glass of water and had a bowl full of varying greens on the table. he walked down and nodded to his companion. "Good morning Dilari, sleep well?" he turned his attention to the bowl of greens with curiosity, "are those for me?"

[SanctifiedSavage]

She didn't have to wait long before the mage eventually joined her down stairs. Since she'd slept outside and stretched along a branch, she hadn't bothered to take off her own clothes and leather armor. The fae had become accustomed to sleeping in it, which made for an easy morning and quick response should she be woken suddenly. Which happened from time to time, given her life style of traveling all over the place. Hor bow, quiver, and javelins were still with her but she hadn't felt the need to keep the bow slung over her shoulder, so it rest against the bar. It was a quiet, relaxing place. The odds someone was  going to run off with her things was incredibly slim and she was certain she could track them down, otherwise.

When Areus sat down, she nodded a little. "You left last night before I could actually collect something for you. I'm not sure how well you will take to it but..." The fae shrugged and passed the bowl in his direction. While Dilari could, and did, eat meat she didn't fret if it wasn't readily available and she wasn't about to spend however long it might take hunting something down, then cleaning it, then cooking it. This was the most expedient way of grabbing something to eat.

"Is there anything you will need to do to prepare before we leave?" It was only polite to ask. She didn't know if his magic required such a thing.