Sister Daar nods to Hyre's words.
"I'm afraid I'm not the most knowledgeable of the politics of the region. As a disciple of Draco, I make it my mission to aid at the most basic level. We work with the common folk, the downtrodden... and we're not very welcome in places of prestige because of it." she states. "But yes, the thing that's most frightening about the Skell is their policy of secrecy. They hide behind an iron curtain and block all diplomacy. Now, if you go back far enough in history, I'm sure you might find SOMETHING that might give you a clue, but honestly... as much as I sympathize with what you all have been through, you're all too young... this isn't your fight yet." she says, slithering alongside the group. She places a hand on his shoulder.

"Your task right now is to survive... there's six.. err... seven... possibly eight? Of you... together, you should be able to at least make a modest living, and I will do whatever I can to help you all." she says, then regards Aelar with a kind smile.
"If you would assist the mission, it would be of great help, though it won't... exactly pay anything, I can promise you a meeting with one of the heads of our order, who would be most interested in seeing that mark and to answer more of your questions that.... I don't have."

At Lazlo's request, she looks to Kina, who nods her head.
"You look after those heading to Hammerfall Hall, I'll escort these ones around the Warren, sister. I'll keep them out of trouble, I promise." she grins, clapping Lazlo on the back. As they walk the streets of the Warren, they can see that while it is definitely the rougher part of town, the folks there are honest workers, doing the best they can with their lot in life. They work hard, they play hard, and they play dirty. The roads are poorly maintained and it seems to be up to the community to keep up their neighborhoods. The street lamps are barely working, the landscaping minimal, and the area is always busy with people hurrying to and from work on foot. There are barely any carriages or wagons on the road.
Lazlo can DEFINITELY hear the sound of tavern music here and there as desperate street performers try to earn a few coins for their craft, but the performances are not the most elegant. There's even a few street dancers up on crudely built stages putting on strip teases to bawdy melodies.

Kina responds to Kallista's inquiry about the Arborium.
"Oh, the Wilds? The owner is a bit... umm... he's..." she tries to find the words. "Well, he wears a giant spiderhawk hood, and wears it ALL the time. It's very unnerving. Some say he's lived all his life outside any city walls and only came to Guiston because he became too old. He's ... very intense. I often found rare flowers for him to use in his herbal medicines and even I find him to be a little off-putting. Plus, I always picture that hood of his suddenly coming to life and grabbing me. It's so creepy. Ugh." Kina visibly shudders at the thought.
"Ugh. I hate bugs. Giant ones, moreso."

As they clop along, Kina's size thankfully makes people give the group a bit more room as they walk along the street. Kina points off to a little corner smithy.
"There's Duncan's Ironworks. The saloon is just down the way. It's his favorite little watering hole." she says.

"I mean..." Kallista shrugs like it's a fact, "I unnerve everyone I meet, it can't be that bad."

"I'll see you guys back at the farm," Aelar says to those going off with Kina.  Turning to Daar he asks, "How long to Hammerfall Hall?"

Sister Daar gives Aelar the directions to Hammerfall Hall, should he want to join Balgrim and any others headed there with her.

Kina makes a face, and then notices that people are staring at the winged girl walking next to the huge centaur woman and colourfully dressed satyr.
"I suppose we have that affect on some people. Your friends don't seem to mind you at all. Well, if you should want to seek employment with old Artemis Grimbuld, I can show you the way to the Arborium." she says as they make their way down the street towards the saloon.

Leon thanks Kina for the information. "I may want to visit the saloon myself, someday. But first, I'll see about a job at the smithy."

He will follow the road and enter the smithy, searching for Duncan. 

Kina introduces Duncan to Leon, a stout, heavily-built man who apparently is a very rare half-dwarf. Shorter and wider than a human, rather than a beard, he has a wild head of red hair that he barely keeps under control under a bandana. He looks through custom-made iron goggles at Leon, and takes a feel of his arms after finding out about his aspirations.

"Bit on the skin n' bones side, innit? Well, looks like you might have SOME promise, boy. Tell you what, you prove to me you won't get in th' way, an' we'll see how well you can handle a hearth." Duncan says, pointing over towards one of his large mallets. 
"We'll have ourselves a lil' race. Just gotta pound a sheet flat. Don't embarrass yerself, and I'll give ye a fair shake fer a few days. I got the Watch breathin' down me neck t'make a whole heap o' armour. Somethin's got em' spooked." he says.

(Long as you don't get beaten by 10, Leon will succeed in getting a point towards athletics.)

Duncan's athletics check: 16

"It seems we're splitting. Shall we go too, Barna?"

Quote from KinaJardine >>

Sister Daar gives Aelar the directions to Hammerfall Hall, should he want to join Balgrim and any others headed there with her.

ooc: Aelar went with Daar to Hammerfall Hall.

Kallista nods as she follows along, "Okay, thank you!"

Barna's face positively lights up when Hyre makes the offer to her. She happily loops her arm around his and walks close enough to him that her hip brushes against his as she walks.
"I'm quite interested in seeing this Hammerfall Hall, myself." she says. "I need to make a good impression on as many orders as I can. Never know who might need an extra set of hands." she adds.

The group going to Hammerfall Hall come to the Dwarven Hearth, and it's apparent that the dwarves are fond of keeping to their own kind. The houses are built as stout and wide as their occupants, the stores all have double doors and are just barely tall enough to accommodate human-sized patrons, but most of all, the dwarves are keen to show their craft in their transportation. Rather than ride horses or in carriages, the dwarves have crafted and animated living statues in the likeness of the animals they have come to know in the regions they populate. The streets have rails that sparkle with a blue light that trickles up into the chests of the statues, which allows them to move. If the statues get too far from the rails, they stop, so in essence, it's a magic tram system. The group has to actually get out of the way of an enormous team of the statues pulling a huge wagon of various raw ores into the Hearth, where it is set upon by the local store owners in what can only be called organized chaos, like ants dissecting a carcass.

Sister Daar has to QUICKLY pull her tail in around herself to avoid getting trodden on as the dwarves all rush for their supplies, the elders barking orders at the young, though it's hard to tell sometimes who is who.

That's when a voice calls out to the group.

"Sister Daar! What brings you to the Hearth?" says a bald-headed, friar-ish looking dwarf with a positively holiday festive beard. He wears the robes of an ancient dwarven religious order, covered in runes that would take days to translate.
"Brother Rurik, always a pleasure." Daar replies, and the two share a courteous bow. "I'm actually here to introduce you to some friends of mine who are ... ahem.... tourists... to Guiston? They're just passing through?" she says, giving an obvious wink.
"Oh gods, at it again, are ye? Very well. Why, bless me, a dwarf I don't recognize! Come forward lad, let me take a look at ye!" he says with boisterous enthusiasm when he spots Balgrim.

Closer?  Raia is closer.  How can I know that?  He thinks to himself.

Well, Raia, a nice half-orc named Barna asked for our help recovering Sister Daar's locket...not sure if I told you that.  That's how I came by it.  When I touched it, well, it...marked me.  He goes on to tell her the whole story and describes the mark as best he can.  He also tells her about the other voice that spoke to him, quoting the words, "I know your blood. The forces of On'hull shall not take you from us. When you are ready... seek me out, my child."  The voice was matronly, wise and felt...ancient.  Who is Baha?  Sister Daar said I'd been marked by her...or him and mentioned a life-bond and said that I'd been chosen.  What does any of that mean?

"Say," whispers Hyre to the group, "those things look quite similar to the Skell, don't you think? Coming here might not have been such a bad idea. If I can learn something from them, that is."

Kina gives Kallista the directions to the Wilds Arborium, if she wants to split off from the group and meet him on her own.
"Just introduce yourself. That wily old hunter will... you know what, I'll let you experience it for yourself. Believe me, you won't have to say much before he'll figure you out." Kina says, then pauses after a moment's thought.
"A word of advice? Just be truthful, even if answering him might seem like something you don't think he'd want to hear. Arty does not tolerate liars nor flattery. Also, never call him Arty. I'm only calling him that because we're out of earshot. Or at least, I HOPE we are. That old codger seems to hear everything."

"..." Kallista seems to be taking all the information in, "so should I call him Mr. Grimbuld?" She asks, getting ready to split off.

Kina thinks for a moment before she clears her throat.
"You're better off asking, and don't take his attitude personally. In all the deliveries I've made to him, he's never been in a good mood." she states.

The Wilds Arborium is a hole-in-the-wall shop, but it's actually fairly well maintained, sandwiched between an inn and a general shoppe, but while the other two buildings are tall and extravagantly decorated to attract attention to them and entice visitors, the Wilds seems to be deliberately plain, as if Grimbuld has no desire to wait on any customers at all. Inside the store, the light from the windows just barely penetrates into the interior. When Kallista opens the door, she can see that the ringer is made out of bones.
The walls are lined with dried plants of every description, and barrels of ground powders bear signs identifying the mixes within. Shelves are set up like a library towards the rear of the store, where the light just barely penetrates. Is anyone supposed to even go back there? There's a teller's counter in the middle of the room, but nobody seems to be tending it.

'Well, it's worth a try.' think Hyre before approaching the dwarf that was speaking to Daar. "Hello there, my name is Hyre, a pleasure to meet you. Say, I couldn't help but notice those... ah..." he was about to say Skell, but even Hyre managed to realise, even if on the last second, that it would probably be a bad idea. "Actually, I've only seen them once before. What do you call those things?"

Kallista takes a deep breath in while she looks around at the different plants and powers. "Hello?" She eventually asks. "Um, I was hoping I might be able to find work with you?"

"I know that song!"  Lazlo exclaims as the group winds their way through the Warren. He sings along as they walk by, completely botching the lyrics- causing the  tired busker to glare his way. As they walk along he becomes quickly enamored of the choas of the district. "There was nothing like this in Hon!" He laughs. There was something about being in a place that abandoned itself to frivolous pursuits that spoke to him- just as much as singing the lauds of heroic deeds did. He felt a kinship towards the good natured hedonism that seemed to flaunt itself here. Maybe if he had been around other Satyrs he would understand this- but being raised in Hon as a foundling, the only truths he knew of his kind came from the rumors of well meaning townspeople- or the curses of those who saw him as some kind of mischevous imp. One thing Lazlo did know, is that music, dance, and good cheer seemed to be in his blood and he took to it with unabashed gusto. He sang with every busker (had he an instrument, he would play), and moved along with every burlesque dancer he passed. "Ha! What that one lacks in choreography he makes up for in.... aspiration? Bwahahahaaa!".  It is only when Kina gently places her hand on his shoulder that he backs out of the almost trance like, blissful state he was in. She looks at him with knowing eyes as they continue down the lane.  "What I meant by that was that he was really... gifted."   He chuckles, not having the good sense to be embarassed.  Kina sighs,  "Yes, that was quite obvious little one. " she says patiently as they continue on. 

Balgrim

Balgrim steps forward and gives Brother Rurik a firm Dwarven handshake and greets him, "Sonn Ultok, Samman!"  He then continues for benefit of the others, "Well met!  It be good tae see ya and other of me kin.  Moradin's will seems tae have place me in Guiston for tha near future and I be willin' tae help out around tha church if ye'll have me.  I dinna have a lot of skill, but I be not afraid o' hard work and anythin' I ken learn along tha way, be it of our faith or tha wisdom of ye years be payment enough."

"and what I mean when I say he was really gifted was that-"  Lazlo snorts

"Hush now-"  Kina interrupts.