When Gustav brings the wine Karm shows him both his arms covered in his weird pullover. He keeps his voice down so that the others wont hear him well but he takes no effort to really hide it What if someone werent't willing to expose his arms? Could he get this tattoo somewhere else?

Karm, strangely enough, when you heard the name the Enigma, you recognize it. The Archive of Ages has had dealings with them.

The Archive of Ages is an organization dedicated to the preservation and discovery of knowledge, as per the guidance of the Nythilene, the Goddess of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Strategy. On the other end of the spectrum is the Enigma, whose sole purpose is to the preservation and care for secrets, as per the guidance of Nythilene's sister, the Mistress of Memories, the Goddess of Magic, Mystery, and Secret. 

While the Archive of Ages operates in public, the Enigma works from the shadow. They are the ones that the Librarians turn to when there is a piece of knowledge or information that they want to suppress from the public's eye, or when there is a mystery or secret that they want to know but keep hidden from the public. 

"That is where the 'by force' part comes in," Gustav replies to Karm. "One way or another, everyone who passes the gate into Erdelun will have that runic brand on them. One of the Enigma's agents sometimes will put it on the one that refuses to do so. Most often than not, the runic brand just appears on your hand without even you noticing when you pass the gate of the city. There is one time that I didn't even step off of the train and the brand appeared on my hand. To this day I still haven't figured out how that can possibly happen."

Eremoz looks down at the numerous weapons he bring with him. “We are just passing through the city.” Looking to Gustav, “If we were to use weapons only to defend ourselves, how understanding would they be?”

"That is the conundrum, is it not?" Gustav says. "On one hand, you cannot be convicted for self-defense, but on the other, you can be convicted for drawing a weapon publicly by the city law. Most of the time an investigation will be opened and you will not be allowed to leave the city for at least one day until the law master can judge your innocence. However, there is a small possibility that the process will take days, even weeks, without the certainty that you will be proven innocent on the matter. In that case, you will have a better chance of securing your innocence by contacting the Enigma. If that is the case, you can ask around the Palace of Memories on the northwestern side of the city. One of their agents will approach you if you linger long enough and will help you out of the city for a fee." 

As you are eating your meal, you can hear a shout coming from outside the train. "ALL ABOARD! ALL ABOARD! ALL ABOARD!" The shout is followed by a loud whistle before you feel the train jolt and start to move. The train leaves the station and the city of Vortesso into the hills and the plains beyond. 

“This is all very interesting”, Drexon says to Gustaf.

”Would there perhaps be a map of the region in which Erdelun sits on board, that we may peruse?”.

"I do not think we do," Gustav says.

"I think the conductor has a spare," Bastian adds. "I cannot guarantee it is up to date, but I can check."

Bastian gives the group a slight bow and heads toward the front carriage to find your map. 

"Well, enjoy the meal," Gustav says. "Let me know if you want anything else or have any more questions."

Gustav excuses himself and exits the kitchen to answer a call from a family of three that is also looking for a quick meal. 

Cob drinks the proffered wine, listening to the conversation with one ear, while watching the rest of the dining car as the others converse with Gustav.

"Seems like a good deal," Cob says. "Draw a weapon and the guard come. Saves time calling for help. Might have to test that out once we're inside."

He looks over at Eremoz's wine and smiles at the request for the most average wine available. Cob sniffs his own, smiling wider at the bouquet. He waves his hand over the glass but looks at Eremoz's as he does and whispers "sour grapes".

Casts Druidcraft

The aroma coming from Eremoz's cup changes slightly with a hint more wine vinegar added to the aroma.

"Average."

{{it was Karm that asked for average wine, not Eremoz}}

So i will get marked but i might not have to reveal the mark? That chance i could live with

This wine is actually better than i expected. You all have to understand, cheap wine simply lacks the quality while the expensive is just overrated grape juice that someone put in a barrel for to long, puts a fancy label on the bottle and thinks it justifies the price

“It seems to me that if they have magic enough to do everything Gustaf said, they should be able to protect their citizens from those creatures. In which case not being able to use weapons and serious magic is not that much of a problem”, Drexon says thoughtfully.

He watches out the large window for signs of the creatures as the train pulls away from the station.

Dvark slowly eats his steak, staring out the window distantly. "This stuff really is as good as he said."

his eyes come back into focus as the train begins pulling away from the station, staying alert for danger.

Perception: 11

“We should try to get through the city as quickly as we can. Then if we get into a scrape we are at our full capabilities.”

As the train pulls away from Vortesso, there is no sign of the creatures chasing you. To the right and left side of the train there are only verdant plains and rolling hills as far as the eyes can see. 

After a while, Bastian returns from the front carriage and lays the map of Erdelun before the group. The writings are a little bit faded but still readable. 

"Ah, Erdelun," Gustav says with a fond smile when he returns to the kitchen and sees the map. "This is quite an old map. Nothing has changed much, but some of the older townhouses in the Old Town have been renovated to accommodate a theater last year. It's still under construction even now."

The Map of Erdelun:

{{I don't think the map is quite what I expected, and I don't think I will be doing that any time soon. I'll make a quick one from watabou instead of spending 2-3 hours on this even though I have some fun making it. Let me know if you prefer this one or the one from watabou.}}

Drexon surveys the map noting the position of the station and also the Northern Trench Pass which he assumes is the route to Bast Trench. Sego had said there was no onward travel arranged, so they either walked or tried to charter a carriage.

"This is most useful, thank you Bastion", he says.

"It may be we don't need to enter the city at all", he says quietly in reply to Eremoz's statement about moving quickly. "A discussion to be had once safely back in our carriage".

He turns to Gustaf, "I see the inn you mentioned on there, a good tip if we do spend time in the city".

Cob looks at the map briefly, though the mention of a new theatre does draw his attention to the Old Town.

He then looks over at Drexon when he mentions not entering the city at all. He opens his mouth to comment but as the others appear to want to discuss this privately he just nods, finishes his wine and food and gets up to go back to their cabin.

Eremoz finishes his food and turns to Bastian and Gustav, ”Thank you. For the service and the information. You’ve been a great help.” Eremoz gets up and follows Cob to the cabin.

"It was a pleasure to dine at your table. I'm sure you don't need a simple orcs praise, but it was an incredible meal." Dvark says moving to shake Gustavs and with both of his. before turning to follow his friends back to their cabin.

"Come back anytime," Gustav says.

Bastian leads the group back to the cabin. As you exit the carriage, you notice that a pair of dwarven gentlemen wearing business suits have entered the dining carriage and made themselves comfortable. A family of three halflings also can be seen enjoying a meal. On your way back to the cabin, you notice a group of five wearing all-white clothing making their way to the dining carriage. They all bear the symbol of a golden sun cupped by a pair of hands -- the symbol of the Church of the Light Bearer.

"I will leave you to enjoy the rest of the journey," Bastian says. "If you need anything, I will be at the end of the carriage."

{{What do you want to do? The train will take roughly 3 hours before it arrives.}}

Drexon relaxes back and throws Bastion a smile as he leaves them alone.

"So, we know the Trench is a days walk from Erdelun. What do we need from the city itself? Did you want to charter a carriage, Karm?", he asks as he once again takes out his playing cards and starts shuffling them one handed.

Cob settles into a comfortable chair by the window, looking out at the passing scenery. 

"If those creatures are not here already, the faster we move on the better. The faster transportation out of Erdelun the better." Cob says, now spotting Drexon's reflection in the window.

As Drexon shuffles, a ghostly hand appears next to his one shuffling hand and tries to snatch one of the cards.

"But if they're already in the area, we need to find a way to hide whatever signal that box gives off and sneak our way to the Trench."