Flaysteir walks over to the dwarf.

"Certainly an ale would help right now. Can you help me out with this bruise that magic missile left? Oh, and I think we will have to take off now, so probably and sadly no time for ale."

He then walks to the nobleman.

"So the the two teams that won the battles will make the escorting team, also would you mind saying what we are escorting?"

     The young nobleman looks in Flaysteir's direction and raises an eyebrow, questioning to himself why such a commoner would address him so directly.

"Oh? Why, just you four will be doing all the work."

     He motions to the rest of the battlefield sarcastically.

"Everyone else appears to... Not in the most ideal condition, it would seem."

     Leucis steps forward, placing himself between the two before anything gets too heated and hastily speaks,

"Now now, you'll have to forgive him. Lord Edmur isn't quite used to coming along on these excursions. Father's orders, you see."

     Leucis clears his throat a bit,

"I admire your enthusiasm! You needn't worry about the cargo. It's nothing illegal, by all means, but it's probably best you let me take care of this, you just... Mind your weapons."

Tadriel bears a small burn on his shoulder from the arcane bolt. Across his sword arm, a lattice of tattoo ink has been burned from his arm where electricity arced through his veins and muscles. After a good night of rest, he'll be fine. For now, though, he looks to have survived a battle with the elements themselves.

Detective Krim returns to the group and sees the commotion happening. Before something terrible happens, he strikes a conversation to their employers.

"Good afternoon, or should I say good evening Lord Edmur, and Sir Leucis."

He take a quick short bow.

"If I may, I have a few questions that might help the escorting job proceed smoothly.

Do you have any information on what we should expect on our journey to Blackmoore? Any group of people that might want to hinder the said transportation of cargo, or perhaps a person of interest that has a grudge against Lord Edmur and you Sir Leucis."

     Krimple heads over to his comrade, along with Leucis and Edmur. They greet him back, each bowing slightly in return. Leucis checks his pocket watch obsessively once more before sliding it back into his vest pocket.

"I see you are about as eager as your friend here, no doubt you all must be new to this."

     He clears his throat,

"Nothing to worry about, sir Gnome. No immediate threats or dangers other than your usual assortment of thieves and bandits. Or your troupe of Goblins, but I'm sure you all could handle that. You've..."

     He pauses a bit and looks over the bodies, sighing slightly,

"You've definitely proven yourselves."

     He checks over his pocket watch one more time before shooing you both away.

"Now run along, we have important business matters to discuss. The Sage and the Scroll is an excellent place to recoup! Best place in town.. err.."

     Leucis rubs his pointy chin in thought,

"Only place, now that I think about it..."

Detective Krimple ritually casts Comprehend Languages and takes the ticket before talking to the newly formed group.

"The night is almost upon us and we still have to find The Sage and the Scroll. We should ask the locals for directions before it becomes too dark.

But before that, I forgot to introduce myself to the two of you earlier. My name is Krimpledimple Humpledumple. You can also call me Detective Krimple for short."

He realizes too late that he made a pun on both his name and height.

"Well met Detective, as I said before my name is Darak Keenedge, it was good to fight alongside you all, shall we retire to the tavern then?  We can ask directions once we are back in the town."

Darak begins to move towards the outer brim again. Looking for someone who might be able to supply directions

     As you make your way back to the city, the red sun begins cross the horizon casting a flash of red light over the city before slowly fading away. Almost instantly, the city is filled with lights. Torches and dancing lights instantaneously blink into existence, breathing new life into the city. The streets are once again starting to fill up. Asking around using Comprehend Languages, Detective Krimple is able to find the way to The Sage and the Scroll.

     Something odd stands out, though. Every piece of real estate in this city is wall to wall, no alleyways all smashed together, leaving no space between. Somehow, this building sits nestled in a large circular lawn with a small pathway leading up to the door. A large tree off to the side of the pathway offers an oasis of nature in this massive stone city of trade. While most structures are made with stone, The Sage and the Scroll has a very rustic wooden feel to it.

     To add to the peculiarness of this building, it appears to be rather small, yet, every now and then more and more patrons seem to be pouring out of it's doors into the now bustling nightlife. After a minute or so of watching from outside it appears to die down, leaving you enough room to make your way inside.

The gnome shares his thoughts about the establishment.

"Either this place is magically enchanted or an entrance to an underground structure. Until we take a good look inside, we may not know for sure."

Detective Krimple enters the building, looking for the host of this rustic wooden building.

Darak follows the svirfneblin wizard into the tavern, alert to the strange and unreal nature of the place. He offers a short prayer and examines the area as he goes.

     As you make your ways to the interior of this building, the shimmering tickets begins to hum; faintly at first, but as you get closer to the threshold of the door, it's not as subtle. Creaking open the door, you are able to see the interior. There is the standard wooden floors that creak with every step, windows that are frosted enough so the outside is blurry and unable to see yet somehow still allow light to seep through, and the smell of chalk as if you were in a professor's study. There isn't much furniture, only a couple doors on the wall and an old looking staircase off to the side wall, leading up to an empty hallway.

     Darak is able to spot a strange looking rune just inside on the other side of the door. He doesn't get the immediate feeling of danger, but is unable to hold anyone back as Krimple steps over it. The heavy sound of a single church bell tolls once and echoes throughout the building. You also notice the ticket is no longer acting strangely.

     A single Kenku comes shifting out from a door behind the counter dressed in robes, bits of white smoke wisp behind him. A second pokes his head out in a cloud of dust, white chalk covering his hands and face. Their heads darting around looking in every which direction. One of them shuffles over to you and reaches out for the ticket, mimicking the sound of gold jingling in a pouch.

     Handing over the ticket to the Kenku, he holds it high in the light shifting it around and inspecting it. He nods to you. Once satisfied, you hear the sound of a burly guardsman come from the small bird.

"Come with me."

     The Kenku darts over to the foot of the staircase on the other side of the room. Peering over to the second Kenku, he mimics another sound. This time, to the effect of a snooty upper class nobleman,

"Come come, over here, don't keep the people waiting..."

     Seconds later, the other Kenku comes out from behind the counter, holding a small cauldron filled with little bits of chalk. He says in the voice of a goblin,

"This way..."

     The cleaner of the two Kenku leads you upstairs, the second follows behind stumbling with the cauldron full of chalk. You can hear it clang and thud every other step. Once at the top, you see a stone wall where an array of doors should be, but it's blank. Flat. After a moment of confusion, the two Kenku stand side by side facing the wall, tiny cauldron in between them. They move in such a delicate way, completely in sync, as the several pieces of chalk inside the cauldron hover upward, coming to life and pressing against the empty stone wall. With complex movements, they direct each individual piece impossibly, constructing a large intricate rune on the wall.

     You can feel the arcane energy spring to life as the rune begins to shimmer once completed, creating a portal or sorts. The portal reveals a medium sized room with cobblestone walls, oak wood flooring and an iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The candles flicker and light up, along with a stone fireplace off to the side. It's the perfect hearth for wary travelers. Complete with a long wooden table full of delicious looking food with steam floating into the air. You hear an elderly woman's voice,

"Enjoy your stay, sweeties."

     The Kenku pats the wall with his claw like hands and the portal closes. Where the portal once stood, an outline of a door is left in chalk. Other than the doors leading to bedrooms there is no apparent way in, or out, of this room.

After what recently happened, Detective Krimple tries to maintain composure as he touches the wall where they came from and tries to recall information connected to arcane about the large intricate rune they saw.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Flaysteir Greycloud of noble house of Greyclouds from the continent near to Runewarren. I am here to find myself a good journey and and powerful allies for my family. It is been a great pleasure finding beside you all today. Sometimes I might go over the top, I have sadistic outbreaks". He walks through the door into the main hall, then he sits at the table asking for some ale and waits for his companions to join. 

Tadriel takes a seat as well and makes a simple plate. He sits for a long few minutes, staring at the spread. It's not doubt of reality or safety, more of a revere.

Detective Krimple sits at the table after filling his plate with food.

"Likewise, Flaysteir. From what you said, you should have told Lord Edmur earlier that you are a noble from a far away land and he might have taken a different approach when talking to you.

Anyway, I have found something strange about the giant man that was hit by the crossbow bolt out of nowhere."

The gnome takes a spoonful of mashed potatoes and a sip on his mug of ale, "Bitter". He then replaces it with water.

"It had a faint smell of alcohol. Alcohol can be considered poison depending on the dosage and is effective when entered directly to the body. I'm still looking for clues on the intention of the culprit."

He takes another helping of mashed potatoes at the table.

"They really serve good food here. Also, it seems we can safely travel back as the Kenku wizard was kind enough to allow me open the doorway portal. Let me emphasize on the word 'back', I'm still not certain about entering this room from the outside."

He finishes his plate and stands.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll head to one of the bedrooms to take rest. If any of you wants to go outside, just knock on my door and I'll open the portal for you."

He takes his leave and walks to one of the vacant rooms and searches if there are any books or scrolls inside for guests to read.

     Everyone enjoys the gratuitous amounts of food and ale that has been prepared... somehow. You aren't sure how it got there, but it tastes as close to perfection as you can imagine. After excusing yourselves to your rooms and staying the night in this Inn that, to your knowledge, should of only cost Leucis' company a small fortune, you awake the next day feeling well-rested and completely rejuvenated.

     Krimple is able to focus his energy towards the runic symbol and open the portal back to where you came from. As you make your way down the hall, you can see one or two other portals open up along the wall as well. Retracing your steps isn't too difficult, and you manage to make your way back to the Eastern gate just as the sun begins to rise over the horizon. You easily spot the wagon now prepared and fully fitted for the journey ahead of you. Two horses are positioned to pull the white-topped wagon with room for 2 people to sit up front, room over the side edges of the cart for about 3 on each side, and a small ledge behind on the backside of the wagon for 1, should they choose to sit there.

     Leucis stands waiting near the wagon, checking his pocket watch while tapping his foot impatiently. Lord Edmur is laying in the wagon, catching up on missed sleep over the last night. Everything seems to be ready to go.

"Well well, come on then. Lets not waste any more time."

     Leucis says, as he motions the group over and you take your positions on board to set off East, towards Blackmoore. The journey usually takes two days on foot, but on the cart you should be able to traverse it by sundown. Leucis takes the reins of the cart, and with a flick of his wrist, snaps the reins and you begin your first adventure. While not glamorous, it's something.

     It's not until mid day that anything out of the ordinary happens. You pass your average group of traders making their way from town to town to sell their wares, common folk out foraging for food but then, up ahead far in the distance over the crest of the hills, you see a grey-white plume of smoke.

"Please don't tell me Sir Leucis that direction is where Blackmoore located."

Detective Krimple sits at the wagon's side benches peeking at the grey smoke.

"Also, what did Lord Edmur do last night for him to sleep like that.

From our initial meeting, he doesn't seem to like commoners near him. Now he's just sleeping as if he doesn't care we're here."

"We are still a long way out from the fire but that doesn't mean that whoever caused it isn't a lot closer, we should keep our eyes open."

The dwarf scans the horizon, looking for other signs of disturbance

"Are there any other settlements near the source of that smoke?"

     Leucis looks over to Detective Krimple and smiles warmly.

"No no no, dear friend. That isn't Blackmoore, there is still much time before we arrive. This is...

     His smile fades a bit, and a slight look of panic sets in.

"...Something different."

     As Krimple inquires about Edmur, Leucis snaps out of his panicked state and almost brushes the question off as he waves his hand in reply.

"Oh you know, standard night out drinking, avoiding his responsibilities of the family and neglecting any duties he may have had. He was sent on this escort as a punishment of sorts by his Father and he hasn't been taking it very seriously. I'm sure it wouldn't take a detective to figure that out. He has a long way to go before he takes over the family business. I'm here to assist him in the matter so that he doesn't tarnish his name even further."

     Leucis holds up the reins as a display to Krimple, as if to show him what he meant by assisting Edmur.

"As far as his manners, well, let's just say he is very particular about who he is seen socializing with."

     As Darak speaks up about the smoke once more, Leucis falls into worry.

"Oh gods, no. Were still hours away from the nearest town. Why couldn't this simple shipment have just gone smoothly? Why couldn't it just..."

     Leucis begins to ramble on, obviously not used to the adventuring lifestyle and more at home as a bureaucrat for a noble family. You can see him compulsively check his pocket watch again and again. Lord Edmur sits up from his nap, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh wow! Look at that, Leucis. What's going on over there?"

"I think we should have a look at that smoke from the brow of the hill before we take the cart much closer."

Darak looks about the group.

"I would happily go but I admit I'm not the stealthiest of dwarves.  One or two of you might find it easier to sneak up for a better look and then signal if you need the rest of us.  We need to make sure the cart is kept safe anyway.  If I'm any judge it has been burning for quite a long while but I don't know if there is any danger or not..."