Volneer's lips are tight, his mouth so thin that it's hard to imagine he's the same cheerful person you fought within the cave. He doesn't look angry, just suspicious, maybe a little worried. "Miss Featherwound. I take it you were schooled at the Obsidian Tower on the continent of Urd?"

Kneecap smiles at the young woman as she introduces herself. Being new to this town, and these people he just explored the sinkhole with, he welcomes more interaction.

As Calim speaks, his smile decreases slightly. Sure, it was a night full of undead and cultists, but now it was time for whiskey, why is he so serious.

Then Volneer speaks to her, and the smile fades from Kneecap’s face. He knows nothing of what Volneer just said, nothing of this Obsidian Tower, but the lass seems friendly enough.

“Welcome Sabina Featherwound, please join us!” and Kneecap pushes a chair her way. “If you found us and know of us, I have no doubt that Marthammor himself wills this meeting” he adds, holding the holy symbol, hanging from around his neck.

“Come in, tell us about yourself. That one is Dorn, he is in a hurry apparently. Good bloke, he’ll be back… I drink, I mean I think. Hahaha." Kneecap loses himself in a fit of laughter.

"Feather wound," Sabina says a bit absently to Calim. "I think I could hold my own," she adds in answer to his question. 

She is then a bit surprised at Volneer's words. She takes a closer look at the half-elf, then says. "I was schooled at the Obsidian Tower.  I am a little surprised though to not only find someone in Westhaven that knows of the place, but someone that also knows that I went there." She continues to keep her gaze on him, even as the dwarf is greeting her.  Finally, she tilts her head. "Volneer? Volneer Bryskin? What are you doing in Westhaven?" 

She does eventually acknowledge Kneecap's greeting, even giving a slight smile at his tongue-tied words. But it is clear her attention for the moment is fixed on Volneer. 

It takes volneer a moment to find his words, "I - well you see - urgh." He sighs. "I apologize for not giving notice to my students when I left. I suppose that I should have, but you see, I was getting tired of being cooped up in a castle, not being able to hunt for myself and never going outside, so I sent a resignation request to the board. Their response was... rather threatening. I left that night." He pauses, "They sent people after me. I guess I figured this was the best place to get away. Again, my apologies." His language seems to get more refined, as though he's reminded of an education he'd forgotten about. "Anyway, I don't suppose you're another one of the people the board has sent after me. I seem to remember you had a habit of... stretching the rules."

"Stretching the rules?" Sabina says with a grin. "Well, I was certainly not sent by the school, so you can rest easy on that account."  She steps into the room, finally heeding Kneecap's invitation. "I was rather... well, disappointed when you left Volneer. You had such an interesting way of connecting the arcane to actually doing things. It seemed like such a refreshing take on things. I'd thought you'd be the perfect mentor."  

She starts to look around again at the others gathered here. "Anyhow, I completed my studies and... needed a place to put my skills to work. So, what better place than Westhaven! I've been trying to assist the alchemist here in town and also doing a bit of research when I can. Your venture down into this sinkhole place sounds interesting. What did you find?" 

"I'm sure it would have been a great help to have you down there," Volneer grimaces, "We will be going back down. I believe that a network of tunnels was being constructed by a cultist group. They got a little too close to the surface and one of their tunnels caved in. As such, we were able to find it and explore. Several creatures and cultists were down there, and we had to fight them off." He manages to smile. "And as for your education, perhaps we have a little catching up to do. After all, the exploration of Westhaven is the perfect place to talk about the practical applications of the arcane, specifically the Weave. By your belt, I take it you ended up studying the way of the Artifice?" 

Perhaps we should take that stone X we found, see if anyone in town knows anything about it? We could try the Tower of Study or Captain Gentry at the Guildhall?

"If I remember right, sir dwarf, I believe that symbol simply fit into the stone door as some sort of key?"

"Yes, but there were other symbols on the door too. Perhaps together they represent something, a symbol or diagram perhaps!"

Sometime during the conversation about the shared past of Featherwound and Volneer, Calim quietly excuses himself from the table.

STEALTH 14 (15-1)

Only Kneecap would have caught his movements (your passive perception is high enough), much more lithe and quiet without the clamorous armor.

"I too am ready to re-enter the underground labyrinth, and I want to continue our work."  Calim returns to the group with a cutting board laden with cheese, meats and bread.  "But, may I make a small suggestion.  Can we go around and talk about our value to the team and how we might coordinate our efforts best?  A strong team member knows the deficiencies in themself and leans on the strength of the other."

Calim lays his smithy hammer down on the table, the smooth worn handle curved perfectly into his hand.  He starts by addressing Sabina and then speaks to the whole table, as if channeling a time before.  "Ms. Featherwound, my apologies, I am a fighter, or was one, for hire and for justice.  I once was young and agile, strong and stupid.  Now, I am measured and smart enough to sometimes retreat.  I have a family to defend, honor and return to.  So, I intend on making all my actions, and our actions, with the precision of a well aimed strike and with the rhythm of an artisan."

Calim turns to Kneecap, handing him a link of a reddish sausage...with the ceremonial intention that might make one think that this is an initiation rite and an invitation to speak next.

"Indeed, I am primarily an alchemist," Sabina replies to Volneer. "And tinkerer too. Plus all my studies in history, medicine, nature, and of course arcana."  Her words come to a pause though as Calim returns back with the board of cheese, meats, and bread. She gives him a nod as she listens. And then, as he seems to hand over the floor to Kneecap, she turns her attention to the dwarf. 

Kneecap takes the sausage link, unsure if he should take a bite, but it’s been a long night and the whiskey is flowing, so he takes a bite.

“I was a fisherman. The son of a fisherman really. Guess I’m still a fisherman. Though the last time I …” he stops and looks around, realizing he’s talking to himself more than to the others.

“Anyways, the sea devils, they came one night. Took my dad, took our boat, thought they took me. But something saved me from the cold grasp of the sea. For awhile I thought it was Umberlee, The ***** Queen. Because of my eye you see. Her eyes, are white as pearls.” He looks up at you and points at his right eye, which has no pupil.

“Anyways, before the sausage gets cold,” he smiles, “with time I realized it was not Umberlee who saved me, or who was lending me divine gifts, but Marthammor Duin, a dwarven God of wanderers. Let me tell you, I was glad to figure that one out.” He takes another bite of sausage, “ah whoops, sorry.”

“Any how I left my home, I left the sea, embraced Marthammor fully, and ended up here in Westhaven, ready to… wander.”

“I don’t know much of the world off the sea, no lies. And in dwarven years, we’ll, let’s just say I’m young. But I won’t let you down, any of you, in Marthammor’s name I say this.”

“Unless of course you were dying for this sausage that is.” He says with a smirk, and hands what’s left of it to Volneer.

Calim looks at the dwarf a bit perplexed, though entertained.  "The story is good, and I am sorry to hear about the loss of your father," he awkwardly reassures the priest by patting his shoulder, "but, might you run down the length and breadth of your skills?  I hear that you are a devout man, which I respect.  And, I saw you turn those blubbering fiends away with your light, which I also respect.  Still, is there more you excel at?  I'm looking for those tactical edges."

Calim waves down a server with a subtle gesture, realizing that this might be a crowd who will need a bit more than one board of victuals.

Volneer leans forward, engaging with the rest of the party. "Having seen your divine interference with the horrific corpses of those so evil in life, I would say your worship of Marthammor is not a one-way thing, is it?"

I'll be unavailable this weekend, sorry.

Kneecap shrugs. “I’m an expert fisherman, though I don’t think that is what you’re asking. I’m a Cleric of Marthammor, he pulled me from the depths, and I’ve embraced him. I’m decent with my Hammer, and that is what I tend to think of using first. Take out their knee, that will bring them down.”

He smiles, and continues, “but as far as my divine powers, my healing is strong, stronger than normal. But know this, in a fight, I will fight, I will use my hammer, or in the case of undead, attempt to turn the bastards. If you fall in battle, I will pick you up, that you can count on, and I’ve shown that already down below. I will not stand in the back of the room and waste my divine gifts healing all your scratches, scrapes, or stupid mistakes, just so we clear. I fight, we fight, at the end, I make sure we all walk away, to fight again.”

Calim smiles at the 'take out their knees' line.  He can't place it, but the clergyman reminds him of an old friend.  He is awash with a feeling of security.  "Your's is a noble path, my stout friend."  Suddenly, a phrase from an old prayer to Ilmater he had memorized runs through the fighters head:

"Share with me your gentle touch of solace.  Help me to find peace in my suffering,  To see the love that remains around me."

The tattoo on his back burns a bit, he awkwardly contorts his arm to try to touch it.  There is comfort in the pain.

((Since you are out this weekend Ripped...I'll turn back to Cul.))

"Ms. Featherwound, I'd love to hear more about your work with the alchemy of herbs and plants.  Have you stumbled onto anything unique?"

Sabina had taken a few little bits of the bread and cheese and was slowly snacking on them as Kneecap spoke. As Calim turned the focus to her, she quickly swallowed the last morsel that she had still been chewing.  "Oh.  Well, I already mentioned I'm an alchemist. Only been in town a couple of days but got a spot working in Elana's shop. And of course, there's all my studies and I've been told I've a keen mind for investigations."  She pauses a moment, looking back at Calim. "But you're looking for more practical stuff. I do know how to use the dagger at my belt."  She pats the blade at her waist.  From her tone it seems that maybe she's been challenged on this point in the past. She then grabs her crossbow. "I do tend to prefer to use this if it comes to a fight. I've been able to modify it a bit."  You can see indeed that it seems mildly stained in places with some sort of liquid. And the string is pulled back despite the lack of a bolt. But some sort of glass vial attached with a bunch of extra bits of metal sits right above the latching mechanism. "It will reload itself. And I don't need bolts!" 

She puts back the crossbow as she continues to speak. "I've also enchanted my armor a bit." She wraps with her knuckles just below her left shoulder.  There is a dull thud as there seems to be hard scale mail beneath her billowy outfit. "I'm sure I'm not as stout as Kneecap here, nor as strong as you Calim, but I can hold my own in a fight. I do have a few other trinkets I'm working on too. And of course, I can manage a number of effects with my different powders and concoctions. Detecting magic, poisonous gas to repel attackers, glowing powder to highlight enemies, and of course, various mixtures to heal wounds."  She pauses, reflecting a moment. "And with time I can put together formulas for other effects. But I think that's about it."  

Volneer grins at the dwarf's description of what he can do. As Sabina speaks, he frowns thoughtfully, "I suppose that you have seen what I can do, however, it wouldn't to give a more thorough description. I can summon fire in various forms, either rays, cones, or volts, I can magically launch objects at enemies, I can choke enemies with the chill of the grave, as well as prestidigitate and summon a useful hand." His smile fades a little, "My magic prefers harm to help, I'm afraid. It's useful, but I wish I could be more helpful to my comrades."

"I'm wondering, Sabina?  I would pay tidily if you could find some way to make my armor less cumbersome, while keeping it equal in effectiveness.  Just a pipe dream, maybe."

Calim all of a sudden looks tired again...contented and calm, but tired.  "I think we have the team we need, Ilmater's blessing abides," he pauses briefly. "We need a bit of rest before we go back in, however.  Are you all ready to turn in and reconvene, mended and provisioned?"

Calim raises two fingers to the Innkeeper.  "I've already spoken with the proprietor here."

PERSUASION 21 (20+1 with local advantage)

"He is able to put you all up for a meager ((insert the cost here)), whenever you are ready.  For me, I think I am ready to return to my own bed and be prepared to re-enter that dreadful place on the morrow.  What do you think about us all regrouping at the Anvil for a brief repast and planning at Terce (3 bells), giving us all time to get fully prepared?"