Dariel’s head drops a bit at that. “He’s not returned either?” He asks. There went that idea for a lead. She wasn’t giving him much to go on. “Where was your father planning to go?”
The two stood side by side. Old stood next to young. One a blade. The other an arrow. A soft gust of wind blew through the stable yard as the pair focused on their mark. A round wooden board, painted with Red Circles and which hung against the back of an empty stall, waited patiently and still.
The blade, tossed by the bearded fellow, flew through the air and with a thunk struck the bottom of the wooden circle.
Without speaking a word the young girl followed suit. In one fluid motion she released the arrow from her bow. Swooshhh Thunk! The arrow vibrates as it struck securely into the upper portion of the target.
Silence as the two measured and weighed their first shots. The old man led by a slight fraction. His blade striking just a bit closer to the target.
The two repeated the process. First the man and then the girl. Both arrow and blade met their targets with concentrated efforts. This time the mans blade sat closer. The girls arrow, though reaching the target, landed several rings hire then the man.
With Thom taking the lead it would bring Quill to the front of the line to take her last shot first. She breathed in deeply and held her breath as she had practiced many times back home. She released and the arrow traveled rapidly through the empty night sky. Thunk! The arrow pierced the inner 1st ring, striking just a few inches from the center Red dot.
Grinning, the grandfather figure balanced his last blade carefully on the palm of his hand. Focusing on the mark he launched his blade. Thunk! The blade struck the target.
Tonight, in that quiet moon lit sky, a girls arrow had beat the mans sharp blades. Even in defeat that Grin did not leave the mans face.
Thom the grin still apparent on his face began pulling out his coin bag. "Well, you certainly know how to use that bow of yours." Thom began counting out the coins placing them in a separate coin pouch. "I lost fair and square. Since you wouldn't take the bet, consider this payment for helping keep the patrons happy...and drunk while I performed." Thom tossed a bag of coins over to Rowyna (Thom has given Rowyna a coin pouch containing 3 gold 4 silver and 5 copper) then headed over to pull his daggers from the target, checking each one as he did so to ensure that the remained sharp.
Dariel nods. “Going into the forest with allies,” he says, voice growing rougher again from overuse. He clears his throat again and pulls out his waters in to take a drink of water. “Will watch for him.”
Her eyes grew in size at the mention of watching for him. “Are you planning on going into the wilderness!?” Her pet dragon landed on her shoulder as she moved closer to the Druid. “When do you leave? Can I come. I promise I won’t be a burden. I will bring my own supplies and everything! Let me come with you please! Her pleading tone begged Dariel.
Jumping up and down, Quill clapped, her grin impossibly wide at her victory. With a bow, she accept Rand's coin, tucking it into somewhere her many pockets before straightening. "It was a good game, you played, Bard. And a close one. I am glad to see I have learned well, Uncle would be proud.".
As she went to help the Bard collect their spent ammunition, Quill kept glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, curious and a little in awe of the storyteller. As ever, questions hung on the tip of her tongue, too many to count, too many to ask, so she settled for simply saying, "Thank you for this, Elder Rand, storyteller, magpie, and juggler of knives."
Looking up at the sky, she blew a few stray hair out of her eyes as she sheathed her last arrow. "So much for shopping tonight. A good thing, I suppose, as I wouldn't know what to buy, nor what to look for in a place like this. Our guide didn't seem the kind to be too helpful either. Terse and of few words, but very, very kind. She even called me a "discount dwarf" and Gairlik liked her, which is something from a dwarf." Pausing, She considered what else to include without being accused of talking to much, " Still, she seemed capable enough, acknowledging both her own skills and faults, giving answers when asked, but not volunteering it either. I ducked out when the discussion turned to matters of money and contracts, but from what was discussed before that, I think the Viper and the Raven's Servant seemed inclined to follow the lead regarding the mine. I know not what else to say. But I heard you ask, and wasn't sure if you had your answer. I hope it serves as enough. " Finishing with a shrug, She returned her gaze to the bard, giving him another why smile. "Shall we return inside? I for one am very tired and tomorrow sounds like it might be a very long day."
Thom nodded and begun humming to himself as Quill mentioned the mines. It seemed they were willing to follow his plan after all."It may seem late, but..."Thom opened a bag he had set on the ground and begun pulling clothing from inside. "...it is still early for bards. I can yet get some things done tonight, that, unfortunately, can't wait until the morning". Thom placed a smaller set of clothing from his bag and set it aside. "You may join me if you wish, or proceed inside and get some rest..." Thom moved into a nearby stable with a bundle of clothing in his arms, his voice carrying over the sleeping animals. "All I ask is that you keep my departure from the others. Either way, take that with you..." Indicating the clothing that Thom had left on the ground ( Thom has left a costume kit on the ground if Quill wishes to take it) "...it may come handy in the future."
Damien catches the sound of Thom & Quill's conversation and looks over to see what they are discussing. As he watches their exchange, he comes to the conclusion that he'll follow Thom.
'It's still early for rogues as well.' He mocks in his own head. Plus, the action would do good to clear his head. That was something he wanted right now.
The temptation to explore was just too much for Quill. She had never been so far before and the Bard seemed trustworthy. Still.....She was curious.
"Not too late, after all!" Giving a series of trilling whistles, it wasn't too late until a shadowy form of a cat joined her as she bent to pick up the clothes. "I'll just duck in the stables with these. Won't be a moment." Clicking her tongue at her cat, she went into the stables to change. Although she had very little concept of modesty. ...humans tended to be funny about her dropping her clothes in front of them. Besides, she had a feeling the Magpie and the Viper would have words she didn't need to overhear.
Dariel nods in response to the woman’s first question, but doesn’t answer the others immediately. He gives her a long searching look, trying to decide if he thinks she could take care of herself on the jungle. His eyes move back over to the pseudo dragon landing back on her shoulder and that decides it for him. Anyone with a pet dragon must be someone special. He nods slowly and says, “Not only up to me. Have to talk to others.” He looks up at the sky. “Kaya’s house. First light.”
The woman nods to Dariel. "I shall be there at first light. Petting the top of her Dragon's head the lady thanked Dariel one last time before dissapearing at the other end giving the pretense she was preparing herself for a long journey.
Thom exited the stable, hood pulled up over his head to disguise his features. With luck, they would be back before anyone was the wiser. Once Quill exited the stable he couldn't help but smile "Keep your hood pulled up and your cloak wrapped around you. With luck, we will look like two travelers a parent and their child trying to fend off the wind as they head towards their destination" Even this late at night, it wouldn't be out of place for some stragglers to still be heading to their destinations.
Walking over to a gate he slowly pulled it open and headed out waiting for Quill to pass through before closing it quietly behind them. As they set out down the road Thom spoke in a low whisper to Quill eyeing every shadow they passed "Now that we are away from where others can hear us I will tell you what we are doing." Thom touched his sleeve checking his daggers were in place. "I mentioned to the others that I don't trust Syndra. Thom eyed a dog that had started barking and kicked a rock at it. Watching as it ran into an alley he resumed speaking. "or any other nobles, to tell the truth.
Thom turned down a side alley that ran through the back of a row of houses. "I plan to keep a watch on her, and the only way to do so is to find some servants willing to be my eyes and ears. I believe the people of this land call them spies." They left the alley and returned to the main street. "We will use informing Syndra of our trip to the mines as an excuse for visiting." Thom hands over a bag of coins to Quill (25 gp given to Quill). "This is where you will come in. Servants can always be bought with coins, and are even more willing to speak to children." Thom glanced at Quill for a moment before going back to studying the shadows. "The gold in that bag will be enough to pay off several servants. Thom couldn't help but frown. He hated Daes Dae'mar but it was important they plant as many eyes and ears as they could. "We are in the dark in a land none of us have been to before. You have heard me say it before, and I will continue to say it. Information is important and we need to ensure we have enough eyes and ears in places of importance." Thom pulled the map from his cloak to check they were heading in the right direction. "With luck, we will have established a network of them and will know when we return from the mines how fruitful our work has been tonight."
Quill frowned, huddled in her cloak, a hand tangling on a string on one her pouches as she pondered what Rand was telling her. "I'm not sure I understand. You want me to bribe servants? To what pay attention to Syndra while we are gone? Isn't that their job? ". Quill kept her voice low, tracking her cat's progress behind them as she did so. "I agree we know little about her, but isn't this a tad....." Trying to avoid being rude, She hit her tongue on what she wished to say, and instead settled for, "too cautious. Not to mention risky?"
Huffing an exasperated breath, she resisted the urge to pout. She was hoping this would be interesting. Not boring human stuff.
"Nobles don't see servants. To them, servants are invisible... Thom smiled to himself, it felt good to be doing something that he was used too. "... and Nobles are known to say things around them that they wouldn't expect others to hear. Least of all foreigners. Thom scanned a few dark buildings trying to make out any possible ease droppers. "I expect we will get very little information about Syndra from her own servants, but they won't be tight-lipped about speaking of other nobles. Especially ones that Syndra is displeased with." Thom pulled his cloak tighter to him as a gust of wind tried blowing it opened. "Much like Nobles fight among themselves for power, servants do the same. That is something we can turn to our advantage. What we set out to do is anything but cautious, and definitely risky if the wrong ears hear of it. Especially... Syndras. Remember that, she may very well kill us just for thinking of what we plan to do. You can never tell with Nobles."
Les crawled into bed after Thom had finished for the night. More tired than usual, the teleportation and sudden shift was an unusual occurrence for her as she was so use to walking everywhere. Laying in bed for quite a long time as she waited to fall asleep it occurred to her that Quill had not yet returned, finding that odd as both of them had gone to practice, odd in that unless it was specifically about working at night she should have been back by now. But figuring it was better to not check into other people's business she pushed the thought from her mind, letting her dreams of the next adventure fill her head as she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"Kill us!" Quill whispered yelled, as she hurried to flee the other direction. She didn' t too far though as she hastily realized...She had no clue where she was. So she stood half poised to flee, her feet pacing back and forth in a nervous anxious manner. Mumbling curses in fast curious gnomish, she added a few dwarven expletives for good measure, she cursed politics and nobles in general . Suddenly she twirled around furiously wanted an indignant finger in Rands direction, continuing in gnomish in her frustrated fury. "Elder Rand, you patched work Maggie brained idiot not everything is politics, games of chance, and gold pieces. "
Tossing her hand in the air, she sulked her arms crossed, the very picture of a child throwing a tantrum. It would take nothing short of a miracle to convince her that this insanity was any sort of fun or served a purpose at all.
Thom turned and watched as Quill started to run then suddenly stopped, finger pointing at him. "Correct child and this is anything but that. Syndra sent us here claiming to need us to find this Soulmonger for her. Thom hated being straightforward, but he saw no way around it. For once he needed to be trusting, and avoid Daes Dae'mar "She claims to be dying, rotting away, and at the same time she claims we must bring it straight to her and no other. Why is that? How do we know, once she has it, that she won't order us all killed? How do we know it does what she claims? Thom turned his back to a nearby wall leaning against it for support. "I mean to stay alive, and the only way I can do so is by obtaining as much information as I can to ensure that I am not kept in the dark. To do that I need to set up my eyes and ears. With your help, it will be easier to accomplish the task. " Thom reached into one of the pockets of his cloak and pulled out a parchment holding it out to Quill "Normally I prefer to keep anything I have discovered to myself, only giving out the information I think will be most important. After handing the parchment to Quill he returned to leaning against the wall studying the shadows as he continued to speak. "That note there is the rumor I picked up earlier about the mine we are to enter." Thom let out a sigh, it was perhaps the only way to gain her trust completely. "You heard most of the rumor. There is one thing I left out of it. There is something waiting for us inside of Wyrmhaven, a Red Dragon. Thom decided he better be straightforward on why he left out that piece of information. "I didn't inform anyone of it because I wanted to put the party up to a test to be able to properly judge their skills when they go against something they didn't expect. Thom studied Quill for a moment before going on. "You're a merchant Quill. As such, let us make an arrangement. If you help me establish my eyes and ears tonight, I will share any information they give me with you." Thom wouldn't normally do this, but it was important to have an ally in the party, someone he could perhaps come to trust. "I will give the information to you with the understanding that you will more than likely share it with the others. This is not something I would prefer, or normally accept, but I believe my need tonight greatly outweighs the cost. How about it merchant, do we have a deal?"
Jadyn watched Rand notice her, and the contract in her hand, and then leave the inn anyway, with Quill running behind him. These children are going to chase something shiny to their deaths. She shook her head.
Jadyn approached the innkeep. "Did the gnome or the bard that just left secure rooms for our group?" Jadyn followed the inkeep's directions upstairs. She doffed her armor, and laid out her bedroll in the corner, leaving the bed to the girls who would need to sleep. She sat cross-legged, clutched her amulet in both hands, and entered a meditative prayer.
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Xander shook her head. “From what I have been told.. they went into the woods together.”
Dariel’s head drops a bit at that. “He’s not returned either?” He asks. There went that idea for a lead. She wasn’t giving him much to go on. “Where was your father planning to go?”
The two stood side by side. Old stood next to young. One a blade. The other an arrow. A soft gust of wind blew through the stable yard as the pair focused on their mark. A round wooden board, painted with Red Circles and which hung against the back of an empty stall, waited patiently and still.
The blade, tossed by the bearded fellow, flew through the air and with a thunk struck the bottom of the wooden circle.
Without speaking a word the young girl followed suit. In one fluid motion she released the arrow from her bow. Swooshhh Thunk! The arrow vibrates as it struck securely into the upper portion of the target.
Silence as the two measured and weighed their first shots. The old man led by a slight fraction. His blade striking just a bit closer to the target.
The two repeated the process. First the man and then the girl. Both arrow and blade met their targets with concentrated efforts. This time the mans blade sat closer. The girls arrow, though reaching the target, landed several rings hire then the man.
With Thom taking the lead it would bring Quill to the front of the line to take her last shot first. She breathed in deeply and held her breath as she had practiced many times back home. She released and the arrow traveled rapidly through the empty night sky. Thunk! The arrow pierced the inner 1st ring, striking just a few inches from the center Red dot.
Grinning, the grandfather figure balanced his last blade carefully on the palm of his hand. Focusing on the mark he launched his blade. Thunk! The blade struck the target.
Tonight, in that quiet moon lit sky, a girls arrow had beat the mans sharp blades. Even in defeat that Grin did not leave the mans face.
Thom the grin still apparent on his face began pulling out his coin bag. "Well, you certainly know how to use that bow of yours." Thom began counting out the coins placing them in a separate coin pouch. "I lost fair and square. Since you wouldn't take the bet, consider this payment for helping keep the patrons happy...and drunk while I performed." Thom tossed a bag of coins over to Rowyna (Thom has given Rowyna a coin pouch containing 3 gold 4 silver and 5 copper) then headed over to pull his daggers from the target, checking each one as he did so to ensure that the remained sharp.
“He mentioned ruins deep in the wilderness. Said the artifact had to be there. It’s the only lead I really have.” She said mournfully.
Dariel nods. “Going into the forest with allies,” he says, voice growing rougher again from overuse. He clears his throat again and pulls out his waters in to take a drink of water. “Will watch for him.”
Her eyes grew in size at the mention of watching for him. “Are you planning on going into the wilderness!?” Her pet dragon landed on her shoulder as she moved closer to the Druid. “When do you leave? Can I come. I promise I won’t be a burden. I will bring my own supplies and everything! Let me come with you please! Her pleading tone begged Dariel.
Jumping up and down, Quill clapped, her grin impossibly wide at her victory. With a bow, she accept Rand's coin, tucking it into somewhere her many pockets before straightening. "It was a good game, you played, Bard. And a close one. I am glad to see I have learned well, Uncle would be proud.".
As she went to help the Bard collect their spent ammunition, Quill kept glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, curious and a little in awe of the storyteller. As ever, questions hung on the tip of her tongue, too many to count, too many to ask, so she settled for simply saying, "Thank you for this, Elder Rand, storyteller, magpie, and juggler of knives."
Looking up at the sky, she blew a few stray hair out of her eyes as she sheathed her last arrow. "So much for shopping tonight. A good thing, I suppose, as I wouldn't know what to buy, nor what to look for in a place like this. Our guide didn't seem the kind to be too helpful either. Terse and of few words, but very, very kind. She even called me a "discount dwarf" and Gairlik liked her, which is something from a dwarf." Pausing, She considered what else to include without being accused of talking to much, " Still, she seemed capable enough, acknowledging both her own skills and faults, giving answers when asked, but not volunteering it either. I ducked out when the discussion turned to matters of money and contracts, but from what was discussed before that, I think the Viper and the Raven's Servant seemed inclined to follow the lead regarding the mine. I know not what else to say. But I heard you ask, and wasn't sure if you had your answer. I hope it serves as enough. " Finishing with a shrug, She returned her gaze to the bard, giving him another why smile. "Shall we return inside? I for one am very tired and tomorrow sounds like it might be a very long day."
Thom nodded and begun humming to himself as Quill mentioned the mines. It seemed they were willing to follow his plan after all. "It may seem late, but..." Thom opened a bag he had set on the ground and begun pulling clothing from inside. "...it is still early for bards. I can yet get some things done tonight, that, unfortunately, can't wait until the morning". Thom placed a smaller set of clothing from his bag and set it aside. "You may join me if you wish, or proceed inside and get some rest..." Thom moved into a nearby stable with a bundle of clothing in his arms, his voice carrying over the sleeping animals. "All I ask is that you keep my departure from the others. Either way, take that with you..." Indicating the clothing that Thom had left on the ground ( Thom has left a costume kit on the ground if Quill wishes to take it) "...it may come handy in the future."
Damien catches the sound of Thom & Quill's conversation and looks over to see what they are discussing. As he watches their exchange, he comes to the conclusion that he'll follow Thom.
'It's still early for rogues as well.' He mocks in his own head. Plus, the action would do good to clear his head. That was something he wanted right now.
The temptation to explore was just too much for Quill. She had never been so far before and the Bard seemed trustworthy. Still.....She was curious.
"Not too late, after all!" Giving a series of trilling whistles, it wasn't too late until a shadowy form of a cat joined her as she bent to pick up the clothes. "I'll just duck in the stables with these. Won't be a moment." Clicking her tongue at her cat, she went into the stables to change. Although she had very little concept of modesty. ...humans tended to be funny about her dropping her clothes in front of them. Besides, she had a feeling the Magpie and the Viper would have words she didn't need to overhear.
Dariel nods in response to the woman’s first question, but doesn’t answer the others immediately. He gives her a long searching look, trying to decide if he thinks she could take care of herself on the jungle. His eyes move back over to the pseudo dragon landing back on her shoulder and that decides it for him. Anyone with a pet dragon must be someone special. He nods slowly and says, “Not only up to me. Have to talk to others.” He looks up at the sky. “Kaya’s house. First light.”
The woman nods to Dariel. "I shall be there at first light. Petting the top of her Dragon's head the lady thanked Dariel one last time before dissapearing at the other end giving the pretense she was preparing herself for a long journey.
Thom exited the stable, hood pulled up over his head to disguise his features. With luck, they would be back before anyone was the wiser. Once Quill exited the stable he couldn't help but smile "Keep your hood pulled up and your cloak wrapped around you. With luck, we will look like two travelers a parent and their child trying to fend off the wind as they head towards their destination" Even this late at night, it wouldn't be out of place for some stragglers to still be heading to their destinations.
Walking over to a gate he slowly pulled it open and headed out waiting for Quill to pass through before closing it quietly behind them. As they set out down the road Thom spoke in a low whisper to Quill eyeing every shadow they passed "Now that we are away from where others can hear us I will tell you what we are doing." Thom touched his sleeve checking his daggers were in place. "I mentioned to the others that I don't trust Syndra. Thom eyed a dog that had started barking and kicked a rock at it. Watching as it ran into an alley he resumed speaking. "or any other nobles, to tell the truth.
Thom turned down a side alley that ran through the back of a row of houses. "I plan to keep a watch on her, and the only way to do so is to find some servants willing to be my eyes and ears. I believe the people of this land call them spies." They left the alley and returned to the main street. "We will use informing Syndra of our trip to the mines as an excuse for visiting." Thom hands over a bag of coins to Quill (25 gp given to Quill). "This is where you will come in. Servants can always be bought with coins, and are even more willing to speak to children." Thom glanced at Quill for a moment before going back to studying the shadows. "The gold in that bag will be enough to pay off several servants. Thom couldn't help but frown. He hated Daes Dae'mar but it was important they plant as many eyes and ears as they could. "We are in the dark in a land none of us have been to before. You have heard me say it before, and I will continue to say it. Information is important and we need to ensure we have enough eyes and ears in places of importance." Thom pulled the map from his cloak to check they were heading in the right direction. "With luck, we will have established a network of them and will know when we return from the mines how fruitful our work has been tonight."
Quill frowned, huddled in her cloak, a hand tangling on a string on one her pouches as she pondered what Rand was telling her. "I'm not sure I understand. You want me to bribe servants? To what pay attention to Syndra while we are gone? Isn't that their job? ". Quill kept her voice low, tracking her cat's progress behind them as she did so. "I agree we know little about her, but isn't this a tad....." Trying to avoid being rude, She hit her tongue on what she wished to say, and instead settled for, "too cautious. Not to mention risky?"
Huffing an exasperated breath, she resisted the urge to pout. She was hoping this would be interesting. Not boring human stuff.
"Nobles don't see servants. To them, servants are invisible... Thom smiled to himself, it felt good to be doing something that he was used too. "... and Nobles are known to say things around them that they wouldn't expect others to hear. Least of all foreigners. Thom scanned a few dark buildings trying to make out any possible ease droppers. "I expect we will get very little information about Syndra from her own servants, but they won't be tight-lipped about speaking of other nobles. Especially ones that Syndra is displeased with." Thom pulled his cloak tighter to him as a gust of wind tried blowing it opened. "Much like Nobles fight among themselves for power, servants do the same. That is something we can turn to our advantage. What we set out to do is anything but cautious, and definitely risky if the wrong ears hear of it. Especially... Syndras. Remember that, she may very well kill us just for thinking of what we plan to do. You can never tell with Nobles."
Les crawled into bed after Thom had finished for the night. More tired than usual, the teleportation and sudden shift was an unusual occurrence for her as she was so use to walking everywhere. Laying in bed for quite a long time as she waited to fall asleep it occurred to her that Quill had not yet returned, finding that odd as both of them had gone to practice, odd in that unless it was specifically about working at night she should have been back by now. But figuring it was better to not check into other people's business she pushed the thought from her mind, letting her dreams of the next adventure fill her head as she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"Kill us!" Quill whispered yelled, as she hurried to flee the other direction. She didn' t too far though as she hastily realized...She had no clue where she was. So she stood half poised to flee, her feet pacing back and forth in a nervous anxious manner. Mumbling curses in fast curious gnomish, she added a few dwarven expletives for good measure, she cursed politics and nobles in general . Suddenly she twirled around furiously wanted an indignant finger in Rands direction, continuing in gnomish in her frustrated fury. "Elder Rand, you patched work Maggie brained idiot not everything is politics, games of chance, and gold pieces. "
Tossing her hand in the air, she sulked her arms crossed, the very picture of a child throwing a tantrum. It would take nothing short of a miracle to convince her that this insanity was any sort of fun or served a purpose at all.
Thom turned and watched as Quill started to run then suddenly stopped, finger pointing at him. "Correct child and this is anything but that. Syndra sent us here claiming to need us to find this Soulmonger for her. Thom hated being straightforward, but he saw no way around it. For once he needed to be trusting, and avoid Daes Dae'mar "She claims to be dying, rotting away, and at the same time she claims we must bring it straight to her and no other. Why is that? How do we know, once she has it, that she won't order us all killed? How do we know it does what she claims? Thom turned his back to a nearby wall leaning against it for support. "I mean to stay alive, and the only way I can do so is by obtaining as much information as I can to ensure that I am not kept in the dark. To do that I need to set up my eyes and ears. With your help, it will be easier to accomplish the task. " Thom reached into one of the pockets of his cloak and pulled out a parchment holding it out to Quill "Normally I prefer to keep anything I have discovered to myself, only giving out the information I think will be most important. After handing the parchment to Quill he returned to leaning against the wall studying the shadows as he continued to speak. "That note there is the rumor I picked up earlier about the mine we are to enter." Thom let out a sigh, it was perhaps the only way to gain her trust completely. "You heard most of the rumor. There is one thing I left out of it. There is something waiting for us inside of Wyrmhaven, a Red Dragon. Thom decided he better be straightforward on why he left out that piece of information. "I didn't inform anyone of it because I wanted to put the party up to a test to be able to properly judge their skills when they go against something they didn't expect. Thom studied Quill for a moment before going on. "You're a merchant Quill. As such, let us make an arrangement. If you help me establish my eyes and ears tonight, I will share any information they give me with you." Thom wouldn't normally do this, but it was important to have an ally in the party, someone he could perhaps come to trust. "I will give the information to you with the understanding that you will more than likely share it with the others. This is not something I would prefer, or normally accept, but I believe my need tonight greatly outweighs the cost. How about it merchant, do we have a deal?"
Jadyn watched Rand notice her, and the contract in her hand, and then leave the inn anyway, with Quill running behind him. These children are going to chase something shiny to their deaths. She shook her head.
Jadyn approached the innkeep. "Did the gnome or the bard that just left secure rooms for our group?" Jadyn followed the inkeep's directions upstairs. She doffed her armor, and laid out her bedroll in the corner, leaving the bed to the girls who would need to sleep. She sat cross-legged, clutched her amulet in both hands, and entered a meditative prayer.