"You're telling me." Ilmryn said, nursing his ale. "Same old Gundren. He'll have us waiting till nightfall." A sly grin would then cross the Drow's face. "Hey, anyone wanna place a bet on whether another person who's a part of our group will arrive before Gundren does?"
The door opens to the tavern. If you did not look down you would have missed the diminutive figure that just stepped in. No one missed the overly excited exclamation that followed.
"By Deneir's holy shaft...This! Is! Awesome!"
Despite his backpack seeming to be twice his size the halfing manages to still look like a pixie that had waaaay too much sugar. Darting around he tries to ask everyone what they are drinking, eating, how do they like the music, how do you play that music, and various other questions. He of course never waits for an answer as something else immediately catches his eye and he darts off again. Until he notices Gundren it will be near impossible to settle him.
A few moments after the diminutive halfling enters, a rather stout, round faced dwarf with a most magnificent beard enters. Scanning the room he quickly spots the table where most of you are gathered and walks over and sits down then motions for the excitable halfling to join the table.
”Excellent!” He begins, “You’re all here and for the most part of all made introductions. ... I have asked all of you here for a favor. My brothers and I have ... discovered something ... well, something big. Between the three of us we are all anxious to get started. That said, I need the six of you to guard a wagon of supplies on its way to Phandalin. I’m headed off with another who needs to go that way. For its best to not travel alone. The wagon of goods is to be delivered to a Mr. Barthen of Barthen’s Provisions. Upon safe delivery of all supplies you will each receive payment of 10 gold pieces each.” He looks around at the six of you. “I do hope all of you are willing to help me in this endeavor and I would love to stay and chat a while more ... but I am anxious to get going and meet my brothers.” With that said he stands to leave. (Feel free to inject any dialogue you would like in conversation with Gundren. But he will be leaving shortly.)
Ilmryn's face betrayed his usually cool and calculated facade upon seeing old Gundren again, forming into a warm smile. It had been too long.
It was clear that the Dwarf was not looking to linger on sentimentality though, and so it was quickly down to business. What a rushed reunion. A simple job. But it only made Ilmryn question why so many were needed for a task such as guarding a wagon. Whatever the brother's had discovered must have been big. Ilmryn couldn't help but get a mischievous glint in his eye at this hunch.
"Say no more, Gundren. I'm in." Regardless of any other circumstances, Ilmryn was more than happy to help old Gundren. That said, while ten gold was a minor pay, if Ilmryn's hunch was correct, maybe Gundren would share a larger slice of the pie later~
Dovarax finishes his pipe and exhales the last of his smoke, as he goes to ash it again in to the empty flagon, he glances at the rest of the group and then back at Gundren, with excitement in his eyes and a big smile he exclaims:
"Ha! well if Ilmryns in, I'm in as well, I have couple of spells I've been practicing and can't wait to see them in action. besides you know I can never say no to you my friend."
Dovarax then places his hand on his family crest and and takes a moment thank his ancestor for this opportunity. He packs his pipe again and takes a drag, as the smoke is still blowing though his fangs he looks back at Gundren and says.
" By the honor of clan Daardendrien I promise we won't fail!".
Esther watches the prideful warriors agree with Gundren's request, a pit of anxiety growing in her stomach. Being around a group of people again is terrifying, much less forcing her way through danger. She wasn't sure if she would be of any help anyway, but... "If you will allow me, I would like to accompany you all."
How times have turned for Esther. She previously wouldn't have blinked an eye at a platinum coin; it all went to the church. But now those gold coins are a treasure trove sent from Heaven. Sure, she is grateful for the dwarf's help in finding the odd jobs so she could just scrape getting by, despite refusing his initial charity. However, this job will be much different from finding missing livestock, recommending the right treatment for a patient, purifying contaminated water, and such. But with that kind of money, Esther could affor-.
Her thoughts were cut off as nausea gripped her stomach. "Pardon me, sirs," she stands, hand to mouth as bile rises up her throat, then rushes out of the tavern to find the nearest bush. She shouldn't have eaten so much mutton, her starved state wasn't used to proper food yet.
Dovarax feeling a bit guilty at not noticing her discomfort from the beginning looks for Curly, not being able to find him, he grabs some bread and water and leaves a coin for the troubles. "this should do." he muttered under his breath. He looks back at the party and tells them "Ill be right back."
He leaves the tavern and find Esther "here take this but slowly, it should make you feel better" he hands her the bread and water. "not one for ale eh?". "don't worry I wasn't one to like it either, but in time it grew on me, some may say it even grew to well"
Dovarax smiles and and as he head back into the tavern he says "will be ready when you are".
Once in the tavern he lays back in his seat and relights his pipe.
Esther frowns at the bread and water but takes it, thanking the Dragonborn. As he walks away, she eyes the stranger suspiciously. Why is he being nice? She doesn't even know his name.
Could he have poisoned it? No, the water is odorless and there's no discoloration on the iron cup. She has studied variest poison at the church, but this seems like plain water to her. The bartender made the bread, it would bring bad business if patrons found out it was poisoned. Does he want to gain her favour? He may use this as a debt that needs to be paid, or have her lower her guard so he could take advantage of her. Should she run? But she needs the money... There are other members joining them, so he'll have to act discretely. Unless they're in on it too. Does Rockseeker not know who these men are or is he in on it? She knew she shouldn't have trusted him. The previous jobs he offered seemed credible but were actually set up in order to lower her guard. Luckily she anticipated this, so it's not so gutwrenching.
As Esther ponders, she pockets the bread for when she feels better. Returning to the tavern, she sits at the edge of the building outside with her hands folded around the cup, away from the entrance.
What should she do now? Esther already said yes to the mission and desperately needs the money. She'll just go along with their plan now, so they don't suspect anything and the moment they try anything, she'll have to run. Having studied variest maps of the area, she should be alright travelling on her own. They shouldn't follow her given the area they're travelling, the wagon they need to guard (if there is even a wagon at all), and as long as she doesn't take anything from them.
Nodding to herself, she ponders variest plans to escape as she gingerly sips her water, ignoring the faint drips of rain falling on the hood of her cloak and all the chatter coming from the inside of the tavern.
As Vrakqrin saw his trusty dwarf friend his face showed a terrifying smile, after listening to what Gundren has to say, he brought a tankard and immediately walk up to him and said.
"Of course my friend, if there is anything you need I'll do my best to be there for ya! Here's for success!", he gave the tankard to Gundren as he said that.
Vrakqrin got startled as the little half-elf scurries out of the tavern looking sick, he looked at Dovarax and saw him followed while carrying a bread and water. He immediately felt relax when he saw this.
He turned to Gundren again and told him that they will be ready to set out as soon as the little half-elf feels better.
As soon as Gundren waves Einhard over the halflings eyes grow large. He quickly dives toward him somehow managing to complete a roll while only startling a few other patrons. At the end of the trip, he is standing in front of Gundren roughly at attention.
The three and a half foot tall blond hair and blue-eyed halfling bows to Gundren and declares "Einhard Fleetfoot of the Deneir Monastary at your service. Old Mindred said if I really wanted to get to know the world you were the person to see." The wide-eyed halfling remains absolutely still and silent while Gundren states his request.
When Gundren finishes Einhard draws in a slow breath. His tiny body seems to vibrate as his words slowly start then pour out of him "By Deneir's diminutive nib. Is this true? A real adventure? YES!!" He quickly bounces up and down darting between all the members of the small group. "This is going to be great. We are going to ride around. See the land. Sleep under the stars." His head whips around as he asks "Oh, will there be bandits?" He pantomimes punching and kicking "We could get to fight them off. Track them back to their hideout. Find the evil overlord who captured a princess. Recover a hoard of valuables. Oh oh oh hoard. Do you think we might get to see a dragon!? Please tell me we get to see a dragon."
The vapid speculation continues as Einhard introduces himself to the rest of the group that accepted Gundren's offer.
Gundren nods towards Ilmryn at his acceptance, “Thank you friend. I knew I could count on you.” Though his face does reveal just the slightest hint of doubt.
Hearing Dovorax pledge the honor of his clan gives him a respectful nod also, “Just don’t partake too much of the devil weed” Gundren then says with a sly wink. “Want to avoid what happened in the Kobold lair I think.”
“Thank you kinsmen. I would be honored to have your assistance in this matter. I agree with your sentiments. With the combined strengths of the six of you. There is little possibility you will fail in this task.” says Gundren genuinely giving Kildrak a warm smile.
A look of concern washes over his face as he sees Esther cover her mouth and walk towards the entrance. The look quickly changes to relief seeing Dovorax quickly head out after her.
Gundren lets out a hearty laugh when Vrakqrin agrees as well. He does his best to give the Dragonborn a pat on the shoulder... but the highest he can reach is the small of his back. “Much appreciated friend.”
Gundren’s laughter continues as Einhard bounces around from person to person. Clearly excited at the prospect of going on an adventure. It reminds Gundren of tales he heard as a lad about another halflings adventure. (But that is a tale for another time) “There’s no telling what you may find or encounter along the way. Though I hope the journey to Phandalin is uneventful and you arrive there without much trouble.” He looks around at the five of you still at the table. “Thank you for your assistance. It means a lot to me and my brothers. I will explain more when you reach Phandalin. The supplies should be ready for the journey at first light at South Copper Side Provisions. Just tell I sent ya and you’ll be squared away.” He gives a slight, but respectful bow and turns to leave the Triumphant Fool.
After leaving the tavern, as he pulls up his hood to protect himself from the still drizzling rain, turns to Esther with a smile on his face. “Keep an eye on em for me will ya. Especially those two Dragonborn. You get the two of em talking about honor and they can go on fer hours.” With that he heads off down the road and out of sight. (Anything anyone would like to do between now and tomorrow morning when the wagon is ready?)
As Vrakqrin saw his friend leaving, he put his hands on his chest as a salute and then turned to his companions. He stared at Einhard and said, "Is this your first time my friend? Don't worry we will have the most amazing adventure you could ever hope for". "Ilmryn, it seems that you can smile after all" he winked at him then he looked around his companions and ask them, "Are you all ready to go out right now? Let's meet the little half-elf outside.
After puking up her guts, Esther is feeling much better thinking all the different scenarios she has to escape from.
Quickly standing as the traitor dwarf notices her presence, Esther responds, "Ah, yes. I will do my best. Thank you for all your help. Have a nice evening." She bows politely then watches Rockseeker trod away.
Watch out for them? Esther seems to be the weakest member of the assembled group, even the halfling is better prepared with that monstrous sized pack of his. Though, the group is too carefree for her tastes and will most likely charge into any hostile situation, even if the situation means certain death.
She sighs, this trip is going to give her a headache. But money...
Knowing Esther will agree all night with herself but still join the journey, she enters the tavern and walks up to the counter, bashfully asking for a spade. She needs to clean up her mess.
As it is raining, the ground is soaked and slippery. Esther is already dirty from dropping to her hands and knees to empty her stomach. So digging a hole and burying the contents is likely cleaning than that. She'll roughly wash it tonight and hope it will be dry the next day.
Returning the spade to the outdoor shed, she sits at her recently vacated seat and watches patrons exit and enter the tavern.
Following Gundren's exit, Ilmryn plops himself down to sit at the table, peering up at the ceiling as he balances on the hind legs of his wooden chair. Looks like this group of relative strangers would be getting cozy with each other, at least for the duration of a journey to Phandalin. Still, Ilmryn could feel potential for more riches in his bones, due to whatever Gundren was up to. Anything within ethical boundaries that Ilmryn would not breach that resulted in him getting his share? He was all in for it. It was all about whether his fellow adventurers would be along for the journey, beyond the simple guarding task they were assigned.
"N'mom." Ilmryn considers all this, as he chomps down on mutton, chewing absently.
Einhard's smile strains for just a few seconds as he explains "Yeah, I guess it is really noticeable. I am not trying to be mean to the monastery and all the great people there. They raised me as an orphan and taught me numbers, letters, and manners (though I mostly just got yelled at in those classes). It was just the same thing every day. Deneir's fluffy quill it was just sooooooooooooooooooo boring. I just want to see the world. Not just read about it and hear stories from others." Einhard smiles broadly again shrugs and makes his way outside.
Dovarax smiles and nods in agreement with the Einhard,.
"Don't worry my new friend knowing Gungren there's more to this than just guarding a wagon, that dwarf always has a trick up his sleeve." He pauses for a second to put away his pipe and and start to gather his things. "How do you think I got this scar on my eye? The last time I went on a adventure with him we were trapped in kobolds lair for two days fending off goblins, and that was supposed to be a simple currier mission."
Dovarax smiles to himself as he remembers how Gundren would scold him for smoking at what seemed to be the worst times, he picks up his drink and finishes it, looking at the group he ask:
Vrakqrin smiles at the small one, Einhard, and then turned to Dovarax and said, "well it seems that we can go now. Hey Ilmryn, would you like to eat this one? The sooner we get started it the sooner you can get your share." He winks at him and then turned around to fix his cloak and went out of the Tavern.
"Can't argue with that logic." Ilmryn replied, hopping back up to his feet. He was itching to get started, to see just how deep this rabbit hole was. "Let's gather Esther and set out immediately."
"Eat me? Ha." Einhard laughs. "I would barely make a snack for one of you. You really need to look towards each other. There is a recipe book from ogres that says dragonborn taste like fine mooncalf steaks." A thoughtful look passes over his face momentarily "Though an ogre writing a recipe book is suspicious so I guess you have to take what it says with a grain of salt. Or pepper." Einhard's grin quickly returns as he moves on.
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"You're telling me." Ilmryn said, nursing his ale. "Same old Gundren. He'll have us waiting till nightfall." A sly grin would then cross the Drow's face. "Hey, anyone wanna place a bet on whether another person who's a part of our group will arrive before Gundren does?"
The door opens to the tavern. If you did not look down you would have missed the diminutive figure that just stepped in. No one missed the overly excited exclamation that followed.
"By Deneir's holy shaft...This! Is! Awesome!"
Despite his backpack seeming to be twice his size the halfing manages to still look like a pixie that had waaaay too much sugar. Darting around he tries to ask everyone what they are drinking, eating, how do they like the music, how do you play that music, and various other questions. He of course never waits for an answer as something else immediately catches his eye and he darts off again. Until he notices Gundren it will be near impossible to settle him.
A few moments after the diminutive halfling enters, a rather stout, round faced dwarf with a most magnificent beard enters. Scanning the room he quickly spots the table where most of you are gathered and walks over and sits down then motions for the excitable halfling to join the table.
”Excellent!” He begins, “You’re all here and for the most part of all made introductions. ... I have asked all of you here for a favor. My brothers and I have ... discovered something ... well, something big. Between the three of us we are all anxious to get started. That said, I need the six of you to guard a wagon of supplies on its way to Phandalin. I’m headed off with another who needs to go that way. For its best to not travel alone. The wagon of goods is to be delivered to a Mr. Barthen of Barthen’s Provisions. Upon safe delivery of all supplies you will each receive payment of 10 gold pieces each.” He looks around at the six of you. “I do hope all of you are willing to help me in this endeavor and I would love to stay and chat a while more ... but I am anxious to get going and meet my brothers.” With that said he stands to leave. (Feel free to inject any dialogue you would like in conversation with Gundren. But he will be leaving shortly.)
Ilmryn's face betrayed his usually cool and calculated facade upon seeing old Gundren again, forming into a warm smile. It had been too long.
It was clear that the Dwarf was not looking to linger on sentimentality though, and so it was quickly down to business. What a rushed reunion. A simple job. But it only made Ilmryn question why so many were needed for a task such as guarding a wagon. Whatever the brother's had discovered must have been big. Ilmryn couldn't help but get a mischievous glint in his eye at this hunch.
"Say no more, Gundren. I'm in." Regardless of any other circumstances, Ilmryn was more than happy to help old Gundren. That said, while ten gold was a minor pay, if Ilmryn's hunch was correct, maybe Gundren would share a larger slice of the pie later~
Dovarax finishes his pipe and exhales the last of his smoke, as he goes to ash it again in to the empty flagon, he glances at the rest of the group and then back at Gundren, with excitement in his eyes and a big smile he exclaims:
"Ha! well if Ilmryns in, I'm in as well, I have couple of spells I've been practicing and can't wait to see them in action. besides you know I can never say no to you my friend."
Dovarax then places his hand on his family crest and and takes a moment thank his ancestor for this opportunity. He packs his pipe again and takes a drag, as the smoke is still blowing though his fangs he looks back at Gundren and says.
" By the honor of clan Daardendrien I promise we won't fail!".
Esther watches the prideful warriors agree with Gundren's request, a pit of anxiety growing in her stomach. Being around a group of people again is terrifying, much less forcing her way through danger. She wasn't sure if she would be of any help anyway, but... "If you will allow me, I would like to accompany you all."
How times have turned for Esther. She previously wouldn't have blinked an eye at a platinum coin; it all went to the church. But now those gold coins are a treasure trove sent from Heaven. Sure, she is grateful for the dwarf's help in finding the odd jobs so she could just scrape getting by, despite refusing his initial charity. However, this job will be much different from finding missing livestock, recommending the right treatment for a patient, purifying contaminated water, and such. But with that kind of money, Esther could affor-.
Her thoughts were cut off as nausea gripped her stomach. "Pardon me, sirs," she stands, hand to mouth as bile rises up her throat, then rushes out of the tavern to find the nearest bush. She shouldn't have eaten so much mutton, her starved state wasn't used to proper food yet.
Dovarax feeling a bit guilty at not noticing her discomfort from the beginning looks for Curly, not being able to find him, he grabs some bread and water and leaves a coin for the troubles. "this should do." he muttered under his breath. He looks back at the party and tells them "Ill be right back."
He leaves the tavern and find Esther "here take this but slowly, it should make you feel better" he hands her the bread and water. "not one for ale eh?". "don't worry I wasn't one to like it either, but in time it grew on me, some may say it even grew to well"
Dovarax smiles and and as he head back into the tavern he says "will be ready when you are".
Once in the tavern he lays back in his seat and relights his pipe.
Esther frowns at the bread and water but takes it, thanking the Dragonborn. As he walks away, she eyes the stranger suspiciously. Why is he being nice? She doesn't even know his name.
Could he have poisoned it? No, the water is odorless and there's no discoloration on the iron cup. She has studied variest poison at the church, but this seems like plain water to her. The bartender made the bread, it would bring bad business if patrons found out it was poisoned. Does he want to gain her favour? He may use this as a debt that needs to be paid, or have her lower her guard so he could take advantage of her. Should she run? But she needs the money... There are other members joining them, so he'll have to act discretely. Unless they're in on it too. Does Rockseeker not know who these men are or is he in on it? She knew she shouldn't have trusted him. The previous jobs he offered seemed credible but were actually set up in order to lower her guard. Luckily she anticipated this, so it's not so gutwrenching.
As Esther ponders, she pockets the bread for when she feels better. Returning to the tavern, she sits at the edge of the building outside with her hands folded around the cup, away from the entrance.
What should she do now? Esther already said yes to the mission and desperately needs the money. She'll just go along with their plan now, so they don't suspect anything and the moment they try anything, she'll have to run. Having studied variest maps of the area, she should be alright travelling on her own. They shouldn't follow her given the area they're travelling, the wagon they need to guard (if there is even a wagon at all), and as long as she doesn't take anything from them.
Nodding to herself, she ponders variest plans to escape as she gingerly sips her water, ignoring the faint drips of rain falling on the hood of her cloak and all the chatter coming from the inside of the tavern.
As Vrakqrin saw his trusty dwarf friend his face showed a terrifying smile, after listening to what Gundren has to say, he brought a tankard and immediately walk up to him and said.
"Of course my friend, if there is anything you need I'll do my best to be there for ya! Here's for success!", he gave the tankard to Gundren as he said that.
Vrakqrin got startled as the little half-elf scurries out of the tavern looking sick, he looked at Dovarax and saw him followed while carrying a bread and water. He immediately felt relax when he saw this.
He turned to Gundren again and told him that they will be ready to set out as soon as the little half-elf feels better.
As soon as Gundren waves Einhard over the halflings eyes grow large. He quickly dives toward him somehow managing to complete a roll while only startling a few other patrons. At the end of the trip, he is standing in front of Gundren roughly at attention.
The three and a half foot tall blond hair and blue-eyed halfling bows to Gundren and declares "Einhard Fleetfoot of the Deneir Monastary at your service. Old Mindred said if I really wanted to get to know the world you were the person to see." The wide-eyed halfling remains absolutely still and silent while Gundren states his request.
When Gundren finishes Einhard draws in a slow breath. His tiny body seems to vibrate as his words slowly start then pour out of him "By Deneir's diminutive nib. Is this true? A real adventure? YES!!" He quickly bounces up and down darting between all the members of the small group. "This is going to be great. We are going to ride around. See the land. Sleep under the stars." His head whips around as he asks "Oh, will there be bandits?" He pantomimes punching and kicking "We could get to fight them off. Track them back to their hideout. Find the evil overlord who captured a princess. Recover a hoard of valuables. Oh oh oh hoard. Do you think we might get to see a dragon!? Please tell me we get to see a dragon."
The vapid speculation continues as Einhard introduces himself to the rest of the group that accepted Gundren's offer.
Gundren nods towards Ilmryn at his acceptance, “Thank you friend. I knew I could count on you.” Though his face does reveal just the slightest hint of doubt.
Hearing Dovorax pledge the honor of his clan gives him a respectful nod also, “Just don’t partake too much of the devil weed” Gundren then says with a sly wink. “Want to avoid what happened in the Kobold lair I think.”
“Thank you kinsmen. I would be honored to have your assistance in this matter. I agree with your sentiments. With the combined strengths of the six of you. There is little possibility you will fail in this task.” says Gundren genuinely giving Kildrak a warm smile.
A look of concern washes over his face as he sees Esther cover her mouth and walk towards the entrance. The look quickly changes to relief seeing Dovorax quickly head out after her.
Gundren lets out a hearty laugh when Vrakqrin agrees as well. He does his best to give the Dragonborn a pat on the shoulder... but the highest he can reach is the small of his back. “Much appreciated friend.”
Gundren’s laughter continues as Einhard bounces around from person to person. Clearly excited at the prospect of going on an adventure. It reminds Gundren of tales he heard as a lad about another halflings adventure. (But that is a tale for another time) “There’s no telling what you may find or encounter along the way. Though I hope the journey to Phandalin is uneventful and you arrive there without much trouble.” He looks around at the five of you still at the table. “Thank you for your assistance. It means a lot to me and my brothers. I will explain more when you reach Phandalin. The supplies should be ready for the journey at first light at South Copper Side Provisions. Just tell I sent ya and you’ll be squared away.” He gives a slight, but respectful bow and turns to leave the Triumphant Fool.
After leaving the tavern, as he pulls up his hood to protect himself from the still drizzling rain, turns to Esther with a smile on his face. “Keep an eye on em for me will ya. Especially those two Dragonborn. You get the two of em talking about honor and they can go on fer hours.” With that he heads off down the road and out of sight. (Anything anyone would like to do between now and tomorrow morning when the wagon is ready?)
As Vrakqrin saw his friend leaving, he put his hands on his chest as a salute and then turned to his companions. He stared at Einhard and said, "Is this your first time my friend? Don't worry we will have the most amazing adventure you could ever hope for". "Ilmryn, it seems that you can smile after all" he winked at him then he looked around his companions and ask them, "Are you all ready to go out right now? Let's meet the little half-elf outside.
After puking up her guts, Esther is feeling much better thinking all the different scenarios she has to escape from.
Quickly standing as the traitor dwarf notices her presence, Esther responds, "Ah, yes. I will do my best. Thank you for all your help. Have a nice evening." She bows politely then watches Rockseeker trod away.
Watch out for them? Esther seems to be the weakest member of the assembled group, even the halfling is better prepared with that monstrous sized pack of his. Though, the group is too carefree for her tastes and will most likely charge into any hostile situation, even if the situation means certain death.
She sighs, this trip is going to give her a headache. But money...
Knowing Esther will agree all night with herself but still join the journey, she enters the tavern and walks up to the counter, bashfully asking for a spade. She needs to clean up her mess.
As it is raining, the ground is soaked and slippery. Esther is already dirty from dropping to her hands and knees to empty her stomach. So digging a hole and burying the contents is likely cleaning than that. She'll roughly wash it tonight and hope it will be dry the next day.
Returning the spade to the outdoor shed, she sits at her recently vacated seat and watches patrons exit and enter the tavern.
Following Gundren's exit, Ilmryn plops himself down to sit at the table, peering up at the ceiling as he balances on the hind legs of his wooden chair. Looks like this group of relative strangers would be getting cozy with each other, at least for the duration of a journey to Phandalin. Still, Ilmryn could feel potential for more riches in his bones, due to whatever Gundren was up to. Anything within ethical boundaries that Ilmryn would not breach that resulted in him getting his share? He was all in for it. It was all about whether his fellow adventurers would be along for the journey, beyond the simple guarding task they were assigned.
"N'mom." Ilmryn considers all this, as he chomps down on mutton, chewing absently.
Einhard's smile strains for just a few seconds as he explains "Yeah, I guess it is really noticeable. I am not trying to be mean to the monastery and all the great people there. They raised me as an orphan and taught me numbers, letters, and manners (though I mostly just got yelled at in those classes). It was just the same thing every day. Deneir's fluffy quill it was just sooooooooooooooooooo boring. I just want to see the world. Not just read about it and hear stories from others." Einhard smiles broadly again shrugs and makes his way outside.
Dovarax smiles and nods in agreement with the Einhard,.
"Don't worry my new friend knowing Gungren there's more to this than just guarding a wagon, that dwarf always has a trick up his sleeve." He pauses for a second to put away his pipe and and start to gather his things. "How do you think I got this scar on my eye? The last time I went on a adventure with him we were trapped in kobolds lair for two days fending off goblins, and that was supposed to be a simple currier mission."
Dovarax smiles to himself as he remembers how Gundren would scold him for smoking at what seemed to be the worst times, he picks up his drink and finishes it, looking at the group he ask:
"So are we all ready to go?".
Vrakqrin smiles at the small one, Einhard, and then turned to Dovarax and said, "well it seems that we can go now. Hey Ilmryn, would you like to eat this one? The sooner we get started it the sooner you can get your share." He winks at him and then turned around to fix his cloak and went out of the Tavern.
"Can't argue with that logic." Ilmryn replied, hopping back up to his feet. He was itching to get started, to see just how deep this rabbit hole was. "Let's gather Esther and set out immediately."
"Eat me? Ha." Einhard laughs. "I would barely make a snack for one of you. You really need to look towards each other. There is a recipe book from ogres that says dragonborn taste like fine mooncalf steaks." A thoughtful look passes over his face momentarily "Though an ogre writing a recipe book is suspicious so I guess you have to take what it says with a grain of salt. Or pepper." Einhard's grin quickly returns as he moves on.