It is late evening and the streets of Tarn’s Rest grow dark as the last bit of illumination given by the occluded sunlight fades. It is merciful, perhaps, that the heavy cloud cover prevents a clear view of the sky, as such a beautiful sunset would be marred by the gnarled, twisting branches that make up the skeletal canopy that would function as the horizon.
A hundred thousand dead limbs grasping at the sun, eager to extinguish its light, if only for a short time.
Fighting against the encroaching gloom are a series of braziers which burn bright, lit by the weary town guard, who begrudgingly trudge about with torches held aloft in hopes of pushing back not only the darkness, but also the oppressive aura that emanates from the mysterious inner lands of the Heart of Vale.
The flickering flames hold fast, providing warmth of body and peace of mind to those brave enough to leave the safety of their homes and face the chill night air.
As if sensing a challenge from the islands of fire in the sea of dark, the sky above lets loose the bounty it has been holding for just such an occasion: Snow, more and more, falling in thick, wet flakes that sizzle and pop when impacting the fiery braziers.
Such vulgar condensation weighs as heavily on the spirits of the townsfolk as it does the eaves of the buildings, accumulating thickly on what has already fallen. It is the type of snow that clings just on the edge of solidity, promising to throw those who tread upon it off balance and to soak into any bit of cloth or leather exposed to it.
It is, as most evenings in Tarn’s Rest are, miserable.
Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that a pair of figures slip out of the Moonpeak Inn, one of the few places of levity and comfort, and immediately regret their decision to face the bitter chill as they make their way down the path, heading toward the docks.
“Shit a dick it’s cold,” the Human grumbles, pulling his jacket tighter around himself. He is pale of skin, tall and lanky, with unkempt, scruffy hair and scraggly stubble. His expression is perpetually a mixture of fatigue, frustration, and foreboding. “We should’ve just stayed on board the ship and skipped dealing with this piss hole of a town.”
His companion, a Halfling, shivers despite having a thick layering of clothes, scarves, and a cloak as protection against the chill. He is short, even for his race, with tanned skin and well-kept dark hair. The deep, wet snow would be a struggle to walk through normally, which is why he hops along the tracks left by his companion. With a smirk, he says, “Nah, fam. It was worth it.”
The Human snorts derisively and says, “A mug of weak booze and a near-empty purse. Well worth freezing my ass off for.”
The Halfling responds, defensively, “They looked loaded, okay? A Zhev and a Crowny wouldn’t be running around places like this if they weren’t loaded.”
“Oh, right. Except, you know, they are running around broke as shit,” the Human argues.
“Even broker now,” the Halfling says proudly.
The Human sighs loudly, then asks, “How much did you end up swiping from ‘em, anyway?”
A voice, loud and angry, calls out from behind the two: “Seventeen copper, eight silver, two gold, a stick of cinnamon and a neat rock I found!”
“Ah, fuck,” the Human says tiredly as both he and the Halfling stop. The two have made it to the bridge and are partially across it: Diving into the frigid waters does not sound particularly pleasant and there’s little to no chance of running through the heavy snow. So, reluctantly, they slowly turn around to face those that followed them.
Unsurprisingly, the Dwarf they stole the coin pouch from is there, breathing heavily and looking positively pissed as they hold a large knapsack in both hands. The tall Orc lady stands beside the Dwarf, holding an ornate sword in one hand and a heavy, metallic shield in the other. She certainly seems like she knows how to use said implements; odds are, her armor is in the knapsack that the Dwarf is holding onto.
Perhaps more surprisingly is the well-dressed Elf lady and the grubby-looking Goblin that are catching up slowly to the others, both navigating the snow with some difficulty, having not quite reached the bridge yet. They had been at the table with the Dwarf and the Orc, but it hadn’t seemed like they knew each other very well. Well enough to want to see how this plays out, though.
“This is really starting to be a thing,” the Human mutters, annoyed.
“Give me back my money!” Wren yells angrily.
“Dunno what you’re talking about,” the Halfling says stubbornly.
“Hand it over,” Kaz commands.
This ain’t worth it, the Human thinks, rubbing their face with one cold hand. Just give it back, Cash.
“You got any proof that this is really yours?” The Halfling asks, crossing his arms.
“I already told you what’s in the pouch! Go ahead and turn it out,” the Dwarf demands.
“Oh yeah,” the Halfling mutters, shaking the pouch. It isn’t very heavy and from the rattling inside, it sounds like the Dwarf is right on the money. His expression turns incredulous and annoyed as he shouts back, “Wait, that’s really all that you got?!”
“Told you it wasn’t worth it,” the Human says in exasperation.
“They looked loaded!” the Halfling growls and points at Kaz and Wren accusingly. He shouts at them, “You’re holding out!”
“We’re here looking for work, asshole!” Wren shouts back. “Sorry we aren’t a couple of rich nobles!”
With a long, drawn-out groan, the Halfling complains loudly, “Just my luck, a couple of broke dick adventurers! Fine, take your stupid coin back!” With that, he tosses the mostly-empty pouch into the snow a few feet from Wren and Kaz.
“Told you it wasn’t worth it,” the Human repeats, but pats the Halfling on the back reassuringly. The two of them turn to leave, when Kaz’s voice makes them stop in their tracks.
“Stop! Where do you think you’re going?” She asks sternly. The sword she holds out toward the two begins to glow with a bright inner light, bathing the group of six individuals in a sharp radiance.
“Really, Cash? You really robbed a broke Dwarf and their knight bodyguard with holy powers?” The Human growls. He wants to keep walking and leave this whole situation behind, but he can’t quite bring himself to step outside of the ring of light shed by Kaz’s gleaming sword.
“Whoever’s heard of a poor knight?!” The Halfling argues back, equally stuck in the glow’s radius. Unable to leave, the two of them turn back to face Kaz and Wren–and Abby and Dahlia, who watch from a short distance away.
“Look, Shinypants,” the Halfling begins, addressing Kaz. “We gave the coin back. Drop your holy cop poop spell and we’ll all just leave, okay? Nobody gets hurt, we leave this stupid town tomorrow on the first ship out, you all can go back to doing whatever.”
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“Not much of an apology,” Wren says, an intense look of irritation still on their face.
“I’m supposed to just let you two leave, so you can go to some other port and rob more people blind?” Kaz asks. She shakes her head before continuing, “Not happening. Give up now and I’ll take you to the guards. If you don’t, then I’ll drag you there. Understand?”
The Halfling starts to say something, but the Human shushes him and steps forward. Kaz feels a slight shiver go down her back as the man glares at her darkly. Despite not having a visible weapon, despite only being a few inches taller than her at best and a similar frame, she can feel his confidence and his anger.
“You don’t want to do this,” he says, snarling. “Fuck off.”
Kaz hears Wren drop her bag as they ready themselves for a fight. Behind the man, the Halfling begins reaching into his robes, his attention focused on Wren. Kaz grips her sword tighter, intent on standing up for her sense of justice regardless of how tough these pickpockets might actually be.
The tension grows between the four. Some of the wandering guards have begun to take notice and watch from afar, willing to see some action before moving to break things up. Several patrons from the Moonpeak have come out onto the front porch to watch as well; Semyon is among them, his expression difficult to read.
Just as the tension reaches its boiling point, right before one of the four decide to set things in motion by making the first move, a voice calls out loudly from the other side of the bridge that connects to the lower district:
“Stop this foolishness at once!”
Wren, Kaz, and the two others freeze. They all turn to look, seeing a tall female in heavy armor glaring at them from across the river. Her skin is a deep crimson, with features that resemble that of a goat’s: Hourglass-like eyes, curved horns growing from her hairline, and a pair of cloven hooves instead of feet. A long, hairless, prehensile tail flicks back and forth behind her, making her agitation all the more palpable.
Beside her stands a Human male of average height, clean shaven, with long auburn hair tied back. His robes and manner of dress are similar to Addy’s, giving a clue as to his identity even before the Elf calls out:
“Professor Thorburn! Hey!” She yells from the other end of the bridge, waving.
He seems to ignore her for the moment as both he and the Half-Fiend woman step onto the bridge. The sound of her heavy hoofbeats on the wooden bridge seem to snap Kaz and Wren back to reality, where they realize that they’ve heard of this woman already from the dockmaster, Walter: This is Bernadette, the guard captain of the town.
“What in the nine hells is going on here?” Bernadette asks gruffly as she and the professor reach the group.
“They stole our coin!” Wren immediately snaps, pointing at the other two.
“We gave it back! But then they started threatening us!” The Halfling counters, flipping off Wren and Kaz behind his back so that the guard captain doesn’t see.
“Aderyn, is any of this true?” Asks the professor, whose voice is soft and calculating, almost inaudible over the wind and snow.
Addy moves past the others and makes her way to Professor Thorburn to avoid yelling to be heard. She says, “Yep! All of it, actually. That’s Kaz and Wren, they came to the tavern to ask about joining the expedition. While we were there, we ran into Dahlia, who also wants to join in. She saw the little guy grab Wren’s coin purse before leaving with the big guy, and then we all followed them down here.”
“I’m not fond of fighting going on in the streets of my town, but I’m also not fond of thieves,” Bernadette says coolly, glaring at all four–but lingering on the Human and Halfling.
“We were merely trying to get back what is rightfully ours,” Kaz explains as she slides her sword into the sheath attached to her belt.
“Sounds like they gave it back without a fight. I’d say you were looking to prove a point,” Bernadette says, now focusing her attention on Kaz and Wren.
“It was our point to prove! They’re thieves!” Wren argues.
“Just because this is the frontier of a new land doesn’t mean that vigilantism is allowed,” Bernadette says, scowling. “Not sure how it is in Zhevrun or the Crown these days, but this is Kattelox territory. The law stands for a reason.”
Kaz grits her teeth, frustrated by the admonishment, but she has no good argument to excuse herself with. Wren starts to say something, but Kaz merely raises a hand to stop them. Wren says nothing to Bernadette, but says under their breath much of what Kaz wishes to say.
“Maybe you all would do well with a few days–” Bernadette begins, but Professor Thorburn cuts her off, much to everyone’s surprise.
“Now, now, Miss Bernadette. I think we can work out a much better arrangement than throwing them in jail for a few days, don’t you?” He asks.
Even Bernadette seems caught off guard, clearly not used to being spoken over. With a hint of subdued venom in her voice, she asks, “What would you suggest, Lord Thorburn?”
Lord? The thought echoes throughout the minds of all four watching this scene unfold.
“As you know, I’m seeking people for the next attempt at an expedition. It’s obvious that those we found for our last attempt were not up to par for the dangers that lay in wait within the Heart,” Professor Thorburn explains to Bernadette–though he is clearly speaking to everyone else as well. “These four clearly seem to know how to handle themselves and, if I had to guess, have plenty of unique talents that such an expedition would desire to have.”
He now turns to the others, directing his words to them: “I am Felix Thorburn, headmaster of the University of Halcyon. We are here on behalf of King Frederik Thorburn–my brother, yes–to explore this undocumented region and find what mysteries might reside here. I’ll put this as simply as I can: Our expedition will be quite dangerous, but very lucrative to those involved, as some of you seem to already be aware.”
“You’re wanting to blackmail us, get to the point,” the Halfling mutters, crossing his arms.
“Nothing of the sort. If you wish to sit in jail and potentially face prosecution for your crimes, so be it. Alternatively, if you wish to assist with our expedition, I would be more than willing to compensate you and I’m sure that Miss Bernadette here would be more than happy to look past this–misunderstanding,” Felix says, smiling.
Bernadette says nothing, clearly not happy with her part in this accord, but unwilling to speak out against Felix.
Kaz and Wren look at one another for a few moments before nodding. Joining the expedition was the entire reason they came to this place, anyway. Kaz says for the both of them, “That works for us.”
The Human and the Halfling, on the other hand, mutter to one another for a few moments, seemingly not nearly as eager to agree to such terms. After a tense back and forth, the Human asks, “You want to go out in this weather?”
“I would like to wait until the first thaw of Spring within a month or so, to ease the difficulty of our journey,” Felix explains.
“Month’s a long time to sit around here, especially without somewhere to stay,” the Halfling points out.
“I would be willing to pay for your lodging at the Moonpeak until we leave. And you would be free to do as you wish around town, assuming you do not try to flee,” he says. After a very intense look from Bernadette, he adds, “And assuming you do nothing illicit or illegal, of course.”
This puts the other two back into a deep, personal conversation.
From behind the group, Dahlia jumps up and down, raising her hand. When Felix takes notice and points to her, she asks, “So, I didn’t do anything wrong but I wanna join. Can I get a free room, too?”
Felix seems to consider this strange little Goblin for a long moment before chuckling and saying, “I suppose you shouldn’t be inadvertently punished for doing nothing wrong. Fine, if you are willing to help the expedition, I will include you in this deal.”
“Aww yiss,” Dahlia says triumphantly before going back to munching on little fistfuls of the thick, heavy snow.
The secret conversation seems to have come to an end as the Human stands up straight, clearing his throat a little before he says, “Fine, we’re in, but we reserve the right to walk out if we feel like you’re not paying us what this is all worth. We’re not going to be taken advantage of, understand?”
“Perfectly reasonable. We can work out the details over breakfast tomorrow morning, though I can assure you, you will be compensated well for your efforts,” Felix says.
“Mm, fine. M’name’s Demyon Volkov. You can just call me Demy. This here’s Cashew, I like to call him Cash,” Demy explains.
He motions toward Cashew, who indifferently asks, “Sup?”
“Wonderful. We can go around and properly introduce everyone once we get your accommodations squared away, yes? Come, come,” Felix says as he walks past the group and up the hill toward the Moonpeak Inn, Addy in tow. The others share bitter glances, save for Dahlia, who seems to be in the midst of a brain freeze, before following after.
Bernadette spits out of the corner of her mouth, mumbling, “Fucking nobles.” She heads up the slope toward the barracks, unable to shake the feeling that she’s going to be seeing far too much of that crew in the month to come.