Osteriam wasn't a place you'd normally go out of your way to visit: It could barely be considered a village, it was tucked far out of the way from any of Arethil's major settlements, and the only way in and out of the village was an old path through a tall, menacing rock formation, which surrounded the sparse few buildings it did have. It certainly wasn't on Varys' list of places that he wanted to travel to, and yet here he was, organizing the back of the wagon parked outside the miniscule tavern situated near the mouth of the rock formation, just inside the tiny town of Osteriam. It was better than living on the streets of Fal'Addas, he supposed. He'd been nothing but a vagrant until a traveling fireworks artist and Transmutation Mage had taken a liking to him, and taken him on as an apprentice. He'd much rather have been practicing his magic right now, not spending the night in a glorified rock pile.
The only reason anybody truly stayed in this boulder enclosed settlement was for what was beneath it.
Osteriam was populated mainly by miners, eager to explore the vast cave system that ran deep beneath the surface of Osteriam. Rare resources and minerals were often found when one traveled particularly low down into the tunnels, and if you were able to make it back up into town, that meant good money. Of course, not everybody made it out of those caves, and Osteriam had garnered a reputation of swallowing up brave adventurers looking to get rich into the depths that lie below it.
Varys' master and teacher had turned in early, and had asked him to make sure all of the supplies in their wagon were secure. That had been an easy task, but Varys found that he was far from tired, even if the rest of the small town seemed to disagree with him. The entire village was as dark as shadow itself, apparently tradition here. The bartender in the tavern, a grizzled old miner with a soft patch over his left eye, had warned him rather forcefully that it was in his best interest not to go out at night during their stay.
Still, Varys was interested in seeing what else this little place had to offer. What harm would be a quick walk down the dark abandoned street? He wasn't defenseless, and in the worst case scenario, he could whistle for help. He had somebody who would come rather quickly should he call. So, the young elf set off to see just how small Osteriam was. He would at least be careful to stay away from the caves. Who knows what had taken to living in there?
Still, in the dead silence that came with the sleeping village, there was a sense of unease that washed over his body. He'd been restless all night, as though his soul knew that something was to happen tonight that the rest of him wasn't privy too. Surely it was just nerves, he was under a lot of stress, after all.
Iris
The only reason anybody truly stayed in this boulder enclosed settlement was for what was beneath it.
Osteriam was populated mainly by miners, eager to explore the vast cave system that ran deep beneath the surface of Osteriam. Rare resources and minerals were often found when one traveled particularly low down into the tunnels, and if you were able to make it back up into town, that meant good money. Of course, not everybody made it out of those caves, and Osteriam had garnered a reputation of swallowing up brave adventurers looking to get rich into the depths that lie below it.
Varys' master and teacher had turned in early, and had asked him to make sure all of the supplies in their wagon were secure. That had been an easy task, but Varys found that he was far from tired, even if the rest of the small town seemed to disagree with him. The entire village was as dark as shadow itself, apparently tradition here. The bartender in the tavern, a grizzled old miner with a soft patch over his left eye, had warned him rather forcefully that it was in his best interest not to go out at night during their stay.
Still, Varys was interested in seeing what else this little place had to offer. What harm would be a quick walk down the dark abandoned street? He wasn't defenseless, and in the worst case scenario, he could whistle for help. He had somebody who would come rather quickly should he call. So, the young elf set off to see just how small Osteriam was. He would at least be careful to stay away from the caves. Who knows what had taken to living in there?
Still, in the dead silence that came with the sleeping village, there was a sense of unease that washed over his body. He'd been restless all night, as though his soul knew that something was to happen tonight that the rest of him wasn't privy too. Surely it was just nerves, he was under a lot of stress, after all.
Iris
