Private Tales The job of stopping evil

[Isaias Kildare]

The adventurers guild office of Alliria wasn't very busy at the moment. Some lower ranking adventurers came and went as they dealt with lesser contracts, accepting and turning in contracts to receive a reward. There were three ladies working the counter, one was a woman in her mid thirties, the other a younger lass possibly in her late twenties, and the third was an older woman in her early forties, showing signs of age but maintaining a mature beauty about her. They handled the applications and dealt with the adventurers, giving rewards as the adventurers turned in their contracts with proof of completion and presenting contracts to those looking for jobs.

Isaias sat in a corner of the waiting room leaning the chair back against the wall. His Mithril rank badge glinting in the light from the windows. He was known in this office and the manager would let him know when a big enough contract came in that may require the services of a Mithril class adventurer. For now he simply rested, his massive shoulders relaxed as he rested his hands on his shield in front of him. His hood was pulled back revealing his greying mane held up in a ponytail.
Everything about him shouted the word, 'VETERAN'. From his rough and hardened features to the scars that were visible through the weathering of his face. He was leaned back with his eyes closed, but he was far from unaware of anything going on around him.

On occasion some villagers or businessmen would come in as clients hoping to post a contract or bounty, but other than that and the desk workers doing paperwork the office was fairly quiet.

 

[Leyus]

Leyus had been to Alliria only few times before. Of course, being born and having traveled the widths of Aberresai savannah, he had seen and visited the beast of a city a few times, although his general preferences still stayed with Elbion, Alliria definitely did rank higher for him than, let's say, Vel Anir. A gloomy place.
This city, on the other hand, was bustling with life, people and places to see. Leyus had just completed a little delivery of some grain from depths of savannah, together with a trading group he knew well enough, had helped them to sell it with reasonably high profit (at this time of the year, it wasn't all that easy, but Alliria had the advantage of size: somebody was always wanting of almost anything on earth, or in the skies). A few days had passed, he had stocked up on all the things a constant traveler needed for living, as clothes and some useful gear, amused himself by performing together with a little troop here in Alliria, who didn't exactly know him, but knew the name Lerte well enough, and probably made a few dozens of new acquaintances in various different taverns (which was an easy task for somebody who didn't drink while being surrounded by people who had had their fair share of ale).
And now his feet itched to feel the road again.

Really, some people though, that he had chosen to live on the road. Leyus was ready to argue, that the life on the road had chosen him, and he just did what he could to not get torn to sherds by it. It was this constant yearning, a never-ending wish to be on the way... to somewhere. Sometimes it was tiring, although mostly the sheer thrill of it outweighed any protests that he might have.
So, he had to stand up and go. Somewhere, somehow. Alliria had held him long enough for now.

Obviously, as everything in life did, a wish to travel was instantly hit with a bigger problem: money. If he would have had more money left, he could have made his own little trading expedition from Alliria to some other settlements not that far away, but the grain deal had really been not his best one. He could have joined some other group, offering his knowledge and expertise or the savannah, but that, frankly, seemed a bit dull at this point.
Well... what else could one do for profit here?
Leyus had almost started to think about doing some more street performing (funny what a bit of acrobatics could do to even those very familiar with magic) and then heading off like on good old days: with enough coin to last him a week or two.
Right at this point, he stumbled upon the adventurers guild. To be honest, he had never really been very into this "adventuring" business. A debatable profit for high risk, not his forte; he had only ever hired few of those people as guards for his or others' caravans. Although mercenaries were mostly more predictable and thus - reliable.
But he was looking for, preferably, a new kind of job, wasn't he?

And, well, when Leyus had made a certain decision, he wasn't the one to hesitate about it. Finding the guild's office wasn't all that hard, and walking into it was even easier.
"Greetings, miladies," he leaned against the counter, putting on the best of his not-too-imposing charming smiles, "I hear that one could get a job here?"
Leyus appearance was matching his tone today; while on the road it paid well to look more, let's say, rough, but here, in Alliria, he had allowed himself to slip into something more refined. One could almost say that Leyus had something unnaturally perfect about his looks right now. He hadn't bothered to look into mirrors that much, to fix it.

 

[Quoril]

Quroil strolled down the bustling Allirian streets. The freshly polished Copper badge holding his cloak closed shone in the sunlight. He was nervous as this was only his second time travelling to the Adventurer’s Guild looking for work. Really it was his first time as an official member. Before this, he had only visited out of curiosity and had somehow found himself signing up to protect a caravan travelling to Elbion. Upon returning home to Alliria he decided to officially join the Guild.

A small bell chimed brightly as Quoril opened the door to the guild. Pushing back the hood of his cloak, he walked over to the counter. “Can I help you?” asked the woman behind the counter. Quoril was slightly taken aback. He had forgotten that this Guild office wasn't run by grizzled old veterans like one might expect, but was instead operated by a trio of beautiful women. Clearing his throat Quoril shyly responded, “Uh...Y-Yes! I-I was hoping to pick up a contract for a Copper level adventurer.” “Alright, let me check,” the woman responded with a small smile. The elf wondered if she found his skittishness amusing. He watched as she opened a large book with numerous ribbons sticking out from between the pages, and ran her finger down the page. “Sorry,” she responded. “There aren’t any open contracts for a solo adventurer of your rank.” A bit disappointed, Quoril thanked the woman and decided to sit down and wait. Hopefully a low ranked party would come in looking for another member.

Quoril pushed his way between the tables, giving a friendly nod to a large man as he passed by. Another nod to a young looking man standing at the counter, as Quoril sat down at a table. Removing his pack, the elf pulled out a magical tome and began to read as he waited.

 

[Rhiannon]

Altheao pushed his way past a large crowd of people in the streets and into the adventurer's guild. Wearing the black cloak with the gold accents and trinkets on it. "It's like all people are tourists these days." He'd grumble some pulling back his hood he preferred to wear out in public. He has been a member of the adventurer's guild for quite a while by his terms but not for as long as he could remember. Which is many years compared to most people he would imagine.

"Sorry. There aren't any open contracts for a solo adventurer of your rank." He would hear one of the receptionists inform another elf. Well, that sure did suck, he would watch the elf go and sit down at one of the tables taking out a spell tome. He would need to get more rank for more complex solo jobs, regrettably. The younger elf seemed he can handle himself with magic Altheao would assume.

He was on the search for a group job though, not another solo one. It has gotten boring for him to go out on solo contracts. Once the line was open, he would approach one of the receptionists with a smile, "How's it going, Mable? Got any group jobs for me to tag onto?" He would ask the older one, she remembered him far better than the other two. They have known each other for a few years now, if not probably longer. The woman nodded at him, "Sorry Al. Not one of those more interesting ones you are always looking for yet." She would respond with a head shake.

Alheao shrugs, "You can't have everything in life. Let me know when there is one more interesting one available, kay?" He'd wander off to find a table to sit at, now feeling better he was in a somewhat more familiar place, his ear relaxed some as he took out a sketchbook and started doodling, keeping an ear out for news on a possible job.

 

[Corlis]

Corlis slowly made her way from the apothecary shop towards the guild. Her tutoring under the Martin had been going well, having managed to make fewer mistakes while steeping the herbs into tonics. Making something that did a far better job at waking someone with a nasty bitter taste than to ease headaches and pain as she had intended.

Her typical attire was about her person. Large canvas rucksack with herbs and pre-made assortment of proper potions, poultices, and tonics. Large seperate pockets for various ingredients and vials along with a small selection of tools for gathering and campfire brewing. The visor glinted in the light, allowing her to see as though it were persistently twilight rather than searing daytime.

Her mahogany robes along with dark blue cloak was road worn. Her out of town attire for adventuring that were mended in a few places from tears and cuts. Her hair was kept back out of her face with a loose leather tie. The copper badge was pinned to her cloak as she entered and gave a smile towards the trio at the desk.

Approaching the three women, she continued to smile as she asked about possible groups going out on contracts.

"Nothing just yet. How are the lessons going?" one asked as Corlis gave a small nervous laugh.

"Fair hand at making a bitter tea." She shrugged as the woman chuckled. "Just have to be a bit more dilligent next time. Watch the hourglass a bit better." She broke away to find herself a seat, fixing her cloak and robes as she sat down and watched through her visor.

 

[Isaias Kildare]

Isaias watched but he paid little attention as people began sitting down. He thought nothing of the people present, some low level adventurers or new members, and maybe one of them was a walk in. He had time to kill so he spent it simply relaxing.

After a while a group of clerics came in with perhaps three or four paladins. They carried a large box with them.
The leader of the group, an elderly priest with an ornate staff, spoke with the clerks asking to see the manager. They were allowed into the back rooms and things were quiet once again.

This grabbed Isaias's attention. People saw the manager when they needed something very important done as soon as humanly possible. That all but promised a well paying and high risk contract, perhaps of a level where a Mithril rank may be required. Isaias sat up and set the chair legs back on the floor. This could be the excitement he was waiting for.

 

[Leyus]

"You have heard correctly," the younger one replied, with the neutral cheerfulness of a bored professional, "Unfortunately, if you are a first-timer, we can't give you just any task. And, I'm afraid, there aren't any level placement jobs here at the moment. But you could wait for a bit, I'm sure something will show up soon enough."
And, just like that, he got smiled away, in a very friendly manner, yes, but, nevertheless, it said mostly "let me work, will you?". Leyus' own smile flattened a bit. If there was something that he truly, spectacularly hated, then it had to be waiting around. To be fair, that was the reason why he had gotten into a fair share of his troubles, but, as he thought, it was way better to be dead cold than dead bored.

Some more people arrived afterwards, questioning the ladies, sitting down to wait as well, or going to do something more interesting. Flares of their emotions, mostly quite dull and muffled, clung to him, some stronger and some less so, although, fortunately, at the moment his own inner self was loud enough to clearly distinguish them. In any case, that was annoying. He really needed a distraction.
And, well, talking to someone was always the best distraction there could be. He let his sight slide around the room, looking for the best conversation partner there could be here. Most notably, there were some broadly elvish looking folk here (probably not approachable), a guy who looked like he had fought all the dangers of the world alone and got bored by it (definitely not approachable) and a seemingly young girl with a strange metal construction, faintly similar to a mask, covering her face.
Now, Leyus had a very special feelings for anybody, who felt the need to cover their face in any way. A twisted sort of kinship, you could say, since he didn't (as far as he knew) really have a proper, real face of his own; thus seeing anybody, who mimicked that even a bit, by wearing any kind of masks (literally or figuratively), was quite charming.
He had made a choice.

"Waiting for things to get moving as well?" he asked, reaching the spot next to the blonde girl, "Don't mind if I sit here?" he sat down before he got the answer, mostly because he got the feeling that the girl won't refuse him in this. And he trusted his gut. For the same reason, he had toned down his borderline flirtatious tone to a more decent, light and friendly, one. He had a new role.
Right at that moment, a bunch of new people appeared, and this time they didn't seem like mare adventurers looking for a job. This smelled of something interesting. And he wasn't the only one who felt like that, Leyus could sense sparks of curiosity all over the room.
"Oh, wow, that looks like something," he was definitely not bored anymore, "That fellow is certainly interested," Leyus pointed at the tall-dark-and-dangerous guy, lowering his voice and leaning in to the girl the slightest bit. He didn't exactly want to be overheard.

And he really wanted to find out what those people had brought here. It was a professional interest of sorts.

 

[Rhiannon]

Al’s ears would twitch some as he heard Leyus talking, he’d look up and at the box and start to draw it. His attention now set on the box, more importantly what was inside of it. That box needing an escort like the one it had is definetly a sort of a bad item. Or a good one depending in how one looks at it. He would also draw out the staff and the figures carrying, but with a quick glance at them. All of their information we already everywhere in the city, all he needed was their heights and rough age.

Al would sigh and finish up the sketch, setting a bookmark in it with the pencil he was using to draw. They went into the back room. This whole thing smelt of A) a really important thing that needed taken care of and B) A dangerous and ranked job. Both of which he was fond of, not to mention that feeling of want and need of what was in that box already had started. “It’s either a cursed item or a really important one. Probably a bad one if there are guards and it is in a box like that. “ He’d say hearing Leyua speak to the young woman, unwrapping his tail from the chair and keeping it hidden under his cloak as he stood up and moved over to the board to wait for new information on the item.

 

[Corlis]

"Ah, um, yes. I would suppose I am waiting." A person wandered over to her table and spoke as she inclined her head to peer through the visor at them. She smiled as they sat at her table, well before getting her permission but it didn't bother her. Most anyone in the guild were open to meeting new people when the opportunity arose since meeting new people also opened up the chance for more successful quests. Especially when one person was a healer.

"Yes it does." Corlis half muttered as she managed to see the group before they disappeared into the back. The man leaned in to speak about the other man that looked interested, and it happened to be Isaias. She thanked whatever fortune had given her the ability to look at people without being noticed due to the visor as she pulled her eyes away from the mithril adventurer.

"If he is interested, it is likely to be a dangerous quest." Corlis spoke quietly to the fellow.

 

[Quoril]

“The Fire Vein Plant is a deadly predator, similar to its lesser kin, the Cracus Trap. Barbed leaves shred the flesh of its prey, while simultaneously injecting a toxin that causes unbearable pain and...”

Quoril glanced up over the top of his book as he heard the bell chime and the door open. In walked a small group of clerics guarded by a few paladins. The cleric Elder stepped forward to speak to one of the women at the counter while the rest of the clerics held a large box. The clerk stood up and walked to a room in the back. After a moment, she reappeared and beckoned the group inside.

Quoril’s interest was piqued, and it appeared others in the room were curious too. He continued reading, but also kept an eye on what was happening.

 

[Isaias Kildare]

After a good while of waiting the manager came out of the room, but without the holy men in tow. The manager was a large white maned human with scars of many battles crisscrossing his face, probably a soldier or adventurer himself when he was younger.
He gave a document to Mable with some whispered instructions. Isaias could pretty accurately guess what was being instructed. The ranking of the contract.
Sometimes when an important contract is posted up and is meant for a higher ranking adventurer, some lower ranking adventurers can meet that requirement by forming a party. Usually it's based on the currency price of the badge they wore. If the contract were for Silver class adventurers, then it may take ten Copper class adventurers to meet that requirement. Or for a Gold class adventurer it may take ten Silver class adventurers.

The manager then went back into the room while Mable read and finished filling out the details of the contract. When she read it for herself her face grew a bit somber.

Isaias took this all in with sharp blue eyes. This was indeed no small contract. Normally seniority in the guild were allowed to see any new contracts first, but Isaias wasn't blind to the others gathered and waiting for a job. He reasoned that since most of them were Copper plated adventurers that they wouldn't be able to take the contract even by forming a party, but with his rank he could make up the difference by hiring himself out to whoever took the contract.

To any who got up to look at the contract, it said this:
Job: High risk escort service.
Rank: Silver Class.
Details: Inquire with client.
Reward: Paid at destination. 100,000 Silver Pieces (SP).​

 

[Leyus]

He was indeed not asked to leave right away, so Leyus leaned back a bit more comfortably in the chair, listening to the girl speak. She didn't say much, but it was as good of a beginning of a conversation as one could expect.
Even more so, there was another fellow throwing in a phrase after a few seconds of their chatting, "Cursed?" Leyus inquired, but the cloaked person had already walked away. And the girl seemed to agree upon the part about dangers that could follow this group and whatever quest they might have. Not that Leyus wanted to disagree. "Dangerous, yes," he nodded, "But therefore also paid well for, no?" he knew how much anything to do with some shady cargo usually cost, and this smelled like a lot of money.

And, finally, it looked like the new contract was being brought out, and Leyus wasn't ready to miss seeing the details of it. "Let's go and see for ourselves," he gestured to the girl, rising to his feet, noting that the very imposing adventurer had also stepped out of his corner. Curious indeed.
It wasn't that hard sneaking a look at the contract once he had set an objective of doing so. And what he saw certainly did impress him, enough that Leyus whistled with surprise. "That is indeed what I call "well paid for"," he couldn't bring his eyes away. Even split up by many people, a hundred thousand silver pieces was a small fortune. Even ten thousand would be enough for him to organize a couple of good trading deals. Get to some new places. He had been thinking of getting to other continents.
Of course, there were details like "high risk" and what this "silver class" rank meant exactly, but Leyus was willing to deal with those. He was swiftly calculating the possible profits in his head, and they seemed sweeter than almost anything he had seen in the few last years.

 

[Corlis]

Corlis was at a loss for how to reply to the man initially as he countered danger with ample pay. She tilted her head a moment before she watched the man stand and move towards the now present job posting. She frowned slightly, noting everyone moving at once as she sighed and joined the move towards the paper. She examined from afar, eyes no one could see going a little wide at the offered pay.

Could fund a lot of projects with a split of that she thought to herself. Whoever was going on this well paid of a venture would likely want a healer for when trouble did happen. She smirked gently as she listened to everyone around her.

 

[Quoril]

When Quoril saw the clerk and a scarred white haired man emerge from the back room, he jammed his book into his pack and quickly made his way to the front of the room. Once the clerk had posted the job information he rushed over to read it. The young man from the counter and the young woman with a mask beat him there and he waited impatiently for them to finish.

Job: High risk escort service.
Rank: Silver Class.
Details: Inquire with client.
Reward: Paid at destination. 100,000 Silver Pieces (SP)​

One hundred thousand silver?! Quoril could barely believe what he was reading. Even split between a reasonably sized party that still left twenty thousand or so silver for each participant. He began daydreaming about all the books he could buy with that much money burning a hole in his pocket.

The only thing holding him back from scurrying over to the counter to sign up were the words “High Risk” and “Silver Class” Even if he teamed up with the young man and woman, he doubted that they would be able to complete the task.

 

[Isaias Kildare]

Isaias let the younger adventurers look first. He got up from his chair and then stood back from the rest of them while they examined the contract, but he could pretty clearly see it from the vantage point of his immense height.
He was less hung up on the qualifications as he was with the lack of details on the contract. Essentially, they had to first accept the contract before they can know what it is they are transporting and where they are going. Essentially, once they take the contract it's understood that once they hear the details they cannot back out.

He had originally decided to let one of them take the contract first and then hire on with them, but it seemed they weren't confident enough to make the first move. Isaias stepped forward and looked at the contract, then at the other adventurers.
"I'll be willing to split the profits evenly with anyone who decides to follow me. Any escort job will be difficult without extra hands and eyes. If you are uncertain, then do not follow us or listen to the details of this contract."

With that he took the paper off the board and went to the desk. "I will accept this contract."

 

[Leyus]

Nobody seemed to be up for taking the first step, at least not from the bunch of them that had gathered to the prospect of the contract like moths to a fire, and, if the general gist of things didn't lie to him, it was mainly because of those two brooding words: "silver class". And, perhaps, the lack of details.

Therefore, it didn't really come as a surprise, when the tall-dark-and-dangerous guy reached for the contract first. What did come as a surprise was his willingness to actually split the thing between them, because Leyus was pretty sure, that this guy could very well handle it himself. Maybe it was truly better to have a spare pair of hands and eyes than get extra coin, who knows, Leyus had never handled job exactly like this before. Although his trading experience did say that it was better to split that find yourself, say, dead in a ditch.
And, well, if this man was up for the task, Leyus was no fool to not follow him. "I've got a good feeling about this," he whispered to the girl, before

"We will accept the contract," he added with a pointed look, because, really, it was quite rude to say that ignoring Leyus himself, the charming lady with him and, well, whatever the others who could tag along could be.

 

[Corlis]

The senior adventurer took the contract, which didn't surprise her. She was happy however to hear that he was willing to split the reward. Corlis kept well clear of his reach as he took the contract, almost speaking when the person who had sat down with her proclaimed they were also accepting the contract.

It was difficult to gauge her reactions at times, and she hadn't had a bad reaction to the fellow that was speaking. She did however take a long look at him, the visor turning towards him. She frowned for a moment, but said nothing as her expression became blank.

It was certainly one thing to be excited for a contract of that value. Volunteering people on the other hand she had seen in the past had sometimes not gone as the person had hoped. Thankfully she was a healer, and most every group enjoyed the security of having someone dedicated to the task.

Corlis did not wait for any further invitation as she stepped forward and followed Isaias to the counter. "I will be coming along." Her hands rested on the bag as she gave him a small smile.

 

[Rhiannon]

Al watched the others as they followed Isaias' lead, all like a herd of buffalo. He'd look them over for a moment, "I'd be tagging along also." He'd say waving his hand at Isa in a hello manor with a slight smile on his face. "I have a feeling the more of us there are the better with that kind of object." He'd arch his back backward and twisting a bit, cracking the bones down his back. "I only want half my share also, if that is fine with you Isaias." He'd look at the older human with a slight head tilt, "I do not need money as much as the rest of you so to speak." He'd chuckle, all of them were a good bit younger than him as far as he could tell. Besides, he will probably outlive all of them by a long few centries. Even so, his midnight blue skin with its diamonds within it glowed as if he was excited at the prospect of another adventure, as did his eyes.

 

[Quoril]

As Quoril contemplated asking the young man and woman if they wanted to team up and try taking on the job, the large man walked up. Looking over the group he said "I'll be willing to split the profits evenly with anyone who decides to follow me. Any escort job will be difficult without extra hands and eyes. If you are uncertain, then do not follow us or listen to the details of this contract." Yanking the posing off the board he made his way over to the desk. "I will accept this contract." The young man standing next to Quoril spoke up, “We will accept the contract.”

“Count me in too!” Quoril exclaimed excitedly. This was it. He was now a member of a party, and with the large man leading them, they had more than a fair chance of succeeding. A dark elf who seemed to know the large man also joined them.

“Would you mind filling us in on the details of the job?” the young elf asked the clerk somewhat impatiently. He was itching to get onto the traveling and adventure part of the job.

 

[Isaias Kildare]

"Right this way" The clerk invited them, directing them to the door that led to the room where their new employers were waiting.
Isaias acknowledge each and every one of those who accepted his offer. He had no intention of being the leader of the party, though with their beginner status it appeared that's what was happening. He was a natural leader, having become the leader of a mercenary band and consequently bringing said group to great prestige and profit, but this time he wouldn't be taking the reigns. As soon as the opportunity arose and he had seen each of their traits sufficiently, he would hand off that role at the first opportunity.

It's not that Isaias didn't like to lead, such positions suited him well. He was an excellent frontline commander, but more recently he has been honing his abilities for strategy. He will be watching each and every one of them, their quirks, their strengths, their weaknesses, and he would figure out how best to position them in a fight.
He wanted to give the younger adventurers a chance to lead, while he goes along as an advisor and strategist.

Isaias followed Mable to the door and opened it himself, leaving it open for the others to follow while he took point for now as the acceptor of the contract.
Inside the holy men were seated at a table with glasses of wine served to them, which they didn't touch. Two of the paladins stood guarding the box which they placed on the table in the corner.

Isaias had to duck his head to clear the doorframe. He walked in and stood at the foot of the table with the head cleric sitting at the head. He was an aged cleric who might have seen one too many exorcisms. the old man raised his heavy lidded eyes to size up the giant newcomer.
He spoke in a weathered old voice that still held some strength in spite of its brittleness.
"I am Father Jove, Servant of the church of the Six gods."
He put up a wrinkled hand.
"Sit or stand as you please, we shall be brief. The box that you saw us bring in is the subject of your contract. It must reach its destination at our enclave on the South Western Allirian Coast."
One of the clerics removed a map from his bag, sliding it over to the adventurers. It had their destination marked on it.

"It must reach their unharmed and undisturbed. You will receive your reward once you reach the enclave. the box must not be opened under any circumstances. Magical seals are on the box that must not be broken in order for you to receive your full reward on arrival."

Father Jove folded his hands in front of him on the table, "You may ask questions now, but time is of the essence. Be swift."

 

[Leyus]

There was a little group of them in the end, ready and eager to take up the contract. Although he did get a feeling that the girl wasn't as pleased by him dragging them right into it. But, hey, they wanted the contract, right? And he had gotten them into the middle of the action.
In any case, if anyone here would become truly displeased with him, he would be the first to know. That was a soothing thought.

Leyus followed the clerk with the rest of the group, a certain bounce in his steps that appeared there only when he was about to hid the road again. That is to say: it appeared there often.

When they entered the room where the clerics and paladins stood, Leyus let his gaze roam around for a bit, taking it all in. He noted the box, the solemn state of the clerics and stone like postures of the paladins. This was something big indeed. And quite serious, if these guys couldn't solve it themselves.
Was it to do with something in the box?

Leyus listened attentively, staying on his feet. So a transportation mission. South Western Allirian Coast wasn't a territory he had visited often, but he knew the roads there well enough to picture their way. Not too hard, not too easy, as it was always the case in the wilderness.
Really, why couldn't they transport it themselves? Those roads weren't that dangerous, and the box wasn't as big. This smelled like secrecy. Leyus thought about asking more about that to the cleric, but decided against it in the end. Danger was part of the deal here. And the pay was very, very generous.
So, instead, when he spoke up, his question sounded like: "Is there a set date by which we must deliver it?" because this was as important as any danger that might lurk on their path.

 

[Corlis]

She followed the group into the room, standing away from the large gathering. She wasn't nervous about being around them, everyone just blocked out a lot of the ambient light in the room. The man that had drawn her into the gathering with him spoke and asked about a certain date that it must arrive. Which begged another question.

"Who is to receive the delivery as well?" She piped up from behind everyone, wearing a small smile as she bobbed her head around the others to make sure she was heard. "Just anyone of your members there or a certain one?"

 

[Quoril]

Quoril hurried after the clerk. He was following so close behind her that he was almost stepping on her heels. Before them sat a few priests sitting behind a table, and a pair of paladins stood off to the side guarding the strange box.

"I am Father Jove, Servant of the church of the Six gods. Sit or stand as you please, we shall be brief. The box that you saw us bring in is the subject of your contract. It must reach its destination at…” Quoril’s gaze flitted back and forth between the priests and the box while Father Jove spoke. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him - he had to know what the box contained. Quoril slowly began making his way out towards the edge of the group. There it was! He reached out towards the mysterious box, his hand shaking slightly with excitement.

AHEM! The sound of the closest paladin clearing his throat quickly caused Quoril to pull back his hand, and a stern look sent him scurrying back to where he had been standing previously. Quoril couldn’t figure out why the priests were being secretive about what was in the box, but decided that it would be a good idea to mind his own business and not pry into the matter.

The elf stood by quietly as his companions voiced their questions to the priests.

 

[Altheao]

Al listened to the priest speak, “If we are taking this item to the enclave, then we have just as much right to know what is inside this box as you do.” He tells the Father, “It might help us know what to expect along the way as well in the case that something or someone is going to be after it.” He looks at the box and the people who brought the item, his eyes glowed some as he examined it with mistrust towards the item.

“Safety is also going to be one of our concerns if you are being to secretive about it.” He says glaring at the Father.

 

[Isaias Kildare]

Father Jove began answering Questions, beginning with Leyus .
"It will be about a weeks journey to reach the enclave, I do not recommend you delay much more than that."
Then he turned to answer Corlis's questions.
"You will deliver the package to Father Bertold, the keeper of the chapel. He will give you your reward when you arrive."
Finally he turned his attention to Altheao as he voiced his desire to know what is inside the box. Father Jove's gaze turned cold on hearing his demands.

"Knowing will bring even greater danger than you already face in ignorance of your charge, danger that even a party of experienced adventurers may not be able to handle, it is only in our time of great desperation that we turn to the guild for aid. You will earn every bit of your reward on your journey no doubt. The contract you agreed to should have warned you of the danger, this is indeed a high risk contract with high reward. If that does not interest you than you need not participate."

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Isaias cut in at this point. The details given so far hinted at it, but for the sake of everyone here he felt he had to voice what he has discerned.
"We are not to break the seal on this box that we are to deliver as quickly as possible to a holy enclave. So this item is dangerous and must be contained at your enclave for protection. Knowledge of whatever is inside may increase the danger we already face. And you are unable to perform this delivery yourself."

Isaias stepped forward, imposing his towering presence before the clerics.
"You are holy men, clerics and paladins. What evil do you fear other than an evil you are vulnerable to? You cannot make this delivery yourself because this item can harm you even sealed as it is. Your sensitivity to the spiritual realm does not serve you with this item. It is then safe to assume that the item itself poses a threat to our safety."

Father Jove said nothing, only staring at Isaias. Isaias stared evenly back, not breaking eye contact or backing down.
"One-hundred thousand silver is not enough for our services. Double that or exchange it to gold, otherwise our services are wasted."

The paladins and clerics tensed at the sudden demand, but Father Jove remained impassive. considering.