Quest The Sorcerer's Tomb

[Flint]

The guard’s lantern light cast a hellish glow over the barbershop floor. His shoulders were slackened by fatigue, the bags under his eyes in unison. Flint stood, arms crossed, at the other side of the room an unsettled look strewn across his face. Between them lay an unconscious body.

“You knocked him out?” the guard asked.

“Yes”

“And this was all he had?”. The guard pointed to the knife in his hand, a knife that could have taken Flint’s life

“Yes”, the barber lied.

Flint followed the guard to the door, once the body had been disposed him. Thanking him, the barber watched the guard walk all the way down the street, ensuring his was gone.


And then he unpocketed the map.


It was a remarkable thing. Inked on a sheet of skin bigger than Flint had ever seen. The map depicted tunnels deep within Cragnach Caves, outside of Elbion. The cave system was vast, and while most of the upper system has been widely explored, there was talk of deep uncharted subsystems that spanned for miles. The map spoke of one such system, and boasted of great treasures and unprecedented secrets. Flint couldn’t help but to fantasize about exploring it. This could be his big break. A break of the boring cycle he’d been running day in and out for months. An adventure.

Of course, he was uncertain. Uncertain if he was cut out for the job. Uncertain if the map was even legit. Yet, he simply couldn’t resist entertaining the thought. And so he began to work through the loopholes. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for the job. He’d need help. Maybe the map was a dud. In which case he’d reimburse his team with a little gold and learn from the experience. The barber’s heart was racing. Maybe it was the near death experience. Maybe he’d finally grown a pair. Maybe he’d gone mad.

***


A week after the notice was posted, Flint had planned a meeting. He’d made sure the message had been spread to some taverns, keeps and even to the College. A quest was to take place, and the planning would begin today. The barber was beyond nervous. He began to doubt anyone would show up. Standing in his empty barbershop, over a large table holding the map, Flint fidgeted with a razor blade. If anyone were to show up, they’d be arriving any minute now…

Rainie, Thren, Niq Vista

 

[Drake Elura]

Drake would move quickly through the street looking for the place in which he was supposed to meet someone for a job. The place being a barbershop which he figured was owned by the job poster. Not that it necessarily mattered to him. What mattered to Drake was the job itself. It wasn't something he would usually partake in, but he found this one to be a bit interesting. So he came to the meeting place ready to learn more info.

Once he found the barbershop he'd move to the door opening it, and looking inside. He'd see a man inside standing over a large table. Drake would move inside swiftly, and silently to stand at the table across from the man. He'd look at the man without saying anything for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"I'm here for the job." He'd say to the man quickly. Looking him straight in the eye for a few seconds before looking down at the map on the table. Though he decided he wouldn't ask about it. The information would either be given to him now, or when other people showed up. Something he wasn't sure of, but figure'd would happen. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

 

[Rainie]

Lorraina Night stepped onto the docks of Elbion with warm feeling in her chest. It felt a bit like coming home. The fresh sea air, the calling of seagulls, the chatter of ship crews and travelers. This may be her favourite city, if she was honest.

Rainie, as Lorraina was called, joined the crowd and began to search for the market. Surely someone could help lighten her pack. She lunched on apples and fresh cheese, and soon sold all the extra goods that were weighing her down. Her coin purse felt a bit heavy, even though she made it a habit to keep her gold carefully tucked in hidden pockets sewn throughout her clothes. She thought gleefully that she could stop by a favorite tavern of hers and refill her flask with spirits and her wine skein. And maybe have a drink while she was there.

The run down building looked exactly the same as she'd left it, and she bustled in with a content smile. "Hail, Delvin!" she called to the barkeep. The man sighed, but waved all the same. Grinning, she took a seat at the bar and started chattering at Delvin, who diligently refilled her containers and placed a glass of malt whiskey in front of her.

Rainie was still describing some story about her most recent escapade as she handed over a few coins to Delvin, who then placed a leaf of parchment in front of her. Her mouth shut with a snap and she carefully skimmed the advertisement for mercenaries or otherwise adventurers to join a lucrative quest for treasure. The meeting for those interested was scheduled for today, at about this time, at the...

"What!" she gasped, leaning over the parchment and reading it again. Her bar stool clattered to the floor. "Why, that little..." she trailed off with a growl. With jerky movements she gathered her things, gulped down her whiskey in one swallow, snatched up the flyer and barreled out the door.

Delvin picked up her discarded glass silently and dropped it in the wash basin.

Rainie didn't run far; oh, not far at all. Across the street was a barber shop, the sign in the window clearly saying Closed. Ignoring it, she swung the door open with more force than intended, and it bounced off the opposite wall.

"I can't believe you!" she shrieked. She spotted Flint where he stood before an oddly dressed man and narrowed her eyes accusingly. "What do you think you're doing, going on this harebrained quest, without even inviting me?!"

 

[Flint]

Looking back to the map, a pang of dread hit the barber right in the gut, sending a chill up his spine. He’d been keeping his eyes off the bottom of the map ever since he’d first had a good look at the thing. Now… well he couldn’t help but look. The map began quite widely, with large tunnels leading into slightly smaller ones. Eventually the map narrowed to tiny passages, before fading into nothing. The map’s instructions assured the map was finished and full, and Flint was going to have to assume what lay at the end was a pleasant surprise.

He was roused from thought when he realized he was no longer alone. The barber yelped at the sight of the man, or elf, or dwarf or… demon? Certainly the masked and robed being had a terrifying look to it, and it managed to drift into the room silently and stealthily. Had it intended harm on Flint, well, the barber would already be dead. Luckily, the voice of a man announced that he was here for the quest, although that did not come before an awkward prolonged stare off between the two. Flint looked to the man, dumbstruck

Before things could get too awkward, a young Lorraina Night crashed through the doors, her entrance just as shocking as the masked man’s. She moved to him, with a look of fury in her eyes that warned of a potential slap incoming to the barber’s face. As she demanded to know why she hadn’t been invited along, the Flint shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t think you were sticking around too much longer. Of course, it’s a pleasure to see I was wrong”. Trying for a smirk, Flint quickly became aware of the stranger again, and, sobering, he asked. “Can I get you two anything while we wait? I was going to give it another few minutes, see if anyone else shows.”

Rainie Drake Elura Thren

 

[Drake Elura]

Drake watched the woman as she entered the room. It appeared she had some sort of history with the other man. Though such details of a persons life were mostly irrelevant to Drake. There were more important things at hand, and he decided to do a little investigating. He'd look over to the map scanning it over with his eyes as the man offered to get him something.

"No." He'd say flatly as he continued to look at the map. Though this time he'd look slower allowing himself to absorb more of the details. It was most certainly an interesting map. Seemingly starting with larger tunnels that narrowed into thin passages. Though the most interesting part was that the map was also unfinished. At least it looked that way. Though Drake supposed he couldn't really know without seeing the place it described first.

 

[Thren]

Thren was the next to arrive, heavy black armor resting on his shoulders and two daggers sitting on the small of his back. Larik, his war hound, trotted after him with a look of sheer and complete disregard for anything around him.

The dog had been with him for nearly a decade and a half now, getting older yet never seeming to slow down even a little bit. At times he worried about the Hound, how much longer he would actually be able to last, though he hoped it was for a little while longer yet.

He wasn't exactly ready to train a new companion.

For now though he knew it wouldn't matter. He'd received the call for...this mission, if one could call it that, and he'd decided it looked about as good as it could get.

After that whole affair in Minaris he needed something a bit more straight forward.

Something with less politics. "Hello there!"

He practically beamed at the people in the room.

 

[Rainie]

Rainie laughed at the barber's thunderstruck look and pulled him into a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again, darling," she greeted warmly. She turned down his offer to get her anything with a smile, eyes on the map she'd noticed on the table. She examined it in silence for a moment, and then looked up when the door opened again.

Armor clinked as a severe looking man stepped inside. A massive brown and black dog heeled at the man's knee. Rainie was just thinking to herself that this man wasn't someone she wanted to cross, when a huge smile spread across his face and he cheerfully greeted the room with a sweet, "Hello there!"

Rainie blinked, a smile of her own creeping over her face. She gave him a little wave, and wondered excitedly if she'd be allowed to pet his war hound.

For a moment, she took in the occupants of the room. There was Flint, who she'd thought was a well-to-do barber. As far as she knew, he wasn't much the adventuring type when he didn't have any drink in him. There was the masked man she'd seen when she entered. She had carefully been keeping him in her line of sight since she'd come in. And now a brutal looking mercenary type with a chipper demeanor, and his intimidating war hound that was greying about the muzzle.

Add her, the part time thief part time spy who played a mean ballad on the flute, and this was shaping up to be an interesting party. Thank the gods she'd filled up her flask. Chuckling internally, she leaned her lower back against the table and crossed her ankles. "So," she drawled with a smirk on her red lips. "What sort of mischief are we getting up to, then?" She asked Flint.

Thren Flint Drake Elura

 

[Flint]

Flint returned the hug, adding an amicable pat to Rainie's back. “There’s the Rainie I know. Was getting worried you’d bite my head off!”. Once she’d returned to the map, Flint nodded to the third guest. He looked strong, wearing bulky armor and a smile almost as big. The man’s hair was neatly cut, so much so that Flint was tempted to ask who his barber was. Regardless, the man seemed friendly, and Flint could only hope he was genuine. The barber was glad to have Rainie along, but could he trust the two strangers? Well, time would tell.

The spy managed to really put him on the spot, wondering what they’d be getting up to on this quest. Feeling nerves get to him, Flint picked his folding blade from the table, turning it in his hand and simultaneously flipping it open and closed. It took minimal magic to keep him from slicing his hands open. As he felt eyes resting on him, the barber smiled. He imagined he was talking with a client, and felt confidence resurfacing warmly in his chest.

“Thank you all for coming. I hope I can make it worth your while”, he began, now using the blade to indicate points of interest on the map.

“Cragnach Caves. A vast system with an entrance not too far out from the city. Inside, there are dozens of tunnels. Most have been explored, their resources exploited. But others…”. The barber drew a line along the cavern they’d follow, gently sloping for the most part, with a couple of steep drops.

“We’ll be taking this route deep into the tunnels. Heading far enough down should take us to…something”. He paused, hoping he wasn’t losing them. “Its uncharted; no one’s been that far down and back up again, but the man who made this map lost his life defending a secret. Something’s buried deep down there, we… we just need to risk finding out what”


The party looked tough. The man behind the mask, the cheerful mercenary, the fearless spy… and him. He looked to each of them, trying to judge their reactions. He didn’t like the idea of putting their lives on the line for what could have been a wild goose chase. But, Flint supposed, they signed up for this themselves.

“Look, its unexplored for a reason. I don’t want to scare you off but… This will be dangerous. I will, however, assure a decent compensation fee, should this quest turn out to be fruitless.”

“Any questions?”

 

[Drake Elura]

Drake would watch the other man carefully as he entered the room. The man himself looked like somebody who could hold his own in a fight. Very clearly someone who would be useful in the upcoming battle. Though surprisingly Drake found himself paying more attention to the dog. The war hound following the man seemed like a very useful creature. Something that would surely increase Drake's strength if he had one. Though he didn't really find that he would be all that capable of training one himself. Nor did he feel too keen on having to take care of the dog. He didn't find himself thinking about it for too much longer though as the barber man began to speak.

Drake would listen to the man speak about the map, and the job. Investigating a cave certainly seemed like something that could turn out very well, or very bad. Not only that, but it appeared the man also didn't know what lies at their destination. Though Drake was already to far to turn back now. Besides any sort of experience he could get in a fight would make him stronger. Not that he was worried about danger. He'd made sure to have a few scrolls prepared in case of emergency, and the rest of the group seemed capable as well.

"When do we leave?" Drake would ask the man in response to what he said. He would make direct eye contact with the man after he spoke. Though it was a look that felt as if he was really staring straight through him. Drake's normal quiet behavior could be described as unsettling, but anytime he opened his mouth it got worse. Especially since one couldn't actually see his face as he spoke. That is with the exception of his cold piercing blue eyes that seemed to peer straight into one's soul.

 

[Rainie]

If Rainie were a more sensible girl, she'd ask about the structural integrity of the caves they would be traversing. Would there be air shafts, or would they all die from lack of oxygen? How old was it? Could they expect cave-ins? How long would it take? Would her rations be enough?

But no, all she did was smile and incline her head towards the masked stranger. "Took the words right out of my mouth," she said with a smirk. Her heart was beginning to trip excitedly in her chest at the idea of the adventure to come. She was watching Flint curiously, wondering what had changed to inspire the barber to jump at this dangerous opportunity. Not that one night, with the mansion raid and the fight at the docks with Tilly, it couldn't be...

"Well! My name is Rainie, and I'll be your entertainment for this evening?" She declared with a giggle and lascivious bow. She glanced around the group smilingly. "I already know Flint, but may I know the rest of you?"

Drake Elura Flint Thren Thren Thren