Prologue: The Road to Phandalin

Little Merla says I was looking some coin and excitement and ran into brother Gundren. For 10 gold coins I said yes. The fact that I speak dwarven fluently and I'm an ex-city watch bought Gundren's trust.

"We've known each other for some time cousin. I don't know what all the secrecy's about. If you can't trust family and clan with whatever this is about, who can you trust?"

"That's right!" says Erzebette bombastically, pointing to Tordek. "The whole great machine of society fails if it isn't lubricated with a healthy measure of trust! None of us is an island and every work of any import has always involed letting people in. Isn’t that right, cousin?" She motions for Lyrielle to join the conversation, presumably on her side.

"By the by," she adds, raising an eyebrow to Merla, "did you say ex watch? Why ex?"

Merla gives a small but charming smile as she simply replies, I have given it a decade or so felt it was time to go. That twinkle in her eyes further proves that she isn't really as young as she looks.

With a breath she continues, Some new excitement is good, but we do have to have coin to live. So this job with Rockseeker does both. A rather sharp eye would notice that one of her hands seems to show that there was a ring on her finger. The marks of one still slightly shows. Any informed person knows that is where a widow's ring would go. Apparently that ring has been recently removed.

She has no trouble being around taller people. Seems that she does that all the time even though she is rather tall for her race. She never stands too close to anyone as she knows it is harder to look to talk to her. And that lets everyone get a good view of her. she is rather gorgeous to look at. She has always used her looks to talk to people. Seems that it has always helped.

If it wasn't for the Armar Insignia (Sergeant) she wears still you would never guess her to be part of any city watch. Not a profession that you see a lot of Halflings in. She actually does have her uniform still but she seldom ever wears it. She still in some way thinks of herself as the law. Something she has done for so long. And sometimes her way of talking gets rather abrasive because of that.

Edit: Been edited several times. Always seems more to do.

Lyrielle glances at Erzebette, her face the picture of elven inscrutability. She shrugs noncommittally as she sways with the jolts of the rumbling wagon.

She is clad head to toe in the garb of an elven forest-dweller. Her trousers are simple but well cut of a sturdy broadcloth the color of black walnut bark. Her light woolen cloak is the color of salvia leaves. Underneath it in the shadows one can make out the contour of well made and well used leather armor. A longbow is cradled in her right arm, thin, elegant and sturdy, its considerable height made starkly apparent among the seated occupants of the wagon. Glinting in the sun, peeking out from the collar of her warm brown shirt, is a willow catkin rendered in copper, tied around her throat with a dark leather cord. Copper is also the color of Lyrielle's skin. Her hair is long and a deep dark brown, matching her eyes. She wears her hair partially pulled back, tied off with a leather cord, but a shock of rough cut bangs casts the upper half of her face in shadow, making her expression even more difficult to read.

"I'm with her," she replies, indicating Erzebette with a slight nod of the head in the other wood elf's direction. She lapses back into silence, her gaze held by the wilderness that stretches off into the distance on each side of the road.

"Oh yeah, that's true traveling is fun sometimes. I don't do that often. I spend most of my time in the forest."

Merla doesn't have a forestry look at all. She has been fine with the traveling. Takes it in stride.

So easy to get yourself lost in thought traveling this way. Although we do need to be alert. We will be Phandalin sooner or later. as she really isn't expecting any trouble at all. Her shortbow hasn't left its leather bag/case the whole trip so none of her arrows in her leather quiver have flown.

Being so diminutive she really doesn't go well with a longbow. Besides it would be as oversized to her as her backpack is. Which she isn't wearing and is comfortly right next to her. Nothing she owns is really reduced in size to match her. She deals with the awkward largeness. Surprising for her size that she must be stronger than she appears to be as that backpack is probably getting close to her own personal weight. Obviously with her and backpack, they together could be lifted by most average men. She is after all a halfling and doesn't have very much mass.

"Look sharp everyone!" Tordek shouts.

Making a perception check to see if there's anyone about.

"Bow up, cousin," says Erzebette in suddenly low and tense elvish. She steps back to back with Lyrielle, makes a completely unnecessary arms wide gesture, and her eyes roll fully back up into her head. Hanging from her overly showy wizard's staff, a fist sized brown bat unculrs, squeeks, and takes zigzagging flight, blinking in the light. A landscape of echoes and sound unfolds.

Hope stands and hops from the wagon, placing her hand on the grip of her shortsword for comfort as she spots the horses before a quick survey of the area from her current vantage point. "Where are the riders?"

Lyrielle rises to a crouch, eyes narrowing as she scans the scene and the woods that flank the trail. She readies her bow and nocks an arrow.

Merla doesn't understand elvish so any chatter that way goes over her head, but horses with arrows sticking out of them hits home. She doesn't have to be told what to do. She is a combat ready package. Soon, she will be hunting for enemies.

With fluid motion she has hoped off the wagon leaving her backpack behind and has her shortsword dawn for action. She appears not concerned that the bow on the pack. She looks to be wanting melee combat. She shows off just how agile and physical she is.

Like any good Halfling she quickly heads for the closes place she can duck into and drop out of sight. She has no intention to duplicate what the horse got. Hopefully there is someplace off the road but close to the wagon that little Merla can vanish into. She has had her time doing such before. She prefers to strike unseen when possible.

Soon, she will be on the hunt for enemies, but first she plans to hide and get out of sight in case we are being watched. She doesn't say anything and really has no plans to make herself visible or to make any noise. At least till she needs to let herself be known again.

So, Merla is going to vanish from everyone sight unless you can break a 22 stealth check and she is reacting very fast. (INIT 22) For 10 gold coins she is a bargain price.