Chapter 1: Nightstone

Aestan turns to the dwarf and nods firmly. Bringing the helmet over his head to cover much of his face and stuffing the cloth in his rucksack, he stands while slinging the sack over his stout shoulders. There wasn't much he had to do to collect himself. A force of habit if there ever was one.
"You have my thanks." he says as he begins to turn towards the door, footsteps heavy on the wooden floor.
"And you'll not worry about the beasts, I have seen what they can do to a man and I haven't the desire to become such as that." With that he stepped out into the night without so much as a hesitation to darkness's embrace.

Chanler turns to Morak. "What's the price for a night's stay again?" He says as he begins to gesture towards the tiefling at the fire. "They need a room, and I've forgotten the price."

Hearing the bard and the owners discussion the hooded figure stands and moves over to the bar, pulling a couple of coins out as he reaches it. "I will take a room for the night, Morak was it?" he says as he passes the coins to the owner. Turning to the bard he smiles "Afraid I didn't catch your name - I'm Xalvador"

The man laughs, clapping along with Xed's performance. "I've seen many wonders, lass, but I think that topped them all. Even the Diamonds of Veyope shine less in comparison.

The name's Qavez. I'm passing through town looking for adventure. You look like you've seen your fair share, though I reckon by the looks of short-stack over there at the bar, something happened recently that I missed."

The dwarf gulps the last of his ale and jumps off his chair. He walks to a man who calls himself Qavez, his expression stone calm.

"I hope you didn't just call me a short-stack. Or is this your way of looking for adventure?"

Qavez looks over to the dwarf, his grin spreading wider. "Nah, you I would call something else, though it'd be much more flattering," he says. "Pull up a chair and join us. I figure the proprietor is too busy with all the new faces to answer your question, and the serving boy looks like a lost chicken without a map."

"Is this what you do Qua? Go looking for adventure? Me, I just like helping people. The great Warrior Sage Aiwen once said "To help others is to help yourself." So I always try to find folks, cheer 'em up, lend a hand, that sort of thing. Haven't found a lot of people needing help today though. So I guess that means I haven't helped myself all that much either." A look of disappointment crosses Xed's face before she brightens up again. "What does a lost chicken without a map look like?"

Qavez indicates Chanler with a lazy tip of his hat.

"I'm Chanler." Says the bard to Xalvador. "Sorry, it's been a long night, and it's not getting any shorter." The words out of his mouth slowly fade in volume as Chanler steals a glance towards the door. With a sudden remembrance he turns to Morak. "Have the ones at the bar been settled to a room yet?" He says with a gesture towards Qavez, Xed, and Iolgur.

"Truth be told, I plain forgot about the time and never asked about rooms," says Qavez, and addresses Chanler and Morak. "I was too busy looking at your long faces. What's the trouble that you two seem so out of sorts when you have a chipper lass here to brighten the evening? Don't suppose it had anything to do with why you all came running in from the cold?"

Aestan let the door close slowly behind him and as stepped into the night. There was just enough light that he could see the blue shade across the plants under the open sky. Nothing was as peaceful as the night when everything else slept. He wasn't inept to the evil that could crawl forth from that same place of peace, but it wasn't for him to worry about. He had seen to the end of enough of it during his travels that he no longer worried about the unknown of the blackness of night. A horse's soft nickering brought him back from his thoughts as he continued to move to the stables.

"I- Some children had gone missing earlier along with a local elder. We managed to find the children, but-" Chanler lets out a deep sigh. "But I let those little green bastards get to Nestor."

Iolgur scratches a scar on his scalp as he steps towards Chanler.

"Greenskins, you say? Huh. Thought I smelled something foul on the road. Do you plan to search for them? If so, you can count on my sword."

"I do. I would already be deep into the forest if I hadn't been convinced to rest first." Chanler looks about the crowd of new travelers that seem to have crowded around to hear. "I don't have much to offer you all but what I've saved over the few months I've worked here, but I intend to leave out at dawn, and I would appreciate the assistance."

"What kind of 'little green bastards?'" asks Qavez, gesturing to the bar for another pint of special ale.

Xalvador nods "I would like to assist also and do not worry about payment, I am happy to help" before turning to Morak "If I could get that room please I would like a few hours rest before we venture out"

Aestan took a spot next to the edge of the stables. Choosing not to enter the stalls for fear of spooking the creatures. Letting himself sink down into the straw that sat next to the wall of the structure, his body let itself relax for the first time today. He was always on edge. Never knowing what was going to happen next. He couldn't really remember when or why he got like this. It was so cloudy in the back of his mind. The solitary soldier just felt he needed to be ready for anything. He drew Saega and laid her across his lap while propping his heater against his side and hiding the rucksack underneath, his arm run through the straps of the bag as well as the straps of the heater. A trick he taught any of the men from his regiment during forced movement through enemy territory. It allowed a person to rise with shield and back in arm in the event of an ambush and know they had their belongings in the heat of battle. Sometimes, unfortunately, in retreat as well. His eyes closed in a slow trance-like manner and he entered his state of reflection.