Chapter 1: Nightstone

As Chanler's chords ring out, the rest of the mercenaries around the table take up the song, pounding on the table and stomping their feet:

Above the land,
Across the sea,
We're everywhere,
We need to be.
We're brothers of,
A special kind,
A better band,
You'll never find.
Band of brothers,
That's what we are,
Fighting evil,
Near and far.
Band of brothers,
That's what I said.

The song ends to cheering and thunderous pounding on the table by the mercernaries. A lone patron claps uncertainly.

When the noise dies down, the captain smiles and introduces himself and his men, pointing at each in turn, "Yingix. That's Mornam. Mica and Dom you've met. Cen and Dunno are sleeping outside."

Captain Yingix nods to each of you in turn.

Morak is busy bringing some ale to another table, but sees Chanler trying to catch his eye and soon walks over. "Help you, lad?" he asks the bard.

You can see the tension leave his shoulders as you speak; its clear the dwarf is quite fond of you and was worried for you. He nods and harrumphs quietly, "Good people don't waste ale like that." He looks up at the people around the table and asks, "Another round?"

Mica cheers, "Yes!" but the captain interjects, "No, I think not. We head out early for the road. Time to head back to camp." The men grumble good-naturedly as they quaff their last swigs of ale and begin filing out of the inn. Yingix turns back to the three of you and offers, "You're welcome to come along, if you're headed that way. The roads are not as safe as they used to be."

The inn door flies open and a distraught halfling woman enters the inn. The mercenaries step back out of her way as she rushes toward Morak, tears streaming down her face. He grasps her by the shoulders and asks, "Taela, lass, what's wrong?" The crowd falls silent, stunned by the sight of their normally-steadfast apothecary beside herself with fear.

The words tumble from her in a rush, "It's the children, they never came home...they went mushroom-picking with Nestor."

A human couple at a nearby table leaps up, "Jehanna? The twins?"

The woman wrings her hands, "None of them came home. Larlow and Broland went looking for them, but Morak, you know they can't see a thing in the dark. Please, please, can you come help us look?"

Morak's face progressively darkens as the details unfold and he nods seriously at her question, "Yes, of course." He runs back behind the bar to grab his cloak.