Crown of the Kobold King

[Corpseflower]

Summer is fully past and Darkmoon Vale is starting to show signs of the change in its first orange and golden leaves, but what would be cause for harvest celebration in another settlement is cause for concern in Falcon's Hollow. With twilight coming earlier every night the gate guard eventually doubles at the town walls and the more remote cutyards in the Vale. Daily the town turns in on itself a little more in morbid anticipation. It seems to be common consensus among the poor that a grim fate is certain for a logging settlement so bold as to carve a path through the sacred woods of the Eldeen Reaches; the only matter of debate is whether it will be the fey, the druids, or some unspeakable horror that will wipe it off the map. The lumber barons don't seem to share this view, but then living on The Perch they don't live with the dark shadow of the tree-line towering over them... stretching out as far as the eye can see.

A cool breeze foreshadowing the long winter blows in from the river and those few still out on the streets pull their collars close and quicken their steps. Sitting cross legged at a low stone table upstairs from his storefront Dimlez the alchemist finishes a simple meal and wonders with irritation where his apprentice could be. Though the shop had been closed today, Savram should have been home long ago. The boy would have cold rice tonight or nothing at all if he didn't find his way home soon.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Aidan walks around the Hallow. This place definetly smells unique. He decided to head to the tavern to get a drink.


[sblock=edit]Edited to make myself headed toward a specific location, and make him semi-familiar with his settings[/sblock]

 

[WarShrike]

Azog sits quietly in a dark corner of the Duck, eyeing the clientelle. "Slim pickins tonight Fang, don't look like theres anyone in here worthy for ya ta gnaw on. Me, i'm less particular. Theres a few in here i wouldn't mind leavin dead on the bar room floor" he says, not so quietly.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Damn boy..." Dimzel says in a low grim voice, as he walks downstairs. His shop, adorned with ice statues, was a mess. Potions of all kind, spread over the work table, his laboratory full of components, scorched pieces of paper, and uncountable diminutive things, of uncertain origin.
He walked slowly, smelling the air, that smelled like everything but "air". "Damn boy..." he said again. "I'll have him clean all this mess... tomorrow... "
The strange man have arrived the town about a pair of years, but despite his ragged appearance and his weird behavior, there was no man in town able to brew potions and create alchemical compounds with the skill he did. So he earned his living doing so. It was a fair bussines, and leave him time to practice his other art. Savram was a young boy, with no skills, but with an insatiable curiosity. Paying the boys meals and giving him a roof, under which to sleep, was pay enough for the kid, so Dimzel could not refuse to take him as apprentice.
The alchemist, closed his store with a sadistic smile, knowing the boy would wait him out, outside in the cold. The precious cold of the beautiful winter.
He headed to the inn, in search of some booze, hes idea of letting Savram out tonight have lifted his spirit, so some alcohol will suit him just fine.

 

[Creamsteak]

OOC: I'm not sure what's going on based on the first post.

 

[Ferrix]

Turn digs the small chisel under the edge of the rusted old lock he salvaged and pops the face off with a sharp twist. The workings were still good but the front pins had rusted together, he would have to wait till the morning to get the metal to replace them. He set the two halves next to one another on his small workbench and doused his work lantern. Wiping his hands clean of some light oil on a rag, he sighed as the sun set in the distance. At least business would be good in the winter with peoples locks freezing shut, he thought.

 

[Corpseflower]

Life on The Perch abides by different rules. The air is so much sweeter and danger seems so much farther away with a steep winding road leading up to an armed gate. Even for the hired help there is a sense of safety unknown in low town. With other guards manning the Darkmoon Lumber gates Ordin and Luger were able to spend a good part of a shift in hand after hand of cards in the guard shack. Despite Luger's limited experience with card games with nothing but time to kill and a face literally unable to betray his emotional state the warforged was able to hold his own at three dragon ante before too long. The dwarf was reaching to draw again when a shadow in the doorway caught his attention.

Meriel Kreed ducked in uncomfortably holding one hand in the other and breathed a sigh of relief. Local gossip had it that Gavel Kreed who had no time for the convention of marriage and its obligations had simply married his cook to produce an heir. In time she had been 'promoted' to nanny her own child though she remained the cook. Both Luger and Ordin had been escorts for Lady Kreed's visits to her mother's cottage in low town though she had never really warmed to the imposing forged. "Ordin- Thank the Host! I... Jurin hasn't made it home yet. Thuldrin is working late tonight, but Jurin has to be home by the time his father gets back. He wasn't supposed to leave the Perch, but he wanted to play with that butcher's poor son so badly- I didn't see the harm in that. I don't know what he is thinking, but he missed dinner two hours ago. It isn't like him. Please can you find him quickly and tell him to get home before his father finds out!"

 

[Creamsteak]

Silver waits for Ordin to accept that order, only asking, "How do we go about finding him?"

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Aidan walks into the Duck, scanning the room for familiar faces. Azog! I thought you were dead in the woods! Either that or I was having a pleasant dream!Aidan shouts laughingly, drawing surprised looks from several of the Ducks inhabitants. He swiftly walks over to Azog and slides a chair up for himself. Well met Azog, I am glad to see you are still alive, as well as Fang there. Let me amend for my crude joke earlier by buying you a drink. Aidan signals for a server to come by.

 

[Corpseflower]

It's a slow night in the Duck. With the Grey Eagles out on another run Edgrin's fireside seat is empty and no one else feels much like singing or telling the kind of story that the whole place can get excited about. Without someone to take their minds off it conversations inevitably turn back to hunters and jacks who've gone missing over the last few months or the orphanage foolishly built out in the vale that burned earlier this summer.

When the door opens everyone turns to look and the unexpected presence of Kitani Eavewalker holds conversations in a lull for a few moments. The raven haired seamstress was as beautiful as she had been the day she arrived with her husband and daughter more than ten years ago though she seems agitated tonight. It was a testament to how feared the elves of Valenar were that, rare as such beauty was on the border of the civilized world and with her husband Idris gone for weeks, none of the regulars moved to chat up a half-elf in a low cut dress.

Eyes are averted, conversations resume, and it's back to business as usual.
"...And like I was saying we found all his clothes, his ax, and everything on the river bank like he stripped and vanished..."

Kitani takes a look around the room and settles on Aidan and Azog's table. Concern and anger line her features as she confronts Aidan, "I was told you worked Vale Gate today. Did Kimi leave through your gate? I've already spoken to the other guards and no one else will admit to seeing her- but I know she isn't in town. I've been over it three times already."

Aidan[sblock]During your shift on the North West gate earlier today, you saw a gang of five kids heading out to the fields to play. Eavewalker's daughter Kimi was among them, along with Gavel Thuldrin Kreed's son, that butcher's boy who's never been quite right, and a couple others you didn't know. Must have been just after noon or so. Kimi takes after her father and tries very hard to follow in his footsteps. With him gone so much she gets her role models where she can and has taken hanging around with you when you are on gate duty in town. Kimi likes sparring you with a club she carries around and never tires of asking you about the war. Today though she barely spoke and the kids rushed past you the red headed one, Hollin maybe?, mumbling about going to see his dad at the cutyard. [/sblock]