Fourstones RP Thread

Elden's eyes had already closed, and therefore he did not notice how a bunch of people had followed his tree climbing lead. He used his arms as a pillow, crossing them in back of his head, but even he was cold. He still couldn't believe that the city was pillaged, and wondered if he would wake up soon in his old bed.

"Good night. Hopefully we will be granted with luck tomorrow." Elden murmured, though was doubtful. He gave way to an uncomfortable sleep, praying to Alma that he would not roll over and break his neck with such a dreadful fall. There were so much hazards, that he was almost going to accept dying before morning. What a wonderful way for one of the people destined to save Fourstones to die!
And yes, I am stalling to make this post longer. There was not a lot to go by with falling asleep. ;A;

Enro's eyes closed as a zephyr blew over the camp. The moment the breeze ceased, and all was still and silent, besides the fire crackling below, Enro felt at peace. The makeshift camp was in a halcyon state, and there was a calming sense to the area, despite the dread in everyone's minds.

That morning was beautiful, by Frost's standards. The light snowfall had stopped overnight, and there were sparrows fluttering throughout the forest. Each one of the orphans woke up gradually; five hours of sleep is what most them got, and though they didn't know it, it was around seven o'clock when they awoke. Within the hour, each member of the group was ready to continue.

- - -

It took three more hours of miserable walking to make it to the village of Iceport. The entire place was wooden; the few homes were little more than log cabins, scattered on the dark brown beach. It was cold, contrary to what a beach should have been. The forest extended into the beach, the pines towering over the small village. It was no wonder Voada's forces have not extended their reach into Iceport. . . it was only a fraction of the size of Silvershrine.

There were more than just houses in the village. A smithy was nearer to the forest, but was also made out of wood; a man and woman were busy there, wearing black blacksmith's aprons and gloves. They were both Grays. The burly man was ginger, with a long beard and broad shoulders, while the woman was smaller. She had raven-black hair and a thin face. The blacksmiths sold any number of weapons and armor, and were actually quite good at their craft.

Next to the blacksmith was another dark wooden building, with a sign in the front. It read "Gromm's Goods", with the likeness of a wolf painted onto it. Gromm sold many things, most important from Silvershrine. Clothing, robes, bags, jewelry, maps, books . . . you name it.

Behind the residential area were the only two story buildings in the village -- the inn, which also had a similar sign to Gromm's, with a dragon's head depicted and the letters "The Dragon's Drink Tavern" written over it. The inn was the biggest building there, and travelers from the sea were its main source of income. Beside it was the slightly smaller Seafarer Guildhouse. The Seafarer's were an old group of bounty hunters on the high seas; they rode the waves, hunted sea creatures and pirates for gold, and took travelers aboard.

It would probably smart for them to go to the inn and eat first, and then sift through Gromm's and the smithy for things that would be of use. If they can afford it. The money available to them was in Koa's bag; 200 gold coins. The average sword costed 30 coins. A meal for all ten of them would probably be around 50 coins. They might find some help from a kind lady in the inn, eating alone, though. . . . . . . . overt hint overt hint.

Koa gave a sigh of relief as the small wooden village came into sight. "Finally!" he breathed. His robes and cloak had dried off for the most part, so it was tolerable to wear. But the hike there through the snow, the uncomfortable sleep, lack of food, and overall constant worry had weighed on him greatly, and the sight of an Inn was enough for Koa to pick up the pace.

The village, despite its size, seemed to have everything for them to rest a bit and get on their way to Broma. The Redlands. Why did they have to go? Iceport seemed to be a nice place to start. It was obscure. Maybe Voada wouldn't find it? The jingle of the coins in his pack brought him back to reality, though. Alright, Igmund... he grumbled to himself as he gazed around the village.

"Come on! Let's head to the Inn! I've got some money for us all to spend" he called to his fellow travelers, quickly running towards the large building. Large for Iceport, anyways.

As they entered the city, Garai couldn't help but let out a loud sigh of relief. It wasn't every day he felt this excited to see a strange town so foreign to him, but this place already felt like heaven even though they haven't even had time to sit down yet. Quickly, he followed behind Koa as they worked their way towards the inn. It was a rather interesting building, and the Redlander didn't know how they would be able to afford much of anything around here considering he had no idea how much money the Wavefolk in front of him owned. But, if he had the money, there was a good reason for it, so he followed without question on his aching, blistered feet. It was bad enough that they had to walk in the cold, but walking for such a long time almost nonstop had nearly killed him. He was glad to have any kind of rest now, and this inn, even if they were to sit just in the lobby, was like his sanctuary. He could just picture the warm beds, the security of a building surrounding him, the food... He was sure he was getting his hopes too high, but at this point, he didn't care and just followed.

Akila gave a big yawn as she walked into the village with the others. She was tired, and low on energy, but could keep going because of the motivation of food, and finding a rest place. The Redlander Girl tightened her cloak around her trying to trap warmth in. Her breath came out in small puffs of fog, because of the cold crisp air. Oh how she longed to return to the warmness of the sun, that was shown in the desert back in Drymist.

When she heard Koa say something about an Inn, and Money she was even more awake now. She ran to catch up with him, but stopped as she looked at the Blacksmith, and the Gromm's Goods. I wonder what they have.. She thought as she looked at the shops. The Blacksmith would defiantly be helpful to not just her, but everyone else too. The Goods place could offer dry clothing but as soon as they reach the Redlands they wouldn't need the thick clothing they had here. She turned her head to look for other shop's but instead found out she was getting left behind. She quickly spun on her foot and ran to catch up with the others, narrowly avoiding people who got in her way.

Elden was very tired of walking, slumped over slightly with his bag resting over his shoulder. Oh, was this village a sight to see! He wanted to leap up and shout for joy, if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't ten. Nevertheless, a weak smile crept over his face when Koa mentioned an inn.

"A bed sounds nice. said he, though in a light voice. He then looked around at the various houses of the village. "A tavern would make my day as well."
He had been grumpy lately duento his inability to feed his addiction. It would be nice to get some alcohol; just some. He yawned, bringing a hand to his mouth as his blue eyes studied the area.

Silya hadn't been doing much honestly other than staring at the ground quietly near the entire time. She had stuck to the back of the group, eying the footprints made in the snow as she trailed behind. She was still shivering, and although her clothes had dried for the most part, she was a little stiff from sleeping up in the tree; having been used to so many years of a cheap, but comfortable bed. She didn't break out of her little trance until Koa had pointed out the town ahead. The tree elf perked up as her thoughts echoed his. 'Finally!' Warmth and people and food - Alma, she was starving!

Now, while she was sixteen - and also not ten - she was still rather, well ... Silya-ish. The short girl did a complete jump for joy, throwing her hands in the air and everything. "We're here!" She shouted happily, quickly rushing up to the front of the crowd, impatient for the ones still moving slowly. "Come on, come on! Let's go! I want to eat already!" She grinned, picking her victim - she grabbed Elden by the robe and started dragging him backwards, rushing twords the inn.

Silya only let him go after she reached the front door of building, having to much energy and impatience to knock or just push it open gently, the elf brought one leg up and kicked the door; creating a large - echoing 'BANG'. It slammed open so harshly, the poor thing nearly fell off the hinges . "HELLOOOOOOO~ !!" She shouted merrily, fists against her waist. "Table for ten please, and make it snappy!! I'm starving!"

"H-hey!"
Silya sure was strong for her size. Elden almost fell numerous amount of times as the tree elf dragged him along. How impatient. As they reached the inn, he was able to break lose, grumbling to himself and dusting his damp robe off.

"Silya, don't be rude to the innsfolk. Let's wait for the others before trying to get food. A room would be nice first as well." he said, smiling awkwardly at a maid. Ooooh, how embarrassing. He spotted by tne front desk, though, a small bar. That was a plus, and Elden was already in a better mood. He watched the others, who looked tiny from how far away they were. Had Silya really dragged him that far?

Koa's face was bright red and an apologetic expression was on his face as he looked at the lady behind the counter, as if to say sorry by just that. He walked forward sheepishly, digging through his bag and grasping the thick purse. He felt the cold metal of the pick and nearly had a heart attack. It'd be best not to let anybody see that. he told himself, firmly picking up the bag and placing it on the wooden counter. Living in Silvershrine with so many other races, it was hard to forget that not everybody in Fourstones had forgotten their prejudices. It was bad enough that the Tree Elf and Snow Elf had practically broken the door down, let alone their race and all the stereotypes surrounding it. He silently prayed to Alma that she was more open-minded than most Grays.

"Sorry about that." Koa, regaining himself as he excused the two Elves. "We need a room for ten for the night, and also some food. We haven't eaten in awhile. How much will it be?" he asked, choosing not to bring up Silvershrine and the desperate hike there. Please don't ask too many questions...

It isn't till you have to walk four miles in deep snow, starving and grief stricken when you realize how bad your life is- and how out of shape you are.

Eira was at the end of the group, walking close to Silya but at a comfortable distance. Her boots were damp and her feet pricked painfully from the cold as she kicked through snow. She didn't say anything, although no one did, really. The group was in a solemn, quiet state as the they traveled. She tried not to cause trouble for the others, so she made sure her breath wasn't noticeably to fast or raspy. She was miserable, and didn't want to walk another day in her life.

So when they made it to camp, Eira sighed in relief, her eyes instantly brightening. "Thank the Four, we've made it." She commented, but didn't quicken her pace by much. She chuckled slightly at Silya's excitement. Everyone seemed to be excited, but the elf's reaction was child-like, brightening Eira's mood a bit. Whenever she reached the steps of the Inn, she saw Silya kick down the door. Under the rim of her hood, Eira's eyes widened. "Oh Alma help us..." They wouldn't get mad, would they? She prayed that they could still order food, and the rumbling of her stomach seemed to second that. She walked in after the three, looking at her feet, almost embarrassed to be with the rowdy group.

She looked around the Inn, but it wasn't very oocupied. A young couple here, a pair of men at the bar, a young girl and her mother, and a curious older woman eating alone. Eira noticed the woman's eyes on the group, and she smiled politely, although tentatively. Something about this woman interested her, but she wasn't sure what it was yet.

Something the other races needed to know was that Iceport wasn't exactly a melting pot. Every last man, woman, and child in town was a well-bred Gray, excepting the Seafarer's guild members and the travelers. They were used to, at the inn, other races, but no so many at once. When Silya came in dragging a Snow Elf, the worn-out looking blond woman behind the counter saw a thief and a mage. More accurately: filthy elves. The introduction to the Wavefolk didn't help; they were just as conniving as the Tree Elves. Yvara and Enro were obviously a witch and barbarian -- what else could the Tribals be?

The two Redlanders didn't concern Grelka, and neither did the two Grays or the Fair, but they were traveling with a group of thieves and magic-users. How respectable could they be? Some of them looked no more than teenagers. Ill-mannered, elven teenagers. She was washing out a tankard with a used-looking cloth, narrowing her eyes as the elves walked in.

"You got coin, elves? You get the food. Otherwise, I want nothing to do with ya'," Grelka said, closing her eyes dismissively. "Lissa, we've got customers. Large group by the looks of 'em. Put two tables together and take their orders."

It seemed smaller in the tavern than it looked outside. There was a fireplace at the side of the room, and roughly twelve tables. Three were occupied. From behind the counter came a scantily-clad barmaid, wearing a brown dress with a cloth slung over her shoulder. Her hair was tied back, and she had a cute face and a very appreciable body. The largest tables in the room, which were near the fireplace, were being pushed together. Though the wooden tables were loud and large looking, she moved them with considerable ease. Squeezing ten chairs together, she beckoned them over.

An older woman was just finishing what looked like a glass of water. Dabbing her face with a napkin, she smiled at the orphans. She looked upper class, and was smartly dressed in a long, flowing dark green robe trimmed with fur. She had a golden necklace with a ruby center on, and her graying hair was tied back.

As the group sat, Lissa stood at the end of the table, obscuring their view of the woman. "So, what will it be?" She narrowed her eyes at Silya and Koa. "And you better have coin."

Yvara broke the awkward silence Lissa had initiated, and smiled up at the barmaid. The girl, while pretty, wasn't very nice to outsiders. She returned the Tribal's kind gesture with a grimace. She had sat at the end of the table, closest to where Lissa was standing. "Do you have pheasant breast?" she asked. Lissa's glare suggested a yes. "I'll have that, and potato and leek soup." Their bill was up to about seven gold coins with just Yvara's order. Yvara hoped Koa knew what he was doing.

Lissa shrugged. She hadn't written anything down. "Mum, we have a heavy eater; pheasant, potatoes and leeks."

Yvara blushed hard, suddenly very self-conscious. She dusted off her dirty clothes absentmindedly. She smelled of pine needles.

"Aye," Grelka called back. She wasn't actually her 'mum', that was just a pleasantry among barmaids and their female bosses in Frost. Grelka began to fiddle with pots and pans in the small kitchen behind the counter.

"Next," Lissa said, not meaning to sound as harsh as she did.

Serana quickly ran to the table and sat down. So many of us! These people will be crazy the time we leave! Serana spoke up. "Uh, I'll have the same, just no pheasant, please." She remembered her manners. She looked around the inn, there were people in there, just ordinary people. If only she could be one of those ordinary people. "Where's the restroom?" She asked, looking wildly around. She wanted to check out her arrow and note again, where no one would be suspicious.

As Yvara ordered for her food, it suddenly became tantalizing. "I'll have what she's having, too." Koa butted in after Serana, motioning at the Tribal girl. "And I have the money." Koa added on, dropping the coin purse on the counter. I hope. he didn't know exactly how much was in there, but it was a hell of a lot, and food couldn't be that expensive. He just hoped that it was enough, and on top of that hoped that he'd still have some left over.

Enro shuffled meekly into his seat, self-conscious of him being late to the table, as he had stayed farther back than Eira, just because he didn't want to be in the center of the group in the middle of these people that probably didn't even trust him. He calmly waited until Koa finished ordering, then turned to face Lissa.
"If you have it, could I have lamb stew?" He asked, so far asking in one of the most polite ways yet. He then just looked at the fire, glad for the warmth, and not wanting to have anything to do with Lissa or Grelka.