Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

She exhaled in relief as she took off her layers of clothing she'd been trapped in for months. With every bit of skin exposed, a more complete story Anya was told. She was not simply a beautiful girl with a beautiful voice. The bruises on her thighs and wrists marked where strong greedy hands had been... Burn marks travelled up along her spine and then wrapped to her right side, remnants of a childhood trauma that had shaped her entire life...

She winced as she slid into the bath, in more pain than she cared to let anyone see, but since she was alone, the cry of discomfort escaped. The water burned, but she lowered herself beneath the surface anyway, scrubbing away the nightmarish memories of her travels which stubbornly clung to her skin. 

Just as her body relented to the water and her pain began to dissipate, she stood. It was a rule she had learned long ago from the only person who had ever looked out for her. *When things get comfortable, move on.* Grabbing a towel, she dried herself, putting her long dark locks half up in braids, letting some cascade loosely over one shoulder. From her pack she produced a deep burgundy gown, laying it on the bed to press out the wrinkles. So much rode on this Council... She had to make an impression. Once dressed, she strapped her harp to her back and exited the room, locking it behind her as she made her way back down to Arin. Her eyes narrowed as she approached him. "You alright? You look... Unnerved. I don't look THAT bad do I?" She grinned as she did a twirl for him, the hem of the gown lifting in an elegant blur of deep red.
Charles
Belladonna of Taemar
Carriage along the streets, Vallen, Taemar

It had been... How much had it been? Days? Weeks? The sorceress felt like every minute was a year of torture for her. Posing as a servant for a spoiled noble had been Belladonna's worst idea to date. Anything for getting information.

At least the noble had good taste in wine, and the carriage was quite comfortable. 

"*At least you have parents to complain about*" The sorceress thought to herself while finishing her glass.

She looked out of the window, finding comfort in seeing her raven following the carriage close. Bella couldn't wait for the moment to wear her regular gowns again, not to mention how much she missed properly styling her dark brown waves. 

The posing maid was brought back to the present by the Lady's voice. A warm and perfectly practiced smile was instantly drawn on her face, it was practically impossible to tell it was mostly fake. 

"Do not worry, we're not far. I would say we will reach the Council before noon, My Lady" She stimated. It wasn't often that she had visited Vallen in other occasions, but the sorceress still recognized the paths they were crossing "I must agree in the wine crisis though, I could murder for another bottle" 

Bella eyed the monkey, her face back to being as impassive as per usual. Little funny creature, a bit of a rascal deep within. She didn't dislike it. Maybe it could be trained for mischievous purposes, who knew. 

"Because the plague hasn't dared to cross Taemarian borders, it's the safest place for an event of this category..."

"*And therefore the perfect place for succulent and useful information*" That part she kept it in her mind. 

"Do not worry My Lady" With a sympathetic expression on her face, she smiled once again to Surany "You will be safe, and I'm sure they will not have *The Lady of the Wine* Herself in their event without celebrating"
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Taemar**

Councilor Wilhelmina Ulster was absolutely wiped. The ride from Castle Barrmount to the site of the Council had been one with few stops, gods forbid sleep. Not since her escape. Paranoia that Nathaniel's men were hunting her down spurred her to keep going. Her entrance to Taemar and the council had not been the one she was planning or expecting. Rather than a luxurious comfortable carriage with her luggage and entourage of servants, she came in alone, cold, and tired. She was still in her black funeral dress, which wasn't the ornate crimson one she was planning on wearing, but she supposed it would have to do. After all, circumstances change, and the ones she was coming under were most dire. Fears ticked through her mind as she made her way to the meeting place. Was she too late? Had all the Barrmounts been slaughtered by Nathaniel since her escape? Would the Council even care? Would they listen? Would everything she had done been for naught? 

She thought she saw some familiar faces, but fatigue had dulled her senses. She desperately needed to find somewhere to sleep. 

Eventually, she saw an inn and rode up to it. She hitched Dale to the post and patted his side. "Thank you, Dale. I know you worked very hard to get us here. I'll make sure you get extra food from here on out. After all, you did save my life back there." She smiled and hugged his neck before tiredly entering the inn and sitting at a table. She could barely stay awake, and she laid her head in her arms on the table in a daze. This really had not been her week.
Sarah
Arin Cragton
Taemar

"It's.. Fine. I'm fine." He said, clearly shaken up. He finally took another breath and looked up, before his breath was taken again. "You look..."

Arin studied the way the gown seemed to draw out the colors of her skin, and the way the light seemed to reflect on her now clean hair. She was clearly beautiful, that much was obvious. "You look stunning. Though until the actual council begins I think you should keep that gown clean. But I think it's time *I* Clean up as well." He said, standing up. "I've paid for the room for 3 days, and you can come and go as you please. I will be back soon unless you want to join me." He said with a smile. 

He turned and walked to his room and closed the door. He let out a breath of relief and opened the chest that had his belongings. He pulled out a pair of rough clothes and drew his bath slowly. That girl was... Something entirely different than what he was accustomed to. He couldn't place it but she reminded him of someone he used to know. 

He slowly pulled the shirt off, the marks from the night before still present. Dried blood caked his side, and when he entered the water the gash on his side felt like it was set ablaze. He grimaced and lowered himself slowly to grow as accustomed to the temperature as he could. He finally felt his body relax, and his only thoughts became quiet. He was at peace.
Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

She wasn't quite comfortable with following him up to the room, she didn't want him to think she was prowling. The last thing she wanted right now was intimacy anyway after what she'd been through. The bruises were not yet healed.

The newcomer caught her attention, for one, because it was a woman. The frantic, exhausted air told Anya that the girl had been through hell, and her heart sympathized. Self preservation told her to stay put where she sat, but then she thought to herself that with all the connections she'd be trying to make at Council, she might as well practice. Hesitating a moment longer, she finally stood and grabbed a plate of food and a drink from her table and approached the woman, who looked to be almost passed out.

"Excuse me, miss...? Everything alright?"
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Taemar**

She slowly raised her head to look at the other woman. Her eyes had dark circles under them. It was clear she had not slept for a few days. "I... I'm sorry? Are you talking to me?" She asked wearily.
Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

"Oh my." Anya sat herself across from the stranger and pushed the food towards her. "You don't have to tell me anything but..." She glanced around the room at the swarthy, seedy looking men and whispered. "Best not be alone in a place like this in the state you're in you know?" She offered a smile and gestured to the plate. "Please, eat something, you look like you need it."

Normally she would have been fine leaving a stranger to their own life, but after her experience lately, she found more compassion, especially to other women. "You've been travelling far I presume? Are you here for the Council?" It was a silly question, everyone was here for the Council, but she was trying to make conversation.
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Taemar**

Wilhelmina was surprised at the stranger's compassion for her. She wasn't expecting anyone in a place like the inn to talk to her, but she wasn't one to turn down companionship. "Oh. Thank you. I have not eaten for a couple of days. I appreciate this greatly, ma'am." She managed to give Anya a tired smile and began to eat. 

After swallowing her bite she continued. "Yes... I am indeed here for the council" Her voice at that point took a somber and pained tone, the memories of events the few days prior still fresh on her mind.
Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

Anya could see the pain pass through the stranger's eyes, so she gave her a moment to eat in silence before smiling. "I'm Anya, by the way." She pushed the cup towards the woman. "I'm a traveling minstrel hoping to make a name for myself I guess." 

She didn't want to pry, the woman seemed distraught, so she thought talking about herself might take her mind off whatever was so troublesome. "I've spent years traveling from town to town and village to village to play, making very little... Lately I'm thinking being on the road alone all the time maybe isn't the most fulfilling of destinies, so I'm seeing if I can't catch some attention among all the big shots here at the Council. Maybe I can begin actually making a living on my own you know?"
Wyatt
*Golifred Ironbeard
Outskirts of Vallen, Taemar.*


As he continued to ride forth on Miss Bonnibell, Golifred couldn't help but feel alienated compared to most if not everyone here. On his way he had spotted several large wagons, men on horseback, and even the occasional horse-drawn carriage – yet here he was riding on a boar. Though he didn't typically worry about such things, he still felt anxious about the events that would unfold over the next few days – was he going to get any business? Maybe. Were people going to treat him poorly? Without a doubt. These ideas and others raced around his mind as the boar came to a slow halt, sniffing the ground in front of a massive oak tree. They had gone off the road about 50 meters, the town still in view but far enough away that people wouldn't openly spot them from the road. Bonnibell had maneuvered her way through various bushes and shrubbery on the search of something to eat, so the location was purely coincidental.

**"Aye, good job there Missus Bonnibell! Yur keen nose have found us a free bed!"** 

He slid off the boar's back with a gleeful smile, eager to begin setting up camp for the coming days. Your typical person wouldn't see a tree and go "I'll just camp there, methinks!", but Golifred was not your typical person. Due to his small height and compact size, he didn't need much to feel content or at home, just about anywhere as long as he wasn't on a boat. He hated those damned things. 

He began by grabbing a shovel off of one of the packs that hung on Bonnibell's makeshift saddle. Holding it in both hands, he began digging furiously at the base of the tree where little grass grew, making a dugout about 3 feet wide and 2 feet across - and making sure not to disrupt the tree's fragile roots and he dug a foot below the surface of the ground. When that was finished, he grabbed a tanned hide off of the other side of the Boar's saddle, along with some nails he fashioned himself - and began hitting the nails into the oak's base,  the hide over the dugout like a roof. He then pinned one of the corners to the ground outside the dugout with a wooden stake, and kept the other open as an entrance - he had a makeshift dwarven survival shelter up within the hour, and waited for more arrivals in Vallen before leaving.
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Taemar**

As she ate, Wilhelmina raised her eyebrows at the mentioning of being a minstrel, and that she wanted to meet some of the 'big shots' within the council. She smiled and brushed a bang out of her face. 

"Wilhelmina Ulster. Iron Plaines Councilor of Agriculture. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Anya" She was more than happy to help this woman get established if she could. After all, Anya had given her a kindness, and she was keen to repay it.
Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

Anya blinked in surprise. "... The ... Iron Plaines..." She sat up straighter. "Umm I'm so sorry, I had no idea, you didn't you know... Look." She cleared her throat and took a breath to compose herself before she said something stupid.

"I don't mean to pry, I just. Someone of your rank shouldn't be in a place like this... Alone. Weren't you accompanied on your journey? It's no small distance from the Iron Plaines."
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulsted**
**Taemar**

She smiled tiredly and shrugged. "I was supposed to be. You know, coming here with a carriage, luggage, servants. Something more befitting my status if you could call it that. Personally, I don't care much about all that, but that's besides the point. I was attending a funeral at Castle Barrmount. I do not know if you know of it." She sighed and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and pointer finger. 

"During the funeral, the skeleton lord Nathaniel Vivayn laid siege to the castle. He had been laying waste to the innocent population, slaughtering them in droves. He and his legion are monsters, with no care for innocent lives." The disdain for Nathaniel was very apparent in her voice. It was more than that. Wilhelmina Ulster would never say she hated anyone, but for Nathaniel Vivayn she made an exception. To slaughter innocent families was unforgivable. 

"I barely escaped with my life. I rode basically nonstop from Castle Barrmount to here so that I may warn the council of Nathaniel's attack. I had no sleep and no supplies. It was not an easy journey, especially considering I had to watch my back the whole time."
Sarah
Arin Cragton
Taemar 

Arin finally emerged from the steaming water, cleaner than he had been in a very long time. He shook the water out of his hair and walked over to the cracked mirror in the corner of the room, wiping his eyes. He glanced in the mirror and studied his face. It was getting thin, his cheekbones becoming more prominent. Nothing terrible though, so he dried his hair and face and got dressed slowly. 

He hummed a tune as he made his way out of the small room. He rubbed his shoulder as he walked down the stairs, but stopped to make sure his boots were tight enough. He stood up and stomped, and finally his foot slid all the way to the end of the boot, and he kept walking, making his way to the main room of the tavern. 

He noticed the pair, and paused for a moment. He rubbed his necklace softly before approaching.

"Hello. Am I... Interrupting anything?" He asked, moving closer to the pair.
Kim
Anya Eversong
Taemar

Anya hung on every word that Wilhelmina spoke. She felt for the woman, and understood now why she was in such a state. She had heard of Nathaniel, of course. Everyone had, but she'd never met someone who'd been affected by his cruelty. 

"That's terrible! You poor thing, you must be so exhausted!"

She looked up at Arin as he approached. "Arin, this is Wilhelmina Ulster, of the Iron Plaines. She's just come from Castle Barrmount and has seen some horrible things at the hand of that scoundrel Nathaniel." 

She thought a moment. "Arin, I'll find somewhere to camp, let her have the bed..." She turned to Wilhelmina. "And i'll lend you my gown, there's no way you're going before the council looking like that."

Anya had heard rumors on her travels of the horrors that took place at Nathaniel's hands, and in this moment she knew Wilhelmina's impression upon the Council would be far more important than her own.
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Taemar**

"It's a pleasure to meet you" She was astounded at Anya's kindness. First it was the plate of food and front of her and now she was offering to give up her bed and let her borrow a gown which was a far better option than her funeral dress. Wilhelmina was going to make sure she repaid the kindness in full. 

"You do not have to do that for me, Miss Anya. Truly, you don't. The only thing I am looking to gain from this council is assistance in repelling Nathaniel from Barrmount Council and the Plaines at large. Too many people have died by their blades."

She paused for a second, and thought for a moment. "Well, that, and ensuring that the citizens of Iron Plaines get the help they need. They're starving. Nobody's working the few farms that we have because they're dying of either starvation or the plague. I care for them, and I don't want any more to die because they lack the basic necessities" She truly cared about the citizens and hated seeing them in such deplorable conditions. Unlike many in the nobility, she wanted to make sure their needs were met.
Wayne
*Hildergarde Vos*
*Taemar* 
 
 Hildegarde took deep breaths as she rode into Vallen, trying unsuccesfuly to still her nerves. She couldn't help but run through all the tragic or embarassing scenarios that might befall her on this journey. Everything she had experienced since leaving Brindelle was untreaded ground, and even though she'd dreamed of adventuring her entire life, part of her just longed to give up and go back home. On the way here she had witnessed death, disease, and poverty for what was really the first time in her life. She had never truly realised how sheltered she was. 
 



 I will not go back with my tail behind my legs' she told herself as she dreamed of familiar comforts 'I will go back in glory". The world felt big and scary right now, but she did her best summon some courage and ride on. 

 
 
 Around tragic scenario number 200, Hildegarde reached the heart of Vallen. For a moment she forgot her worries as she looked around in wonderment as hogs walked the streets, letters and packges strapped to their backs. She went around for a bit, taking in the sights and sounds of the city and looking for a suitable inn from the many around the area. She settled for a lively establishment right in the center of town, where a large variety of people were already drinking and making merry, though the sun was yet had yet to set.
Sarah
Arin Cragton
Taemar

Arin nodded. "You both can take the room. I can just as easily sleep somewhere else, even if that means I sleep on the street." He said, sitting down at the small table. "It won't be the first, nor will it be the last. Go ahead, just enjoy it." He said, leaning back slowly. 

"The bed is big enough if you both share, so you don't have to try and apologize to each other until one of you relent." He said, grinning. He took another gulp of ale and dropped it onto the table. "Though it's up to you two."
Kathleen
Professor Viola Godwin
An inn within Vallen

To most, the professor of fae studies from the college of Azarya was not someone that could contribute much to the council of Taemar. Perhaps they *Are* Right. But Viola had her reasons for attendance.

The professor had secured her, well, his invitation to the council through suspicious means a few months in advance and had been staying in her family home until about a week and a half ago, when she set out to Vallen alone, hair pinned into a man's style and in men's clothes.

Travelling alone was safer under the guise of Valentine and with a brother's sword at her hip. She travelled on a chestnut mare with a covered cart, stopping at inns along the road at nightfall, playing cards and dice games with other patrons, drinking and having a smoke until she retired to bed and then headed on again in the morning.

Valentine reached Vallen in the early afternoon and found an inn immediately. She payed the stable boy to take care of her horse and cart, even tipping him to ensure it - though she took the contents (a few cylinder shaped document holders and a travel back of clothes and other necessities) inside with her.

In her newly purchased and locked room, she shoved the cylinders under the bed and put her bag on a chair in the corner, taking out a journal from between a doublet and a shirt. The journal was leather-bound and tattered, pages stuck out from inside and as she flipped through pages of sketches, research and theories, she began a new account. Starting it:

*The council of Vallen*

*Arrived in Vallen after noon, bought a room and settled in. Nerves have begun to settle in. Valentine will attend meetings within the next few days - will update as they progress.*
Wyatt
*Golifred Ironbeard
Outskirts of Vallen, Taemar*

It wasn't long after he finished the dugout hole that he'd be living in that Golifred felt hungry. The journey had been long and he ate all of his provisions – he could thank his Dwarven genes for an immense appetite. Once he was fully unpacked, he tied Miss Bonnibell's leash to the tree and went off in the search of some good food and drink.

The air began to stir as the afternoon breeze brought the smells of the city to Golifred's senses – initially it made him feel like gagging, due to its pungent smell of human stink. But then something else greeted his nose... The smell of cooked meat and alcohol. This smell he liked, in fact, this smell Golifred loved. He could not identify what foods were being cooked or what was being drunk, but the odor was so intense that he had to go find out about it for himself. 

Following his nose, the half-dwarf soon heard the songs and laughter of what seemed like pirate folk. He was unfamiliar with pirates and sea voyages, due to his hatred for water and water travel, but Golifred had a certain amount of respect for them. They thrived in what he feared, and that itself seemed like something that was worthy of notice in the eyes of the half-dwarf.

He made it to the road instead of hiding in the bushes like a short bearded creeper, and slowly made his way towards the jolly bunch. He was unarmed except for a dagger on his hilt, but he did bring money and items to barter if the pirate folk would be so kind as to share some food and ale with him.