The chill of the air could sink down to the bone if it was allowed to. Despite the sun rising in the sky, the chill of the morning lingered. A large part of that was due to the gentle misting that was falling upon the earth. But Cromir did not care. The cold was something he had come to enjoy through his life. Something comforting about it, something about how crisp the air always felt when it was breathed in. Unfortunately for the mountain of a man, it was not time to wander around in his mind to chase away his boredom. He actually had something other than knocking over some defenseless carriage to do. Some maggots were going to try to appease him.<br/><br/>Cromir had set himself up in some ruins backed up against a mountain. Some settlers had attempted to set up some kind of town in around these sprawling ruins, but their luck ran out when Cromir came wandering through with his bandits. Their homes within the ruins were sacked but preserved, kept for Cromir's own uses. The bandit's last hideout had been destroyed in an argument between Cromir and the other founding member of their little band of malicious men. Cromir figured that this little shit heap was far enough away from a border not to matter to any government, but close enough to a main road for them to use for their own profession. Sure, it'd take a little longer to get to the nearest town to sell their loot, buy the necessities, and spend their earnings, but Cromir had a good feeling about this place. It also helped that, when they were trying to make a vault and prison in the mountain for the more important things they stole, they had found what was left of a mining operation. The tunnels and caverns were a nice addition if they ever had to fall back.<br/><br/>But now, his encampment had grown. The foliage covered ivory stones shown through the encampment, in the remaining walls, in leftover pillars, and even the floor that was walked on. It was almost like a city, with how the ground only carried the mud brought in by boots. Naturally, the pristine purity of the stone was defiled in an effort to purposefully make this feel more like... home. The biggest addition to the ruins was the wall. Wood -quite obviously taken from the surrounding area- had been sharpened, aligned, and double layered with two of the sides of the ruins, spaced fare enough apart that Cromir could walk in between them. For the side towards the mountain, it was left unfortified, as the mountain some thirty yards away was used as the back wall. Another side, to the right of what would be considered the 'front' of the ruins, was left wider, to accommodate the buildings that Cromir's men built for themselves. This side was eventually encircled by the wooden walls, wrapping around until they reached the mountain, just as the other side did. Both sides of the wooden walls was fortified with stone. The gap was filled with stone to the brim, creating a rampart of sorts.<br/><br/>On the outside of the walls were people. The corpses were in varying states of decay, but the near toxic smell was no where to be found, as if it was never present. However, corpses were not the only things pinned to the walls. Living people -some bandits from other groups, some from Cromir's group, and some that looked to be bounty hunters and normal people- hung from the wooden walls. Their moans were muted, their eyes rolled back into their heads, their skin as pale as death, they simply hung there against the wall. Anyone brave enough to look at this symbol of barbarism would be able to see their veins showing through their skin, especially so when a sickly green pulse made it's way along the veins.<br/><br/>The roof of the ruins was repaired where it needed to be, and scrap wood seemed to have been applied almost at random, making doorways or archways or counters or benches. Whatever could have been made for use. One of the rooms that was left standing seemed to have been made into storage, while another was made into what vaguely looked like a cross between a butcher's workshop and a mess hall. Someone had even set up a stand of some kind, albeit the stand and the goods it was selling was locked behind some proper stone and metal. Some wood served no structural purpose, only standing there to display trophies of beasts and men, or to display macabre works of 'art' that one person or another wanted to make out of a slave or prisoner. Spikes littered the ruins as well as either side area displaying impaled corpses or the still rotting heads of more slaves, prisoners, or some unlucky soul.<br/><br/>In the back, between the mountain and the ruins, a yard was made with buildings hugging the walls and framing this yard. This was where Cromir and his officers slept, as well as the festivities were being held. A stage was the closest thing to the mountains, left over from the beginnings of gallows from the previous inhabitants. On said stage was a throne of sorts, big enough to comfortably house Cromir. And this is where he was as he waited. There were no fights to pass time or settle arguments. The booze had not been rolled out in celebration. Cromir was not making an example out of anyone... yet. The yard was instead filled with a number of Cromir's men as they waited for the other attendants of the meeting.<br/><br/>The first tribe had arrived earlier than they had said they would be, and were led in -almost like cattle- by a group of bandits. The chieftain had roughly a dozen men and women from their tribe with them, most of them looking to be strong fighters, as well as his village's shaman. Among them was what Cromir could only assume was all the money they had and they were guarding it fiercely. While they waited on the other tribe, Cromir had barely listened to their case, with them promising monthly payments of whatever Cromir demands of them, on top of the items and money they had brought with them today. But, after a while, Cromir had grown bored of all of the talking and it had begun to show on his face. Luckily, the chieftain did not need to be given a... hint to shut his mouth, for a bandit came from the front gates, announcing the arrival of the other tribe. They had catfolk among them, from what Cromir had heard from the raiding parties. That was both a point for them and against them. For them, because that would mean that his men could probably abuse their servitude and have some exotic treats every now and then. Against them, animal folk parts sold quite well if you knew the right buyer...