Knowing that weeks or perhaps longer of camping, old roads, dusty ruins, and bloodthirsty monsters lay ahead of them, Maria threw herself unabashedly into the life of the party. The people celebrating seemed quite eager to accept her, beautiful as she was as she spun in crimson robes about a bonfire she had lit, red hair dancing in the firelight. Pyrothurgy was always appreciated at a large party, as she set off a bevvy of powerful fireworks from her fingertips, glowing in the praise from the revelers around her. Brilliant but harmless explosions of multicolored fire danced, burst, and popped in the air, adding to the merry atmosphere so heartily embraced before the grim specter of morning came. Maria was more than happy to drink, laugh, dance, and fuck the night away.<br/><br/>With the dawn came with the cock's call, Maria rose groggily from her rented bed, extricating her nude body, rank with sweat and sex, from the slumbering bodies of several partners she had indulged. Luckily for her magic was just as good a mundane tool as a supernatural one. A water spell to clean her skin to a glistening freshness, an air spell to give her hair that lift she so thoroughly enjoyed, and she was ready to go. She had been barely up ten minutes, still pulling on her traveling cloak and adjusting the top of her dress around her breasts when she joined her new compatriots and their mysterious and crippled guide who named himself Igney.<br/><br/>She stepped lightly, though not with great experience. She lagged a little behind the more experienced and rough of their party, but made no complaint as she worked to keep pace. Good impressions were hard to make, after all, and she didn't want to come across as dead weight.<br/><br/>The clearing they stopped in was suitable as a campsite, though the proximity to these magical ruins unsettled her somewhat. She had glanced at them, but she lacked the resources and clarity of mind to make much sense of them, and had settled for sitting on her bag of supplies as a cushion, gathering some stones and tinder to make an understated campfire which burned brightly at a snap from her fingers.<br/><br/><span style="color: #ff0000">"Here's hoping it's gold or something useful."</span>She said at their guide's jest and the orc's understated response.<span style="color: #ff0000">"He's got the right of it" </span>She gestured to Grummush with a smirk.<span style="color: #ff0000">"Men and women aren't too hard to come by. Gold's never given me a disappointing night though."</span><br/><br/>She passed an envious look to Grummush's flagon before adding almost as an afterthought<span style="color: #ff0000">"Maria Ballard's the name, by the way. Professional Pyrothurgist."</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>