<div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/df/Tavern.png)</div><br/><strong>The Vine and Horn Inn and Tavern</strong><br/>One step in the door of the Vine and Horn Inn and Tavern and the din of voices washed over one with the sticky scent of amber ale, leather, and oiled steel. Amberdale's hotspot of adventure was brimming from dawn to dusk, and only a little more restrained from dusk til dawn. Maybe it was the rooms on credit, or the taproom on tab, or maybe it was the company. Lovely and fascinating creatures from all corners of creation threw together for one more night of adventure, one more quest, the promise of something new and thrilling and dangerous. It had a culture all its own, and even the gentle folk of Amberdale were not immune to its mystique.<br/><br/>Over a sea of knife-gouged tables peppered with maps, ledgers, and quest offers, the tavern's necessarily tall and double doors faced the shallow stage where one of those gentle natives was volunteering a little entertainment. The catcalls didn't faze her, but renewed the confidence in her smile. A wag of her finger- no, this wasn't<em>that </em>kind of show. There were other places for that kind of thing. Above all others, there was one out there who had her back. Bianca scanned out over the gleaming eyes of strangers to find the one face equally warm and beaming and eager as her own. There she found Gianna sitting alone, giving her the universal sign for<em>embrace your inner saucy wench. </em><br/><br/>A sturdy shield whose old wounds had been lacquered over drew across Gianna's lap, and she provided the simple rhythm of tavern song with her fingers.<em>Tap-tap, tap-tap-tsh. Tap-tap, tap-tap-tsh. </em>Bianca received the rhythm with her hips, and nodded. A single digit informed everyone she was about to sing. There was a young woman's confidence in signaling a whole tavern full of armed and randy ne'er-do-wells to hush.<br/><br/><em>♫ We have been set<br/>♪ On a for-profit quest<br/>♪ To retrieve a mysterious amulet </em><br/><br/>Her skirt hiked in her fingers so her legwork could be seen. It swayed to and fro to tug at her hips like a veiled dancer, but this wasn't about her body. This was about the life of adventure.<br/><br/><em>♫ A witch us all beseeched<br/>♪ To travel to the East<br/>♪ And we figured she seemed legit </em><br/><br/>Gianna spared a turn to spy the newest faces coming in the doors. If her rhythm faltered just a beat, no harm done- a tavern song was made by its imperfection. A handful of voices joined Bianca for the chorus, untrained voices, slurring voices, too-loud voices, and the young lady on stage jumped with delight.<br/><br/><em>♫ Under the stars<br/>♪ We've traveled so far<br/>♪ To the East is where we must go <br/>♪ Miss our homes<br/>♪ Cold to our bones<br/>♪ But that is what dub dub is for </em><br/><br/>A rhythm of stomping heels and thumping mugs drowned out Gianna's tinny drum. The performance hopped down from the stage and stormed the crowd, trying to kick up a dance by bringing the spotlight with her right to a stranger's lap if necessary.<br/><br/><em>♫ In the shadow of the ruins<br/>♪ Of the Pale-Blood Castle<br/>♪ The wills of lesser men would fade </em><br/><br/><em>♫ But our minds are set<br/>♪ And we really want to get<br/>♪ Back to drinking until we pass out </em><br/><br/><em>♫ Under the stars<br/>♪ We've traveled so far<br/>♪ To the East is where we must go <br/>♪ Miss our homes<br/>♪ Cold to our bones<br/>♪ But that is what dub dub is for </em><br/><br/>(Song credit: Bonesword - In the Shadow of the Ruins of the Pale-Blood Castle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GsPncPzQN8))<br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/8e/Woods1.jpg)(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/8a/Woods2.jpg)(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/a/a6/Tavernmap.gif)</div>