So much for peace and quiet.<br/><br/>That's all Caerdain had wanted when he'd come to this place... A real bed, a bath to wash away the fatigue of his travels, and a bottle of whiskey to wash away the fatigue of his failures. He's been searching for a year now, and every town he's been to has either had nothing to say... or worse, liars looking to take his money for a false lead. No matter... it had taken a month, but the last liar is under the ground now, and Caerdain's not about to let himself be fooled a second time. Doesn't take away the sting, though... that's what the whiskey was for.<br/><br/><em>Was</em>being the operative word here.<br/><br/>He's barely even a fifth of the way into the bottle when he hears the noises... like a stampede running in the halls. For just a moment, Caerdain wonders if the "informant's" friends have come to avenge his death, and he draws Skybite from its sheath, idly fingering the vibrantly colored scarf that hangs from the weapon's hilt as he stalks to the door, throwing it wide and readying himself for...<br/><br/>A naked girl, a green dog, and a swarm of vermin, running through the halls like some kind of Sczarni comedy troupe. If it weren't for the fact that the woman looked terrified, he'd be listening for the musicians and their brass-horns.<br/><br/>"Hmph. This house needs better cats, if there are that many rats about..." Even after a year of traveling, the Shoanti accent in Caerdain's voice is still prominent. And of course, he's talking to himself again... though ninety percent of the time, it's either talk to himself or talk to Moira, and who knows which is worse.<br/><br/>For a moment, Caerdain is tempted to just shut the door, forget he'd seen anything, and go back to his bottle... but curiosity is a powerful thing, and the man finds himself slinging his blade over his shoulder, the metal cold even through the rough blue cloth of his tunic, and follows the herd down the hallway. Either she'd fend off the creatures, someone else would help her, or if he got there in time he would... but to be perfectly honest, the man isn't expecting much more than that.<br/><br/>So imagine his surprise when he walks up to the party's open door...<br/><br/>"What in the nine hells?!"