The task seemed simple enough.<br/><br/>Along the more desolate fringes of the Shattered Plains, towards where the human lands ended and the elven forests have not quite started, lay the ruins of a tower and its surrounding castle compound in dusty wilderness with sparse vegetation. Once upon a time, about three or four hundred years ago, it was said a cabal of mages from both races gathered here upon a potent leyline leading out from the Shattered Plains to study the effects of the warping magic that ancient archmagi had left in their wake. But that cooperation came to an end for reasons unknown, and the cabal disbanded except for a few who remained. And of those who remained, none returned to their lands, and probably met the natural end of their lives in that place, which has since fallen into ruin.<br/><br/>Her task was to explore the ruins, take whatever she could find, especially tomes and runes, and bring it back to the Arcane Academy of Endor. Of course any magical items, gold, and treasure she might find was hers to keep, along with the reward promised by the Council of Magic that ran the academy. The place was of especial bother to magic users, for the shifting tides of arcane energy meant that spells might act in unexpected ways, or not even manifest at all. That was why none of the wizards or sorcerers were willing to venture to this place.<br/><br/>She was right now on her way via a quiet horse drawn carriage bringing travellers to this area, and they were at the last regular stop-over point, the little village of Serendan. The only other passenger for this last leg, a middle aged man who was here to visit his hometown, bade her a pleasant wave and got out of the carriage, closing the door behind him. There was just her alone in the carriage for now, and though she had verbally mentioned it before getting on, she had paid no more than the usual to get to Serendan.<br/><br/>The carriage door opened once more and she would see the driver of the carriage staring at her. Rathgar was a tall, broad shouldered but lean man, with a rugged beard and not much hair under his broad brimmed hat, and the stick he tended to chew on was still in his mouth as he looked her up and down. The beard made it hard to guess his age accurately, he might be as young as twenty five but he carried himself with a sureness of experience, so maybe a bit more than that.<br/><br/>"All right, lady, let's talk." He murmured as he clambered in and closed the door of the carriage behind him, the dust of the road clinging on to his heavy brown coat, at his side was a bastard sword that he wore like a longsword, and on his back was a composite longbow with a reinforced frame. "So, let's see if I understood you right. You are headed for the ruins about one days carriage ride from here, and you want me to bring you into those blasted lands, and wait there until you're done, yeah? Well, I'm a straight shooter, and I can tell you, those places to the north beyond this town ain't exactly safe, and I haven't been out there for months. Weather's been getting stranger, and I can feel trouble's coming this way. There's always been bad beasties out there, I've dealt with some in my time, but my gut is telling me it's going to be worse. So, you sure you want to get going out there?"<br/><br/>He was gruff yet earnest, and on a normal day it might not be entirely clear to Annette if he was giving her warning or if he wanted to ask for a higher price. However, she had been studying him during stop-overs their few days travel together, and there was something about his assured, can-do tone that she would understand even though she wasn't normally that interested in what people had to say beyond the obvious.<br/><br/>He was offering to help, but at the same time, he genuinely thought it was dangerous and he wanted to be recompensed well for it. He would probably ask for a high price, and she hadn't that much gold, or he would ask for a cut of what she found which might or might not be more than what she was willing. And if she didn't agree to his terms, he would just let her off here to find her way out to the ruins on her own. If she made it worth his while, he might even be a worthy ally, and there could be rumors that he was aware of which would give her better warning of what was going on around here.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Summary: At 2019-03-08 09:17:36, Melendrith (uid: 61033) rolls: 1d20 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=131883)<br/><br/>Full Result: Melendrith rolled: 1d20<br/>Comment: Annette Insight<br/>Result: 20, <br/>Total: 20<br/></div></div>