The caravan passed under the great stone gate north of Brightgarden. Two dozen hungry, tired souls alternated between grumbling and exhausted silence as the carts rolled on through the thick spring mud until they finally reached the stone pathways of the city. The carts lurched forward, bumping over cobblestones as commoners and beggars from the poor districts wandered alongside, some even being so bold as to ask for coin and food. The stone buildings gradually rose in height as the carts rolled deeper into the city, and then began to shrink again as the carts neared Cheapside. Towards the center of the city, the clothes of the people became bright and colourful, the fabrics looking breezy and light, and then descended into the dull greys and browns of the cheap wool and leather clothing common to the poor as the carts neared Cheapside.<br/><br/><strong>Eller Tallman</strong>sat next to the driver on the frontmost of the caravan's carts, wiping his sweaty brow with the sleeve of his long shirt. He swiped back his thick black hair and looked back behind him to the six travelers who rode in his cart. There was a pair of humans eloping to Brightgarden to start their new life, a small elf who talked too quickly to be often understood, a dwarven knight who they’d picked up on the road after her pony had died, a sickly old man who Eller hadn’t expected to make it to Brightgarden, and a young half-elf that Eller hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of for the duration of their trip. His thick muscles strained as he twisted to get a view of her in the back of the cart, his leather armour twisting with him as he did.<br/><br/>He had been planning how to woo the lithe young creature for the last few days, when fortune had smiled on him that very morning. The caravan had been held up by a group of bandits and forced to pay their own ransom to continue to the city of Brightgarden. He knew for certain now that the young half-elf had no way of paying for her trip and he would have to resort to other means to exact his toll. Eller licked his lips as he caught the eye of the young woman. She owed him and would pay, one way or another.<br/><br/>The carts slowed as they came to an open space in Cheapside. Some of the buildings were stone, but most were cheap, ram-shackled buildings made of timber, plaster, and thatch, with just enough shelter to keep the elements at bay in the mild cold of a Brightgarden winter.<em>The Dancing Dweomer</em>tavern stood immediately in front of the procession of carts, a handful of other shops were spread out around the edges of the open space.<br/><br/>Eller tapped his driver on the shoulder and rose. He shifted his belt and rested his other hand on the pommel of his longsword still in its scabbard. “Alright you lot, out and about,” he called as he turned to face those travelers in his cart. “Welcome to Brightgarden. Those of you who already paid, get to getting on. Those of you who haven’t paid yet in full, wait here—we’ll figure something out.” He flashed his bright smile as he looked the young half-elf over again.