Up the first flight of stairs there was a clearly written sign reading<em>Drango the Druid</em>Inside the door an unbelievably old gnome stood, speaking to a hedgehog as he tottered back and forth in place. "Keepo, don't say those things... I am sure we can work up a fifteen hundred gold in the next few days. I know people in... our profession are less appreciated but people always rely on nature in the end. She is the power that lets us all live. We'll be fine, Nature will provide."<br/><br/>Drango turned slightly and looked at Jo as she entered the room and tottered forward with an old looking, gnarled staff. "Hello, young lady, do you need something? Oh, look at the wonderful little dire bear! Please let me see that marvelous specimen. What a work of natural art he is!" Drango called out upon seeing Beowulf. He leaned down and inspected the little animal. "You have a shrink collar on him, a good way to keep everyone from getting hurt with an animal normally so big." Drango inspected Beo's teeth and claws and everything else about him. "What a handsome specimen he is. I have never seen a bear so well taken care of. You must be quite the druid even at your age, yes. What did you say your name was again, miss? Jo'anna, was it?" The strangest part was that Drango hadn't ever been given Jo's name yet he knew it. "Well I trust someone like you, such a wondrous druid already, needs no help from this old man. Council only, perhaps? speaking with another of the faith maybe. Come have some herb tea with me and my partner, Keepo. Say hello Keepo." The little hedgehog made a barking sound at Jo.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, in the floor below, Elda sat at the table with her stew, sipping at the bowl slowly. "It is wonderful to meet you Atreyus! I love adventuring personally. I collect magical items and artifacts. My maul here is just one such item I have collected in the last hundred years of battling great evils as repayment to the side of good which I have found the true way." Elda hauled her maul into the air with a single hand, the gigantic thing too big even for a normal maul and made of adamantine. "It's such a wonderful weapon. It changes to a great scythe or a full blade when I wish it." At this the maul changed to a great black adamantine scythe and then to a seven and a half foot long sword and then back to the maul.