Avegnum Nor, warrior extraordinaire, comes stumbling out of the nameless tavern mid-Sharn and barely manages to arrest his momentum before he is flattened by the early morning traffic. The stench of ale is heavy on his breath but as his eyes adjust to the brightness of the light outside, he utters an unintelligible curse. Looking around he spots a water trough for traveler's mounts and dunks his entire head into the water to knock some sense back into himself. Gasping and hacking up alcohol scented phlegm, he slicks back his brown locks and stares at the reflection of his face in the rippling water.
Only a handful of years ago he had been human... but now a face, a stranger still, peers back at him. The only remnants of his past life that he still recognized were the piercing blue eyes that had been hardened ever since their unmitigated failures and the menial work that had been assigned to them. Feeling more sure of his body, Avegnum sets off for the Wanderer's Inn, a House Ghallandra establishment three levels up. So many things had taken... unexpected turns, but a slight softening of his features were the only sign that his mood had improved at the thought of meeting up with Vel Biggleton.
* * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, Vel Biggleton's eyes just opened as his nose detected the delightful scents wafting from the kitchen down one of the back halls of the Wanderer's Inn. Feeling cozy under the covers, Vel rolls over and is about to fall asleep when he leaps out of bed with a wide grin. Donning his armor and checking that his wands, gear, and bags were all in place he leaves his room and moves towards the kitchen to round up food. Seeing a number of halflings in the hall, he gives a polite "Good Morning" to each of them and smiles broadly as they respond in kind, they are his family after all. Making way for a halfling bearing a tray laden with food as she comes out of the kitchen, Vel's stomach grumbles at the sight before he slips into the already blazingly warm and busy room.
A halfling matron wearing a green dress with a white apron over top is stirring a sweet smelling porridge with one hand and as soon as Vel enters, she points to him without looking and then to a tray set aside on a high shelf. She has burnished bronze hair and her arms are thick with muscle from the countless hours she spent working in the kitchen. Speaking with motherly concern Tera Biggleton says, "About time you were up m'dear. You'd better get your belongings and eat that food out in the common room so that you can be ready for when Mr. Goodbarrel gets here. Oh, you're father's out there too."
"Thanks Mom, wish me luck," Vel replies as he snags the tray and wends his way around the busy kitchen halflings. Entering the partially filled common room, due to the early hour, he takes one of the least favorable tables, so that actual patrons could have the better ones, and begins to scarf the toast, eggs, beans, mushrooms, and bacon on his plate. Just as he's finishing his food Mosco Biggleton joins him at his table and snags the last piece of bacon with a smile. The older halfling man has brown hair and twinkling green eyes, actually very similar to his "son's", and while he wears the fine clothes of a well to do inn keeper, the lightness of his step and the faint scars on his arms and neck belies the fact that he certainly has other skills.
"Setting out again, are ye? I hope you're being careful. This adventuring you're doing is a lot more dangerous than actual merchant work."
"I know, father, but even if I did simply travel on the roads I could still be encountering monsters and bandit ilk. Besides, my companions are great! I'm sure they can protect me. I'm lucky you found Alton to look out for me when I was starting off, but I really enjoy what we're doing now. I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Very well. Just let your mother or I know if there's anything we can do to help," Mosco replies. Looking up towards the door as it opens, the pair make out a lightly armored halfling bearing a greatsword and pack on his back who is looking around the room before his eyes settle on their table. Standing up, they both walk over with Mosco shaking Alton's hands in greeting. Smiling slightly, the mercenary-guard-adventuring companion looks up and says, "I hope we're ready to go, young Biggleton."
"Of course sir - I mean Alton. I've got all my stuff right here," Vel says enthusiastically.
"Very well then, we'd better hurry so that we can get to the meeting spot on time," Alton replies. With a respectful nod towards Mosco, he leads the way out of the Wanderer's Inn, but Vel can't help but turn around just as he's walking through the door and waving good bye to his father before he's swallowed up by the outside world.
Moving swiftly through the Sharn traffic, they head to the designated meeting spot to see Lady Elaydren and their other companions.
