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In the middle of the bustling streets of Pendel, a lone figure stood gazing around her. It had been centuries since Liothryth had been to Pendel, and in that time it had gone from a small, muddy village to a fairly large city full if people.

Dressed in the layered, dull colored robes of the monastery where she had spent so many years, she stood out from those around her who seemed to be dressed to show off their wealth. She had a small traveler's pack on her back, along with a wooden staff that was a few inches taller that she was.

A passerby bumped into her just hard enough to knock Liothryth's hood from her head. It revealed that she was an elf, and slightly past her prime. Her hair was pulled back into a demure knot, low on the back of her head. More interesting were the scars on her face. It almost looked as though she had been struck by some kind of magical lightening. Reaching up with a hand that was similarly scarred, she pulled her hood back up.

Nodding almost imperceptibly and squaring her shoulders, she starting walking toward a nearby tavern.


[OOC: Feel free to join in anywhere, in any way. I really don't have any big ideas for this, so we can all come up with the plot together. If you need me to act like I know something already, I'm game, just let me know what it is either OOC here or in a private message.]

Fly's over head and lands on top a guard tower

[OOC: Anyone can join with any character.]

The Drunken Dragon tavern was as common as they come, an expanse of round "wagon wheel" tables between the doorway and the bat on the far end and a number of shady alcoves, where the tables had benches, along the one wall for clandestine gatherings. Even the barkeep was but a blade of grass in a field of barkeeps, a large burly man who dabbed a cloth in a basin of water and rubbed down his bartop in the eons long tradition.

What was different about this tavern was in the raucous behaviour of its patronage. Men stood about, clapping to the music played by the minstrel seated in the corner but nearly all of them had their eyes fixated upon an Elven woman behaving most improperly! The blonde elven woman was dancing. The girl was undulating, arms weaving, hips swaying. Her bare feet, slipping between crockery with incredible position as she spun and cavorted to the musical accompaniment. Her wild blonde hair exploded upwards with a wild moment before selling down, a glittering golden cascade in the torchlight. She was wearing attire more suited to the sand ridden lands of the south, a loose revealing outfit of sheet silken sleeves and slit pantaloons that left little to the imagination.

Two dark red eyes stare around the tavern, and the deep voice lets out a soft chuckle. Richev Archson - commonly known at Richev - stretches and takes a sip on his drink. He rubs a dark tanned hand across his sweaty brow and he stands. Looking around, he yawns. Stretching his long legs - the tall male is six foot three inches - he walks out of the tavern and down the cobble road. He spots two other figures - both females - and he lets out a soft hiss of annoyance. 'Not now. Not today.' Richev thinks to himself as he looks at the two of them. His unruly mop of black hair fall into his eyes and he lets out a low growl when the wind blows his hair.

[OOC: Sorry everyone, live and a lack of emails about responses to this thread got the bast of me.]

Liothryth could hear the music from inside The Drunken Dragon as she drew closer. It had been so long since she had been around people other than the brothers and sisters at the monastery that she wasn't entirely certain that a tavern was the best place to start but she figured she might as well dive right in.

Pulling open the door she paused for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the lower light, then paused for a moment more to watch the woman dancing in the middle of the room. There was such joy in her movements! Liothryth felt her self being drawn further into the bar.

Another coin rattled in the cup on the table where the elven woman danced and the blonde girl dutifully turned her attention to the old farmer. For the next few moments she focused almost exclusively on him, the blue eyes like sapphires fixated on him and him alone. She crouched before him, stomach rippling, hips twisting, the bells on her bracelets jingling.

Finally, with a false smile and a vapid twittering, the elven dancing girl descended from the table. She planted one bare, black enameled foot on a man's thigh and took the hand of another who offered to guide her down.

Tired from the frenetic activity she settled down upon a seat by the bar, her silk ensconced legs dangling.

Liothryth walked over toward the bar and stood next to the woman who had been dancing. "You dance very well," she said with a smile that held nothing but friendliness. "It's been a long time since I saw anyone dance that way. You really seemed to be enjoying yourself." Becoming aware of the fact that she was beginning to prattle, Lio paused.

"May I buy you a drink? I imagine you could use one."

"By Sharess' immaculate tits," Assallya profaned inside her head, "An elf!"

Assallya hated elves. Perhaps hated was too strong a word. She definitely disliked them. Admittedly that was because Assallya, despite being an elf, knew absolutely nothing of Elven culture and she felt like such an outsider when presented with their haughty opinionated ideals.
She'd tried living among them to hide from bounty hunters but they never liked her and she them. She was- far too human for their liking.
Still, the blonde sorceress' training as a spy didn't allow any of the emotions she felt to express themselves. Normally she would have cycled through a dozen different personalities and presented that which would provide her with the best advantage but she didn't know this woman, this lady wizard, so she didn't bother.

Still, it didn't hurt to engage in conversation and newcomers meant information and information meant coin. Who knew, maybe there was something she could learn that she could sell to the local thieves.

"It helps pay the bills," Assallya finally said, referring to her dancing before capitalizing on the offer of a drink, "Spiced mead if you please."

Lio sat down on the stool next to Assallya then gained the bartenders attention and ordered two spiced ciders. While she waited she looked around the tavern.

"I wasn't sure at first, but this definitely is a different building than the last time I was here. Of course, that was close to 600 years ago so it isn't exactly a suprise." She gave small huff of a laugh.

When the bartender brought the drinks she raised hers. "To your dancing," she said before taking a deep drink.

"I'm Liothryth, by the way. Liothryth Terandes of the house of Farnesai."

There it was. Liothryth was definitely an elf, age and lineage first because that was important to elves, that and tree hugging. To her credit Assallya didn't roll her eyes.

At least she want already judging Assallya on her bedlah clothing, how sheer it was or how she was dripping in jewellery made of cheap brass and cheap stones.

Mind you, ancient elves often had magical gear in their panapolies. She could put together a thief crew if she found out where this woman kept her treasures.

She accepted the drink and the toast to her dancing prowess.

"Woah," the blonde dancing girl said, dumbing herself down and peeling away her own cynicism, "Six Hundred! I'm not even one hundred yet. I'm Assa'alliyeh of the Kressenthar. Though, here I call myself Assallya Kressair. The humans don't like the long names."

Not only was Assallya a commoner amongst the elves but Kressenthar was a dead house and Assallya an orphan.

"I tend to go by Lio anymore. It's easier for everyone to say." Her accompanying smile was genuine but it was hiding concern. 100 was fairly young for an Elf to be out in the world alone.

She tried to remember anything she could about Kressenthar, but it had been so long that she couldn't recall anything.

"Have you been dancing in taverns for long?" She shook her head in frustration. "That didn't sound the way I intended. Please believe me that I meant no disrespect."

The blonde dancing girl embraced her instincts. this wizard,Lio, may have been a traditional elven hierarch at some point but something had changed her. There was no way for Assallya to know what that impetus was but she could feel it. Liothryth wasn't a typical elf.

Assallya lifted her glass before her, swirling the contents with one dainty hand. Her fingers were long and slender, manicured in black enamel that was dusted in silver to look like a starlit sky. Her black painted lips slipped into an easy smile as she started to relax.

"No offense taken," Assallya assured her, "As I said before, it pays the bills and I don't want to dip into my savings while I seek out my next source of income. Rumours of lost ancient treasures, forgotten libraries and mystical objects of power aren't easy to come by."

Plus, it helped if she kept moving. She didn't think anyone would be looking for her this far north but there was a substantial bounty on her head down south after she "accidentally" killed some of the family enslaving her during her escape. It wasn't her fault they resolved the familial disagreements she'd invented with wanton and lethal violence!

"You're a treasure hunter?" Lio didn't try to hide the suprise and intrigue she felt.

She sipped her drink as a thoughtful look crossed her face. "You must have seen some amazing things and gained some interesting skills."

Assallya realised she'd made a mistake. A mere dancing girl had no business treasure seeking. Of course she had skills beyond shaking her hips. She just didn't like anyone knowing she was a sorceress- It was her ace in the hole.

"I like to read," Assallya said, skirting her greater abilities,"My wagon contains a reference library. Generally I avoid the dangerous stuff. I translate languages, solve puzzles, and provide hearty meals for those that do fight monsters."

All of which was technically true. While she often summoned creatures to fight for her, enchanted their opponents or otherwise lent aid she didn't fight herself. Things would be dire indeed for her to unsheathe weapon.

"If you're interested, I do have something I'm looking for myself."

She took another drink. Nothing else about her had changed, but there was a barely perceptible tremor in her hand now.

"Have you ever heard of the Battle of Elsen's Tor?"

Assallya didn't like not knowing something that was spoken about like it was common knowledge. Particularly because it seemed like it was very important to Liothryth. Still, she had long before realized that feigning knowledge was a sure way to destroy your own credibility.

"No," Assallya admitted after a moment's thought., "I was born in this land but not raised here. It sounds familiar like I heard it in passing."

The blonde's blue eyes peered upwards and towards the left.

"Perhaps it happened long ago?" she surmised aloud, "A major battle would be spoken of often by those who had a part in it and, unfortunately, by cowards that think they could have done it better had they only got off their lazy asses."

Lio took a long pull from her tankard.. "About 500 years or so ago there was one of those men who thought everything would be better if he was in charge. Who he was and what his plans were aren't important anymore."

She took another drink then continued while staring into space. "Anyway, in what ended up being one of the Las battles of the inevitable war, two large forces faced each other near a ruined tower.

"The army facing that of the power hungry man was badly outnumbered, but amongst their number were four Elvish mages. These mages knew that their army could not win, but they knew something else as well - the tower had once been the home of a great wizard named Elsen. And the ground still sang with the echoes of her power.

"The mages knew that they would be able to draw upon that power to perform a great spell that could potentially defeat the other army. They also knew they would all die in the attempt.

"So the the four of them, Terith, N'Mir, Serris, and Liothryth performed the spell and defeated the other army.

"Terith, N'Mir, and Serris were all killed by it's power. But somehow Liothryth survived.

"She spent the next 500 years recovering and trying to figure out how until finally she found the answer.

"Somewhere in the tower must have been an Athanasia Orb still capable of preventing death. And for some reason it had chosen her."

Seeming come back to the present, Lio looked at Assallya. "If an Athanasia Orb was still there, it's likely there was more as well. If you help me find it, you can have everything else."

Talking about herself in the third person. That wasn't good. A shift like that meant the she was bothered by her own words, hadn't come to terms with what had happened. Those sort of emotions got people killed.

"Hells!" Assallya thought to herself, "are you a bitch or what? The woman lost everything, her friends, her country and, very likely, her family. If she had anyone close to her there likely be here to support her.

It was like a human being in a asleep for twenty five years. How do you comfort someone like that, particularly a haughty, massively powerful wizard?"

The blonde elven girl, who had been paying rapt attention to the story locked her black stained lips and felt avarice seem up inside her. What she could do with that money.

Placing one slender hand over Liothryth's non-dominant hand on the counter Assallya have it a slight squeeze. "I don't see why it's that important to you," the dancing girl admitted, "but if you think it will help you heal then you should find it."

Lio gave her a wry smile. "If only it was that simple. Powerful objects like Athanasia Orbs don't perform the spell and then go quiet, there's always a cost - and I have not idea what that cost was. It may have been that I just have to live with these scars for the rest of my life," she said waving at her face. "Or it may be more."

She looked Assallya directly in the eye, now deadly serious. "If you agree to help me, I can't guarantee that it will be safe or exactly what kind of reward may be waiting there for you. I have no idea what's there besides the Orb. But I do swear by my house and by my line that I will use whatever magic I have to protect you - and that if there is no great treasure waiting you will still be suitably compensated."



[OOC: I am totally making this up as I go along, if you want to add anything or just in at all fell free. I don't want to railroad your character. Maybe there's something that Assallya needs help with in return?]