Hallowell's downtown area followed the river on its east side, with the road itself running almost perfectly parallel to the gently winding river. Sturdy stone buildings lined the street on either side, housing the town's most prominent and affluent businesses and establishments. It was the area that most people saw when they came through on their travels, and it was where most business was conducted in the surrounding area. Though there was an open market in the town, it wasn't quite the hub for commerce that markets were in some other Zelmescan villages. The shops that had opened along the strip with high-end goods and services had begun to siphon much of the foot traffic away from the market in recent years.

The street itself was wide and laid with cobblestone, providing pedestrians with plenty of room to window shop. Similarly, horses and wagons had plenty of room down the center of the street to get where they needed to go. Business here started first thing in the morning and remained busy until well into the evening. Any establishments not located on the main road typically closed late in the afternoon. Even those only a single street over didn't get nearly enough customers to justify staying open too late.

It was mid-afternoon, when an armored woman with fiery red hair strolled into town. Hallowell saw all manner of travelers, merchants, traders, adventurers, and sellswords. It was both a popular destination in it's own right and a well used stop for those moving on to other locales. Amid all of that usual traffic that the locals had become accustomed to, the redhead still managed to catch peoples attention.

She was only a couple inches taller than average height for a human woman in the bloom of youth. Her stride was confident but not in a way that commanded an air of authority by her mere presence alone. Even the armor she wore and the longsword at her hip did not lend her much of an intimidating air, but there was something about the way she moved that said she knew how to use the weapon when it was needed. Her wavy ginger hair stopped right above the middle of her back, and framed her face in such a way that it offered a brilliant contrast to the emerald green of her eyes. Though there was no mistaking her vocation as a warrior in the way she carried herself, the light dusting of freckles on her face made her seem a little less hardened to those who looked upon her.

Elaina Woodlock's armor was covered in intricate symbolic etchings not just of her family iconography, but of what only a few Zelmescans would recognize as Caledonian in origin. The pauldrons, greaves, and breastplate bore these designs most prominently and every piece of the armor was brought to a brilliant shine by her diligent care. There were only a few places here and there along the gauntlets and knees that showed the telltale signs of wear and tear. Some of which was just from regular use and some by actual combat that she had seen recently.

Elaina was keenly aware of the eyes that tracked her movement as she made her way down the street. She did her best to push it out of her mind. Though the facade of a confident young woman held up nicely, Elaina was feeling increasingly more insecure the longer the eyes remained on her. She was unused to having this many people take notice of her all at once.

She was far from home, having come here with her sister over a year ago, and only just decided to strike out on her own a few weeks ago. She had come down from Zelmesca Falls via Orrinshire along the mountains of the western range, and had been sure to stick to the road as often as she thought was safe. Since the war, only the immediate areas around the villages were guarded, so the roads were excellent targets for bandits and brigands in many regions of the realm.

Though it was late spring, Orrinshire had still been quite cold due to its location in the foothills of the western range. Elaina had been looking forward to her arrival in Hallowell for quite a while. The town was much warmer and had a distinctly different character to it. However as much as Elaina wanted to take in the sights for a bit, her first priority was to secure lodging for the next few days to recover her stamina. Initially, she had started out with a horse when she'd left Zelmesca Falls, but a large pack of goblins had ambushed her just outside of town in the middle of the night. Though she'd managed to fight them off, she hadn't been able to do so before they had carved up her horse. Goblins had a fierce hatred for horses and dogs alike, so they'd spent much of their attack focusing on the horse; rather than the woman with the sword cutting them down. As a result, she'd been forced to walk the rest of the way.

Elaina had decided that, with what was left of her dwindling coin, it was probably best to get a room somewhere. Once situated, she could find something around town to earn the currency she would need for a new horse. On the one hand, common sense told her that finding one of the inns off of the main road might be cheaper and save her some of that coin. On the other, Elaina thought obtaining a room on the main strip would increase her chances of getting more lucrative work worth actually taking.

After passing several shops and boutiques, Elaina stopped under the sign for a tavern depicting a frog with a harp astride a fanciful wavy script.

"The Frog Song." Elaina read aloud, glancing in through the window. Though night hadn't fallen, it looked as though the place was doing some good business already. A sure sign that it would be quite busy later in the evening. It was big and the facade looked invitingly well kept. It seemed to Elaina that she had found where she would be staying for the next few nights.

As she stepped in through the front door she got a few glances from the patrons already occupying the establishment, but they were nothing like the looks she had got out on the street. The man at the bar was friendly enough and was able to set her up with some modest accommodations at a good price. Few words were exchanged between them otherwise, he had other people he had to get back to serving. She was given a key with a number scrawled on the tag attached to it and shown where the stairs were. She climbed them quickly, finding her room just at the top of the stairs to the right.

Inside the room she only took a moment to mark her surroundings before tossing her pack onto the bed. She figured she had just enough time to get changed before the evening regulars began to file in and things at the Frog Song would begin to get much more active. Her fingers dug down into the straps of her armor to unfasten the various clasps. Knights, real knights, had squires or other assistants to do this sort of thing for them. But adventurers out on their own had to make due without. Perhaps someday, if Elaina managed to find herself in a position to do so, she'd get someone to handle all the tedious work of prying the armor off of her after a long day.

After changing into some of the more refined clothing she owned, Elaina looked herself over in the mirror of her room to double check her appearance and make sure she was presentable. She'd taken the time to get cleaned up in a basin, apply fresh perfume, and put on some clean clothing. She wore a simple long tunic in the same blue as what she wore with her armor but embroidered with classic Caledonian knotwork. Her soft leather boots had a little heel to them and came up just under her knees. She'd heard it was common for adventurers, and sellswords alike, to wear their armor as often as possible when looking for work as a sort of selling point. She was fairly certain if she wore it much longer today, she was going to end up too exhausted to be of much use to anyone.

Satisfied with her appearance Elaina made her way down to the taproom, her mind set on a hot meal while she familiarized herself with the locals. Before she even reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the night's entertainment begin, with the sound of the minstrels filling the establishment's ground floor. The room was much more crowded than Elaina had expected. Only the space around the minstrels and the hearth had any room to move around in. Nearly every table was full, and the bar itself was packed with thirsty patrons coming in from their days' work or settling in for the evening from their travels.

Elaina frowned to herself as she adjusted the sword on her hip. In the absence of her armor, it was the only thing she had on her that showed she could handle herself. Some taverns had stringent rules about carrying weapons and she had expected it to be the same in Hallowell. Despite how lovely the town was, it seemed to have a relatively small town guard to defend itself though so instead, Hallowell gave a lot of latitude to the personal guards of merchants and traders as well as adventurers and mercenaries. With so many weapons at the ready, most criminals would have been foolish to attempt anything within the town limits. It was something even someone like Elaina could see with a cursory look around the room. Not everyone was carrying, but those who were made it clear that they were. There was enough to dissuade anyone from misbehaving, at least until someone got a lot more drink in them anyway.

Elaina considered that with so many people, it might be better to take a meal back to her room then return to do a little mingling for work. As she made her way back over to the barman she'd spoken to earlier though, she noticed a pair of back doors that she'd overlooked the first time she'd been through the room that were now propped open. Beyond them was a large balcony with additional tables and seating that overlooked the river. The area was well lit and a nice cool breeze came in off the water that kept the taproom from getting overheated with all of the bodies packed into it.

One of the barmaids, a tall blonde in a flattering bodice, walked briskly in through the double doors. She carried a large tray of empty cups and tankards in one hand and an empty flagon in the other. The balancing act of what she carried didn't throw off the sway of her hips that drew the attention from so many of the men in the room. Elaina reached out, gently touching the woman's arm to get her attention as she began to pass her.

"Excuse me, is there still somewhere to sit out there?" Elaina inquired with a quirked brow, doing her best not to let her own eyes wander down the woman's body.

"Absolutely," the barmaid answered cheerfully; her voice rang like a bell cutting through the noise of the tavern with ease, "If you want to go have a seat, I'll find you in a moment to take your order. I just have to bring these back to the kitchen."

Elaina gave a single nod and stepped aside to provide the barmaid with some extra space. Stealing a glance at her round backside as she passed before reminding herself that she wasn't here to gawk. Well, not yet anyway. Perhaps after she'd secured some work she might let herself relax a bit more. She stepped out through the doors into the nice crisp evening air. The balcony was lit with lanterns; a couple of braziers warmed those who found the evening too cool for their liking. Tables and chairs were situated in an orderly fashion from end to end. Even some stools were located near the railing of the balcony closest to the water for those who wanted a better view. The music and conversation here weren't as loud out here so it seemed like the outside was a better place to hold a conversations in general.

With a brief nod of approval, Elaina selected a small table on her far right and had a seat. As promised, the barmaid came by within moments She informed the red-haired woman of what was available for meals, and soon left to retrieve her order once placed. Elaina noted that when she'd asked only for a water cup with her meal, the barmaid had given her a strange look. Elaina wasn't one known to hold her alcohol regardless of the form it took. It made having any with her meal while trying to pick up some work that night too significant a risk.

The meal was good, considering Elaina hadn't dropped a lot of coin on it; a simple roast beef with potatoes, carrots, and onions with some brown gravy. It wasn't considered an extravagant meal by local standards, but with how Elaina had grown up, she felt it was some of the finest fare she'd ever had the pleasure to eat. Though Elaina wore the heraldry of a noble family of Caledonia, it was something of a lie. She hadn't actually grown up in Caledonia. At least she hadn't grown up in *this* Caledonia. She had grown up in another Caledonia somewhere on the other side of the world of faeries known as the Faen. It was similar but different to the one of this world. For instance, the geography was nearly identical. Some of the towns were even identical; larger cities differed, names changed, people were different. Overall it was a much more brutal place to live. It was darker and harsher. Though Elaina had been born a member of the prestigious Woodlock family in Caledonia; she'd never been treated like one of the family, merely a wretch.

Elaina found herself beginning to sink down the hole of despair that came with memory and jerked herself from it instead latching onto the conversations around her as she ate her meal. People were concerned about what the tentative peace after the war was going to bring. A young man was assuaging the concerns his girlfriend had over him joining the town guard. A few friends were out celebrating a birthday. Two women were discussing a local merchant who was woefully late on providing them with supplies they needed to take back to some nearby estate.

Elaina's ears settled on the two women as she forked the last few bites of her meal into her mouth and washed it down with the cool water in her cup. They were both attractive; one had raven black hair with strange wine-colored eyes and pale skin like newly fallen snow. Elaina supposed she might have had some Vishanti in her or some other exotic bloodline that gave her the unusual eyes. The other woman was a brunette with glasses, her hair tied back in a ponytail that plainly showed off the slightly pointed tips to her ears that signaled her as a half-elf.

"The longer we stay in town, the more difficult it becomes." The raven haired woman said, as she pushed some vegetables around on her plate.

"You're expecting trouble?" the other woman said, taking a short drink from her tankard.

"I always expect trouble with shipments of this size and of this value. The reagents alone are worth enough for someone to take notice, but everything else is just a bonus."

"I suppose," the half-elf agreed, "Anyone that heard about his big sale could be interested in getting their hands on it once we're out on the road back to Mossglade."

Mossglade? Elaina hadn't heard of that town before. She'd looked over her map multiple times every day for the last few weeks. She hadn't seen anything on it marked with that name. Was that the name of the estate they worked for?

"I suppose it's also possible," the other woman speculated, "that he himself could be the one responsible for such a plot as well. It wouldn't be hard to sell a large shipment. Then have someone you've hired simply steal it back for you."

Elaina looked at each of the women a little more closely, noting that neither was dressed like a servant. The woman with the black hair was dressed in a green gown that, while not extravagant, had not been bought cheap. It was made of good material meant to look good while holding up outdoors. It was decorated with a floral print in several places. The other woman wore a short jacket with a hood over a bodice and skirt, with a pair of knee-high leather boots. The symbols embroidered on the coat marked her as a trained Alchemist of the realm. That would go a long way to explain the reagents, maybe. While neither of them looked like servants, neither looked to have the wealth to own a whole estate.

The woman with the black hair simply stared into the distance as she chewed her food, the silence between the two women began to grow.

"Azade?" the half-elf asked after several moments.

"Hm?" Azade's eyes focused back on the woman sitting across from her, "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"What about?" the half-elf set her tankard down, before starting on a roll, "The trip?"

"About whether or not we can afford to hire a few guards for the trip," Azade said with a minor note of correction.

"We should have enough coin for that, I think. Just a few, right?" The half-elf said as she continued to eat her roll. From what Elaina could see of the empty plate in front of her, she hadn't had a large meal.

"I don't mean the coin, Anisha." Azade said as she pushed some more of the food around on her plate. Her troubles seeming to rob her of her appetite, "I mean whether we can afford the risk of letting anyone know where Mossglade is. Myanna probably wouldn't be pleased." Anisha nodded in understanding, growing quiet.

Elaina's eyes shifted toward a trio of men behind the pair of women who had taken notice of the conversation as well. It was when the name "Myanna" was mentioned that their attention had been piqued. Elaina didn't know why the name might be significant but it seemed to hold great interest for them though. She also noted that despite the men being closer to the doors than the two women, increasing their exposure to the clamor of the taproom, they seemed to have heard what the women had been saying perfectly. While it was indeed possible that someone just had a better sense of hearing than Elaina did, it seemed unlikely to her that all three of them did. They'd all taken notice at the same time without conferring with one another at all. Magic seemed an easy enough explanation. At least in terms of the how, but the "why" was still a mystery to her.

Elaina's eyes shifted back to her plate as she pushed it aside; the three men rose as one from where they were standing and approached the table with the two women.