Finding Your Bearings (The Drowned Siren)

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He didn't have much more than the clothes on his back and the coin he had been given to carry out his mission. As much as he had learned about this land, it was still unfamiliar, it felt unwelcoming. He would need a place to stay until he could figure out where to start, and the locals had pointed him to The Drowned Siren as a place where he could do just that. It was not nearly as nice as the accommodations to which he was accustomed, but it was much better than the alternative of having no place to stay at all. He could also use something to eat, and from the aromas that barely managed to cover the pungent scents of booze, piss, and vomit; it seemed that they served food.

As he took a seat, he waved the bartender over, he had heard one of the other patrons call him Delmong, and addressed him as such. In heavily accented cruic, "Greetings Delmong, I am needing meal and room." He produced a few coins from within his doublet setting them on the counter. "What would you suggest I'm eating and drinking?"

Delmong looked the patron over, he looked like he had money. "Well we've got several dishes and drinks, but I'd go with the fried brachyura and the stout. As for a room, we have some available. How long will ya be stayin'?"

Xyn wasn't sure he understood exactly what was being suggested for the meal, but he trusted the bar tender well enough to promote the establishment that he accepted the suggestions, "The meal sounds good, but I am not knowing how long I stay. May I be paying for the week while I am figuring out?"

"Sure, I don't think that'll be an issue as long as your coins good." Picking up the coins from the counter, "and it's looking pretty good by me."

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He ate his meal in contemplative silence, how should he proceed? Where should he go, while he had learned the language, the general culture, and the basic geography of the land, the current political state of the land was in turmoil. As an outsider, he had no way of knowing what regions were under whose control, which routes were safer and any number of things that someone who had actually been living here would know. He needed a guide, someone who could help him get around and perhaps even offer some measure of protection in this war torn land. He spoke with Delmong again, "If I was wanting a guide, willing to travel and possibly fight, how should I be looking for him?"

"Well, we have our resident blade for hire, Torig, sitting right over there. Don't know how much of a guide he is, but he's at least descent in a fight." Delmong waved to the mercenary, "Hey Torig, I got someone here who might be willing to hire your sorry ass!"

"Shut the hells up Delmong, before I give you a haircut a bit shorter than mine." as he rubbed his nearly shaven head. He approached Xyn, "Torig Vanlire at your service, for a mere 80 ritz I will be your most faithful companion, with a surcharge of 12 ritz any time I have to draw my blade in combat."

"That is all well and good, but can you be guiding me inland? I am needing a guide more than a guardian, though I will be needing that too."

"I know the lands well enough, I can get you from point A to point B without too much hassle, there are roads goin' everywhere."

"Very well, it seems I was looking for you. Eighty ritz you say?" That was nearly a third of the coin they had left him with, it would have to work for now, he needed a local on his side and this seemed the quickest way. "Very well, allow me to gather the coin. We will be leaving in two days, I need to gather provisions for the journey. We can discuss our destination in the meantime."

"Sounds good, there's a market by the docks, might want to check it out. You might want to dress down a bit, your fancy clothes are gonna paint you as a target from a mile away."