Swinging Sword Tavern and Inn

Hrmph... All day hiking and not a single rabbit. Not even a caravan. What road was he even on? The small vulpine huffed and wrapped his cloak against him, shielding from the stiff breeze that had arisen as he crested the current hill. He stopped dead in his tracks, realising there was a small village just off in the distance, making his heart and body relax. He had some of the gold discs the hairless monkeys seemed so infatuated with, which meant he might be able to trade them for some food. He began to walk briskly towards the village, panting with excitement at the thought of food he didn't have to chase.

As Midgra wandered his way happily down the path, he noticed some of the townsfolk looking up from their work, slow and confused, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Midgra had no clue what made him so special, but waved a happy hand at each of the perplexed looking citizens, tail wagging away as he walked down the trail. Nothing could dampen his mood as he marched through the main street, looking for some sort of indication of a tavern. Then it caught him.

His muzzle lifted air-wards as the wafting scent of seared meat and cooked potatoes hit his nostrils. He stopped dead in his tracks, tail sticking straight out and statue still. He slowly honed in on where it could possibly be coming from, letting his nose do the navigating. He was led up to the entrance of the Swinging Sword, where the smell was irresistible. Struggling with the door, he used all of his weight to slowly push the wooden barricade open with some grunts of duress. Leaving the door open, he looked around, panting happily and looking for the first person he could spot. Whoever that soul may be, Midgra began to wave at them, running up and pulling out his coin purse. "Greetings, food lady!" He said in a strange accent, smiling and pushing the coin purse towards them.

Jorlyn Stone

Jorlyn quietly tended to his mug of mead, his eyes staring into the space in front of him as he recollected his most recent turn of events. He had been traveling southward for days in search of the growing settlement of Amberwood when he had been bombarded by a pair of thieves on the road. While no brute warrior, Jorlyn was able to trick them long enough to deliver a surprise attack, using their painful confusion as an opportunity to escape. He had always been able to talk himself halfway out of a sticky situation... relying on his prowess in combat to pull him the rest of the way. Fortunately, New Destonia was only a half day's journey off; Jorlyn trailed into town unnoticed by most as he searched for a place to get a drink and a bed. Shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun, he saw it: Swinging Sword Tavern & Inn.

The sound of heavy wood-on-wood being scraped slowly together brought Jorlyn's attention to the entrance of the tavern. A small creature covered in auburn fur hobbled inside. A Mishqua! Jorlyn had only ever read about this rare hybrid being, so, like near everyone else in the room, the new patron had piqued Jorlyn's interest. He watched as the mishqua approached the bar, which to Jorlyn's slight amusement, was just a few inches shorter than he -- with common intuition, he deduced that it was a male. He spoke in a strange, albeit energetic tone to the charming young maiden tending to the Swinging Sword's patrons. The lady seemed kind and genuine, in fact, most of the townsfolk Jorlyn had seen this morning appeared friendly and joyful -- a foreign collective attitude to him.

The young man continued to watch the furry humanoid from the far end of the bar, but his mind began to wander again. Glancing around instinctively, making sure nobody was watching him, Jorlyn retrieved an old piece of parchment from one of his satchels, and flattened it as best he could upon the counter top. He reached for a small candle, dragging it closer and inspecting the scrawlings. It was a map -- and not just any map; it was a very old map of this very land... long before men had constructed kingdoms or law. From what Jorlyn had gathered, legend tells of an antique entity hidden away in the ancient mines of Singeist, a group of tunnels and caves beneath the mountain ridges that can be seen from town. So close now...

Feeling eyes upon him, Jorlyn glanced around and saw a few straggling gazes. Though he only meant to peak at it again, he must've had the map out in front of him for several moments before he hastily folded it and replaced it in his bag. In an effort to appear more casual, he downed the rest of his mead, and let forth an impressive burp. He had to admit, it was nice to be back under a roof and in the company of others... not to mention not needing to hunt his food for a while. Yes, this place will do nicely... After all, I don't see any reason to rush..., Jorlyn thought as he ordered another drink, now with a small but mysterious smile planted upon his face.