Hastened further down the murky cobble stone paths, I noticed a figure gradually nearing toward my sight. At first I thought it could have been Lars on his way back from his 'trip', but then I observed the figure to be large and over-shadowing in the moonlight fog. If it was Lars, I would have surely wittnessed him gaining much more weight for a diminutive fellow like himself. However, I shielded my garish torch-light from the fog so I could see a greater distance; the light reflected upon the opaque fog making it more or less, a giant ball of blindage.

The apprehensive figure stepped even closer and I noticed two more waning out from the trees alongside the abandon stoney path. I stopped in my tracks. At first I thought "thieves", but then as the fog gently cleared I could make out a familiar face that made me feel placid. The larger man, Hunkar, was the innkeeper from The Lonesome Gnome, a tavern in which the local town guard would pig-out after their shifts and get blind drunk, only to do the same thing the next sun down. The Lonesome Gnome was also a good place to find adventuring parties and stop to plan your next move; I was considering stopping there on my way passing through. The other two men I hadn't recognized though. One man, looking a tad angered in his face, stood atleast seven-foot tall, with a long beard almost reminding me of a dwarf who had been tortured so much it literally stretched his body parellel. He looked very imprudent. The other man was a short guy with a smaller beard and carried some sort of patched pack on his back. It looked as if it was full of books or some-sort of reading materials. He wasn't so angry looking, like the larger man, but he looked like he knew the world inside and out.

Hunkar and I stood in the dark talking for almost a straight fourty-five minutes; I was becoming late on my journey and had to start moving again soon. Just as I was about to say my good-byes and head off, Hunkar caught me and told me I could stop at The Lonesome Gnome and stay the night free of charge, given the current circemstances. Even though I was feeling a bit scruples, how could I say no? A free bed, free meal, and a good nights rest; the only thing I had to worry about was the ale...

I finally made it to The Lonesome Gnome and had taken a couple steps inside, hanging at the bar. I figured it would be a bad idea to get too drunk tonight, so I only stuck with one teeming tankard of Hunkar's finest ale. It opiated me. I looked to my right and noticed a cloaked man sitting in the corner eye-balling me every chance he can get. He have me a very deplorable feeling... I asked Hunkar about him, but he just answered with a solicitous tone that he was just some adventurer who came in here once a month at every end of the month; today was the 31st. The cloaked stranger started to give me a very uncomfortable feelings so I decided to head to my room and turn in for the night.

Indolently arriving in my sullen room I noticed it was very simple and lacked in furniture. It only came with one bed, a storage chest, some amenities, and a covered chamber pot. I lugged my packings into the chest and precariously fell onto the hard rubicund bed. It felt like the sheets themselves were made of wood. I didn't complain though; it was free and I had other things on my mind. For a moment I thought on what Lars could be up to. Within moments, a subliminal sleep swifty over-took me...