So, with Mondath literally stripped of her pride, a dragon egg in tow, and little bit of loot in our pockets, we started making our way North to Elturel. Now, I had a delivery that was supposed to go to the next town over in Scornubel, but I wouldn't actually make it there. Gods, I would never make it there. In fact, if memory serves, in Elturel, I passed off that mission to an Order member that was suddenly much less busy than I was.
I remember seeing the brilliant beacon like light above the city for the first time. It was like a sigh of relief to see it after the struggles of the past few days. I did notice at the time that, when Kalinthe and Xanth laid eyes on it, it gave them some discomfort. An eye twitch here or a look of frustration there. Maybe, I should've recognized it then, but what was I supposed to think? I was working with them for the greater good of the realm. At the time, I thought they were in it with good intentions, too. Of course, I was in far too deep by the time I realized the truth.
By that time, I just wanted to get through the Hellscape that my life had become. Finish the job, take the money, and settle down. There were a lot of places that I could've done that. Elturel was one of them. Luskan, too. All I really needed was space for a shop, trade, and a place with good ale. Gods, so much ale.
We made it across the Chionthar river, seeing some mounted riders, galloping by with banners held high. Their armor gleamed like every paladin you imagine from the stories. Like none of the armor in this story shone. We wandered around for a bit, asking around for Leosin, since we knew he was heading up that way, and one was much faster than five. Of course, not a soul knew who we were asking about. So, we decided to do some shopping, hoping that someone we were supposed to meet found us.
The group split up. Elli went to go get herbs and alchemist's supplies for potions. Nebula made it no secret that she was handing the other woman a large chunk of change in order to fund the venture. After the exchange was made, Nebula decided to go to the river to pray. It had been some time since she'd paid respects to her God.
Boar waved to the rest, and went to go find a tavern. He promised himself an ale, and he wasn't going to wait another minute.
Kalinthe and Xanth gave each other looks before shrugging, and walking down the street. They stopped a man, and asked where to find a weapons shop and bookstore. The man was a bit startled by the looks of the strangers, but quickly pointed them in the direction of a place called Shiarra's Market. Supposedly, anything they needed could be found there.
When they arrived at the marketplace, they separated, trying to find what they needed. Xanth was quickly lead to a place at the back of the market. There was an image of a feathered at with an arrow stuck through it as a sign, and, as he entered, a bell rang at the door.
As the door shut behind him, he noticed a thick yellow line down the center of the room. On the left of the line, rows of weapons were stacked in orderly fashion with price tags marking them in truly organized fashion. On the right, a neat and tidy assembly of bookshelves were nestled side by side. Tome after tome were stacked next to each other with bindings out for easy perusal. At the back of the establishment, a human man with a somewhat slight figure and pale complexion stood behind a counter. On the right side of the table sat a large top hat, and on the left side of the table was a bowler cap. Even the table was separated by the yellow line directly down the center.
Xanth looked at the man, and noticed that his clothes were split in similar fashion. On one side, he had a pauldron and gauntlet. On the other, he was wearing fine silks. His eye twitched at the mere thought of dealing with this man, but he was already here. He stepped forward to the table, and the human picked up a pointer stick, gesturing between the two hats with a questioning look upon his face.
Xanth sighed, voice grumbling slightly. "I am looking for books on dragons."
The human nodded, gingerly placing the top hat upon his head, and turning in such a way that the fine robes could only be seen as he stepped over to the book side of the line. He looked the stacks up and down, letting out quiet tutting noises before he used the long wooden pointer to make a circle motion around four books in particular on the shelf.
Xanth looked at the names of the books, and squinted, sighing once again when he saw the names. Lennithon, How to Tame Your Dragon (Pocket Edition), Draconic for Dummies, and 1001 Poems on Dragons. He pulled one off of the shelf, thumbing through it thoughtfully as he heard the shop door open up behind him with the tinkling sound of a bell.
"Why is it always you?" Kalinthe asked him from his place at the door, and walking over to the weapons. His eyes scanning what he was seeing. He turned to the shopkeep, and asked, "do you have something like this one, but smaller?" His voice almost booming in the otherwise silent shop.
The shopkeeper turned, giving Kalinthe a dirty look, and putting the pointer in front of his lips. "Shh." He responded, giving that little tutting sound from earlier as Xanth closed the first book, and grabbed the other three. He walked over to the desk, and placed them on the center where the eccentric shop keep followed, stepping behind the desk, and meticulously moving each book back over to its proper side, and packaged them all up. As he packed them away, he checked the pricing on the covers, and did some quick math, showing Xanth the ledger as request for payment.
Xanth nodded, fished out the gold, and placed it on the desk, taking the package of books, and making his way out of the door. He thought he remembered which inn he saw Boar walk into earlier. "When you're done, I'll be reading." He told Kalinthe on his way out.
Kalinthe looked flabbergasted by the whole exchange, and watched as the shopkeep took off the top hat, dusted it off, and placed it on the desk before taking the bowler hat. He placed that on his head, and showed off his armored side as he walked over to the left side of the shop. He looked at the scythe that Kalinthe was pointing out, and gestured with his arms, making a wide gesture before making it smaller. His face looked questioning.
Kalinthe's eye twitched, but he nodded. "Yes, smaller."
At the bar, Boar was three sheets in. Several empty glasses graced his table, and he hiccuped as the door opened behind him.
Xanth stepped inside, and saw a rack of antlers in a dark ebony color mounted on the wall above the bar. A small sign beneath it reading A Pair of Black Antlers. His head swivelled around, and he found Boar's booth easily, sliding in across from him, and placing the stack of tomes down on the table. He picked up the first, and started reading with interest, waving off the bar maiden when she tried to take his order.
Over the next hour, Elli, Nebula, and Kalinthe returned with their business completed. Each of them ordered their preferred drinks, and they chatted lightly as a boisterous man partied off in the corner. He was human with a bald head, and a scar just over his left eye. A reddish brown beard dominated his face, and he wore full plate armor with a blue gauntlet symbol emblazoned in the center of the chest. A similar gauntlet adorned his right hand. His looks screamed one thing to anybody whose eyes laid upon him. Paladin.
The man pointed towards their group, and they soon found themselves engaged in drinking games and other competitions. Arm wrestling, and boastful conversations about their adventures. All the while, Xanth quietly reading at the booth as if nothing had changed in the least.
Hours later, when the sun was gone from the sky and only the soft glow of the magical light above the city remained as illumination outside, one of the men, a constant companion of the paladin, walked over. Of all of the men in the tavern, he seemed to be the most sober, which wasn't saying much, but he was clearly on a mission. "If you would please follow me." He stated simply, walking with purpose into one of the back rooms.
In the room, the group found the unknown paladin, the monk, and many pitchers of dark, red wine. The paladin's expression was serious and very much unlike anything they had seen on it thus far. His countenance entirely changed. He gestured to the seats about the table. "Since you already know of my companion. Please, let me introduce myself. I am Ontharr Frume of the Order of the Gauntlet. I have already spoken with Leosin at length over the details of what happened in Greenest and what you learned in the encampment.
"My friends, we have important business to discuss. At this point, you know almost as much about it as we do, and, thanks to you, we know twice as much today as we did a tenday ago. Something rotten is afoot. We have no formal organization to oppose these rascals- not yet anyway.
"We're working on that, and we need people like you who know how and when to fight as well as how and when to keep their heads down and observe. We can't promise you anything except long days filled with danger and stress- but what could be better than that, eh?"
The group all stared at the man blankly, processing what in the world it was he was trying to say to them. After a moment, Xanth leaned forward at the table, propping his elbows up, and humming. "What's in it for us if we help?"
Leosin sighed, interrupting what looked like something that was going to be a tirade on Ontharr's part. "We can't offer much by the way of money, but we can offer our faction's mutual assistance. We can help you with disguises and any wares that you need, and assistance with passage to Balder's. Once you're there, it's up to you how you get into the caravan that will be leaving next. You're all smart enough. We're confident in your abilities to blend in with the crowd. You seemed to be able to do it well enough before."
Xanth nodded thoughtfully. He needed this cult, so staying near them and learning more could not hurt. He glanced at Kalinthe and the others out of the corner of his eye. He would normally turn this down on principle, but it suited his needs well enough to go through with this. "I'm in."