The Long Dark Journey.

[Raknarak]

OOC: I make an OOC thread if I have enough join this storyline. Right now, I will just allow those who think they can actually add something to the storyline. If you're unsure if you would make a good addition, you can reach me by info in my profile.

IC:

He rode his horse down the path at a leisurely pace. He wished to take in the scenery surrounding him, and just simply forget the problems that had plagued him since he had left the mountain camp. Raknarak had seen too many people die senselessly from the bitter cold. The ignorant leader of the camp had decided to become unavailable to any who wished to complain about the way he was running the expedition.

They had originally gone up into the Echtar mountains to find a safe pass through which merchants could travel. Rak had signed on in hopes of making some extra gold so he could finally purchase a peaceful little farm somewhere. He had no clue that there was no gold to be made, nor would even half of them survive.

He had not been cruel enough to leave alone, he had gotten the remainder of the group together and led them back out onto the level plains and to the nearest town. When he had been assured that they were all much more comfortable, he rode off to the north. He had intentions of going home, but his heart just was not in it.

There was no one whom he would wish to see in Therion. His family had left a long time ago. So he simply wandered. His wandering had led him to this beautiful stretch of land he had come to. It was surrounded by a gorgeous thick forest, and there was a town nestled at the bottom of a hill.

He neared the town, and began to see the populous making their way around. Children played in the streets. Men and women conversed peacefully next to the buildings. The shop fronts seemed to be in immaculate condition. It was a bit of paradise to Raknarak. He had rarely seen a town so peaceful in his life.

As he rode down the street, he noticed the people smiling and waving at him, he returned the greetings to each person he passed. He felt contentment slowly fill him.

'I would like to stay here for a time. I must see what makes these people so happy. Happiness is something I am in dire need of.' he thought to himself.

He stopped at an inn, put Faragorn under the care of a stout looking man, and wandered inside. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw a few people sitting at tables, a couple of tired wenches standing at the end of the bar, and a gnarled old bartender.

He walked up to the bar, leaned against it, and smiled at one of the wenches.

"Bartender, I would like a meade, and a room for the week. Can that be arranged?"

The old man eyed Rak closely, then nodded. Putting the stein of meade on the bar, he spoke with a deep scratchy voice, "It'll cost ya five gold fer the room, and a coppah fer the meade. I could arrange some extry activities fer ya, fer an extry two gold."

The bartender winked at Rak, and gave him a toothy grin. Rak simply tossed the five gold and one copper to the old man, and shook his head. He walked away from the bar, and sat in a table in a corner. Drinking slowly, he watched the others converse. He had needed to relax, and this town just might let him finally do it.

[Raknarak]

As he looked around the Inn's tavern. He saw small groups of peope at the tables. Most seemed to be enjoying themselves after a long hard day, but there was one table that seemed to perk up Rak's attention. At the table were a dwarf, and two elves. They were looking around the room and talking in hushed whispers. The dwarf looked directly at Raknarak, and suddenly moved his chair over so that Rak could no longer see his rugged face. After he moved, the two elves looked over there shoulders, glancing at Rak. One, a short female with brown hair, started to stand. The male, a tall thin black haired elf, grabbed her by the arm, and sat her back down. They conversed with one another, and then returned to their conversation with the dwarf.

Rak's curiousity had begun to get the better of him, when a serving wench approached him. He looked up at the poor creature. She seemed to have been working for almost two days straight, from the looks of her. When she had asked him if he would like anything to eat, he simply shook his head and smiled at her. She walked away, and Rak slowly stood up.

As a child, Rak's curiousity had often gotten him into trouble. He remembered too often how he had been kicked off of his neighbor's lands for having gone into the barn to inspect the strange noises, or having actually gotten himself stuck at the bottom of the water well, simply because he had wanted to know if there really were any mermaids down there. Curisouity had always been a bit of a bullying friend to him, and this time was probably no exception.

He walked to the table with the dwarf and elves, and just sat right down. A small smile grew on his face when he saw the looks upon the other's faces. The dwarf almost seemed as if he was ready to begin convulsing. The elven male looked quite calm, and most likely had his hand on a mythril dagger. Rak had seen that look many times when he had been playing cards, and someone was suddenly accused of cheating. The female seemed almost happy. Rak hid the confusion as he looked at her. She smiled at him, and he saw in her eyes that she was actually happy to see him. She was the most unsettling one in the group, to Rak. The others had the profiles of people Rak had dealt with almost on a daily basis. This woman though... she was of a sudden huge concern to him. None of the other races were ever happy to see a human sit with them, especially unannounced.

Still hiding his emotions, Rak glanced around again at the three of them, and gave his best dashing smile. After he took another swallow of his meade, he spoke, "Greetings, fellow journeymen, I am called many things, but the only one I answer to is Raknarak. May I have the honor of your proud names?"

He had hoped this little bit of humor and companionship would ease the situation. It only seemed to help the elves. The dwarf had begun to turn a dark red. The elven male put both hands on the table, and the female leaned forward, a little.

The male spoke first, "I am called Myler Falnsin. My female companion is my sister, Leatia. And this red fellow here is known as Vrettorra D'murel. We were having a bit of a private conversation, Raknarak. Though it was nice to meet you, I will have to ask you to leave."

The dwarf grunted something in agreement with Myler. Rak just looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"I would leave, but you see, there is no longer a place for me to sit in this tavern." He gestured around the now almost overfilled room. "As I have been on such a long and harsh journey, I would prefer to sit. If you still wish to speak privately, I can simply sing loudly to cover up your voices. Or, if you have need of a skilled swordsman. You could simply invite me to join."

As he said this last part, he leaned forward on his elbows, and smiled again. He knew he was taking a huge risk attempting to even stay, and now he was almost slapping them in the face.

When he had come to the Inn earlier, he was simply planning on lounging around for at least a week. Now, though, he wanted to embark on a journey, again. All simply because his curiousity had shoved him over to this table.

The three looked at him closely, the female elf still smiling. That worried Rak even more. But, they at least seemed to be considering his words. He slowly drank his meade. He would have to out wait these three. The elves would be the hard ones. Dwarves were impatient with other races, especially humans. Elves, on the other hand, were infinitely patient with all races. Which would probably explain why Rak had not gotten into a fight. Yet.

[Raknarak]

Vrettorra leaned close to Raknarak and softly spoke, "Human, though I truly could get to like your youthful exuberance, you know not what you are trying to get yourself into. Since you have clearly ascertained the meaning to our little meeting, you have no idea how high the stakes really are. Joining with this group will only get you killed. We are not going on some pitiful campaign against some Warlord that taxes his people too highly. We are going to journey into a realm of darkness, from which no mere mortal has ever escaped. We are going to Lon' Tukar. We intend to recover some missing items that belong to Dwarves and Elves. Whether or not we will even get that far, remains to be seen."

Raknarak looked into the dwarf's steely eyes, nodding his understanding.

"I still wish to join you. I have no real home, and nowhere to even go. If I am allowed to go along, I would be another set of eyes and ears. I may even be able to suplly the three of you with insight that you would not have had without me. Worst comes to worse, I could even be a target for them to shoot at, while the rest of you get away."

The three considered him for a time, and finally showed their acceptance of his offer with simple nods.

They began to speak again, quickly catching Rak up on the plan. They would go through the Terimun Pass in the Agal Mountains to approach Lon' Tukar from the north. From there, they would journey down to a village just a mile north of the city, and meet their contact, who would then show them into the bowels of the city.

If all went well, they would be able to slip in, retain the goods, and return from whence they came. But, they doubted anything would go anywhere as easily as the planning had gone. Werebears were the main sentries of Lon' Tukar, and the beasts gaurded even the smallest cracks in the walls. Stories had even been heard of strange ethereal creatures that guarded the very sewer system they were going to journey through.

"Even raiding an Elven Kingdom would be easier than this." said Myler.

The rest nodded in acknowledgement. They would be putting their lives on the line for something that they may not even be able to see. Raknarak would be doing it without even knowing what they were after, it seemed.

After another hour of talking, the group rose and went to their rooms. They would be leaving in the morning, and needed rest.