The road, as Honil had said, runs close to the inner side of the wall.  It's also crowded with locals, most of them probably going home at the end of their day, though there are a few beggars still plying their trade.

A Watch patrol makes its way along the road, coming from further within the city.  Their surcoats bear the arms of Bard's Gate - a gate house, surmounted by a harp - and their arms and armour look well-maintained.  They pass the group of adventurers without a second glance.

The group reach the market square, which is still crowded, even though most of the stalls are closing down (or have already done so).  An old man (a street cleaner, judging by the state of his clothing and the aroma of manure which lingers around him) provides directions to The Full Moons, but also adds that he prefers The Pig and Whistle, which he is also happy to point out.

The former is a large structure, well maintained, and with its front wall sporting banners and bright lanterns, while the latter is a smaller establishment of somewhat... shabbier... appearance.  Apparently the food and drink at The Pig and Whistle are cheaper, and the accommodation is adequate, while The Full Moons caters to wealthier patrons.

At the far end of the square stands what must be the town hall - an imposing building, its large door standing open and guarded by more watchmen.

And close to the town hall stands a shop whose window is filled with flasks, bottles and jars containing a wide variety of fluids, unguents and powders in every colour of the rainbow, with bundles of herbs suspended from cords above... the apothecary.

Eilieen drops off some of her coin with the beggars - copper pieces, the like.  Enough to account for probably five silver's worth.  It's the least she can do.  After that, she takes in the town, squeaking loudly with glee at the sight of the large inn.

She already knows which establishment will be garnering her coin.

"Well, shall we agree to meet somewhere for dinner?  I should inspect the apothecary, stock up on herbs and unguents.  And perhaps find a temple.  Oooo, and a clothier."

"All those willing to put up with that, please let me know!" she happily chirps.

" Sounds like we have the same itinerary!" Ozzy says with a big smile, " Well, without the temple. I guess I can go pound a few ales with Aarnr while you're prayin'." he adds. He shifts the bundle from the crook of one arm to the other, eager to be rid of the tail and to fill his coin purse.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:19, Tue 11 Nov 2014.

Colwyn goes along with the rest of the group, happy to be in a city again.  He glances about as he walks, taking in the sights of Bard's Gate, and it's (probably) just coincidence that many of the sights feature open windows and somewhat flimsy-looking locks.

The market is a disappointment, since many of the stalls appear to have closed down for the day.  "Back in Tsair, if'n I were wantin' a bit of grub, the market were bein' open 'til 'bout midnight."

Apart from the lack of late night shopping opportunities, the other issue that he notes is an over-abundance (by his standards) of watchmen.

And suddenly, something seems to concern him even more ftan the uniformed guards.  He wedges his hands info his belt, and follows his companions with his head bowed.

"I's fer the Pig an' Whistle." he mutters when the subject of an inn comes up...

Fergus, recovering from his battle on the road, climbs down from the cart when it reaches the market square.  To his eyes, the city is amazing.  He's never seen so many stone buildings in his life.  Not even when he was in Reme.  Admittedly the ones in Reme were cleaner, at least as far as he recollects.

And the market square looks to be almost as big as all of Fairhill.

The question of which inn to use seems more than a little irrelevant... unworthy of notice when taken alongside the architectural wonders of the vast metropolis.

Aarnr glowers down from his perch on the cart, not at all liking the press of people in this vast metropolis.  To his mind, you only get these numbers gathered together when you're on the battlefield, and undoubtedly war is being waged, though, typically for such decadent people, though the sly and underhand means they call commerce.

The number of guards annoys him too, but then again, any number of such creatures is too many as far as the priest is concerned.

Temples are a good place for the weak gods to hide, those who need to be flattered and who bask in the subervience of their followers ... on reflection perhaps best not to mention that to Eilieen who seems quite taken with the prospect of a good worshipping.  And the gods alone knew what else she was talking about, for the other people or places she mentioned defied comprehension.

"Pig and Whistle, aye."  Aarnr concurs.  Taverns were always a good bet for food, drink and, with enough of the latter to give the patrons courage, a bit of brawling.

Colwyn's enthusiasm for the city seems to have faded, as he looks about nervously.  "Yeah, we's needin' ter be gettin' inside, an' a bit sharpish."  He takes a few steps in the direction of the Pig and Whistle, before stopping to see if anybody is following along.

Fergus, meanwhile, is still standing, taking in the view.  Colwyn doubles back and grabs the big man by his arm, only to discover that pulling on that arm has no more effect than trying to move a mountain.  "Fergus, mate, let's be gettin' ter that there inn.  If'n yer's wantin' ter be lookin' at the city, we can be findin' yer a nice window ter be doin' it out."

The rogue glances back up at the front of a nearby structure, before letting go of Fergus' arm, and starting towards the Pig and Whistle once more.

"We'll need to watch the cart," Aarnr licks his lips at the prospect of a drink in the offing, but has been around city folk enough to know that they're all thieves and scoundrels.  "I'll go first," he offers generously, leaping down from the cart and looking for somewhere close at hand in the street to tether the oxen.  Something solid, and preferably not Fergus.

Fergus is, in fact, the first to spot a likely place to leave the cart.  As luck would have it, it's directly outside the Pig and Whistle, so it should be easy enough to keep an eye on the cart, and the oxen, from the window of the tavern.

So while some of the party head for the apothecary's, in the hopes of catching him before he shuts up shop for the evening, the rest of them make their way into the tavern with the intention of inspecting the quality of the victuals available therein.

The apothecary is still open for business, just.  He turns out to be a dwarf of somewhat advanced years, his long white beard and hair bound into a veritable serpent's nest of braids.  He regards the new customers with some interest as they enter, "Hello there.  What can I do for you young people this fine Waneday evening?  And before you answer, you should know that Oswestry's is a respectable establishment, and I won't be selling you anything to spice up your love lives.  Unless you can prove that you're married.  To each other."

The Pig and Whistle, meanwhile, also turns out to be respectable.  It's a lot less shabby on the inside than it on the outside, and fairly crowded, which indicates a degree of popularity.  The first round of drinks are bought and Colwyn, apparently happier now that he's indoors, proposes a toast...

"Ter the 'eroes what's goin' ter rob Rappan Athuk!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:34, Wed 19 Nov 2014.

"Goodness!" Eilieen replies to the Apothecary with a small laugh.  She has been despondant since the announcement of the Pig and Whistle, but this cheers her right up.  "Nothing like that, fine sir.  I am a priestess of Zadastha, and my supplies of healing tools are taxed.  I had hoped to make some purchases here - perhaps you might expound upon what wares are available?"

Hope springs eternal.  Hope for supplies...hope for low prices...hope she won't receive some comment about love lives and Zadasthan priestesses...

...there's always hope.

The hustle and bustle of the commons might be endearing to some, and uncomfortable to others. To Arkan it was simply uninteresting. He had long since blocked the noise and distractions out with a simple mental technique he had learned many years ago back home. He sat with his hood covering his head, casting his features into shadow as he mulled over an empty cup, with a medium sized platter containing the bones of some unfortunate bovine and crumbs of bread.

Suddenly, a voice pierced the chatter with the mention of a name that held great interest for Arkan. It was the name of a place he had traveled across a sea to reach, a name that sent shudders of horror into the hearts of men even thousands of leagues away, a place in which he sought to find something he had been seeking for a long, long time...

Rappan Athuk!

The name of the infamous dungeon was said by a weasley looking man with a mop of unruly hair topping a narrow face with a shrewd gaze. A party of rough and somewhat unsavory seeming characters were near this gentleman, though the last could be due to the fact that the dust of travel stained their clothes.

Waiting only a moment, Arkan collected his thoughts and quickly squeezed past the crowd as he walked over to the man, who Arkan now noted had oddly mismatched eyes. "Good day traveler. I am Arkan, a man from distant shores yet ever at home where a stout heart, a strong arm and a cunning mind might be needed," he remarked with a curt nod, as he folded his arms in front of the stranger and continued in a lower voice, enough only to carry over the din of the tavern.

"You appear to be one who has little time for nonsense, so I will get to the point. I have been seeking stalwart company to travel to Rappan Athuk myself. There is something within I greatly desire to find. It is known that all who return from the depths of that wretched place never want for anything again, such is the wealth to be found therein. I ask for little of the wealth myself, only that I be allowed to accompany your party. My skills shall be at your disposal for as long as the expedition lasts."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Sat 22 Nov 2014.