The halfling looks taken aback at the elderly woman taking his food but doesn't show any other concern, even nodding slightly at her less-than-delicate demeanor. "Ah, are you suggesting this Carzin Wren might have taken our quarry, or is this simply a lead? And," he says, turning a bit to the others, "what's this about girls, plural? Are we searching for more than one person?"

"No we got two girls missing, her daughter and a girl from my orphanage Maria got up, and hugged the old woman. "Thank you! Thank you all!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:12, Mon 17 Jan 2022.

"I need to find a sundries store that's open!"

Una hopped down from her seat

"Need bacon, need eggs . . . going to need some roadbread too, traveler's food . . . how long do we have?"

She turned to Maria expectedly

In reply to Una Emberkettle (msg # 8):

She thought a moment, "We'll leave tomorrow morning when we have the sun on our side. I am eager to try your cooking ms.Emberkettle"

A drunken human clinging to the bar like moss on a stump lifted her head, a tangle of amber-gold locks spilling out from under a tattered hood. Shifting her weight, her coat of mail ringing metal on metal as she gripped the bartop to steady herself, lips cracked, eyes ringed with bruises. She approached the dwarf and halflings discussing missing girls in Lanis.

"You're traveling? Ta' Lanis? I've business in the town myself, wondering if you might like a little protection on the road . . . "

Pulling her sleeve back, she showed a brand . . . mostly muddled by other tattoos and grime

"Err . . . this means somethin' where I'm from, mean's I go escorting and protection on the seas, for those what pay. All I'm asking for pay is to travel with ya though."

Striding into town out of the morning fog, the half-elf stopped to lean on her staff, her sensible traveling clothes overlaid with runic lines that seemed to continue and connect the whorling blue marks on her skin

She'd stopped to read the sign outside the wayhouse, Ye Olde Bucket of Beer, and entered the establishment drawing her cloak around her, the lines diming but not disappearing as she smiled at the first person she saw

"A beer and food please."

The half-elf moved on until she found the person who could provide a beer and food, happily thanking that person.

Once she had that beer and food, she set down not far from anyone, but right in the midst of another table

"Good morning friends, it is lovely weather. I just came in off the wilds nearby, caught a rabbit. How are you this morning?"

What the others had been talking about, the girls and the travel, had not registered to her at all . . .

Una was just about to answer the brawny human lady when the half-elf woman also sat down.

"Hello! This is Maria, and Doven and I'm Una Emberkettle!"

She smiled widely

"We are on a merry little quest you see, and were just discussing setting off and what provisions we needed to make."

She looked to the human woman first

"You're welcome to join friend, but just know we aren't taking on employees right now. I mean, I can hardly afford myself! Terribly costly, I am, and there've been many complaints of my laziness! But if you help us on this quest, what money comes my way I'll gladly put some in your pockets to make the trip worth something."

She turned to the half-elf then

"I must say your need for food and drink upon entering certainly paints you as a friend to Emberkettle, or a like spirit at least! While we eat, perhaps you'll tell us a story of how you came to be dressed so . . . strangely in these parts? I'd gladly share my bacon"

Una pushed some strips of bacon to edge of her plate and winked before pointing to both the newcomers

"And we shall need your names, before going further. It's the polite thing to do!"

"I am called Berskenna. I've come far to your lands guided by . . . let us say visions. Portents."

Reaching over, Berskenna grabbed the offered piece of bacon and popped it into her mouth.

Rowan took her bacon and another nip from her flask while Berskenna spoke, covering a burp before speaking.

"Rowan, my name's Rowan. I'm called Ambercrown on account of my locks. Why are you called Emberkettle?"

Maria nodded, "Blessings of the Old one to you and your kin. We can always use more help."

(OOC: wow, this group has all the makings of a new age fantasy series for the young crowd, all hotties and a really short fighter. amazon may even pick this up. not so sure about netflix though, they may be getting to woke for their own bottom line.)

In reply to Rowan Ambercrown (msg # 14):

"Why that's an easy one, they call me Emberkettle because my mum and dad are Emberkettles! Well they were a Kettlebottom and an Emberstoker but it's just a name."

A small flame awoke in Una's hand

"Turned out to be what you call prophetic though."

In reply to Sister Maria (msg # 15):

"And the same blessings to you. Help will always been in sight, if you look around I'm told."

Berskenna folded her hands

"As I said, visions and portents. I know it is not much to go on, but there are children missing I must help find."

"The more the merrier! Seems we have a good little group for some adventure!"

As if to punctuate this Una dug into her breakfast, excitedly beaming

Maria spent the rest of the day preparing for the journey, collecting equipment, saying goodbye to the priest who had put her up. The next morning at dawn, after her hour of prayer she made it to their choose meeting place to catch their carriage. "Good morning ladies and Master Doven! I know that Una's cooking is sublime but I did purchase raisin buns from the bakery for our morning breaking of the fast. Just as a thank you for helping me find my girl."

Una went on the hunt for spices and herbs and a few other choice supplies after breakfast, and then sat down to make a recording of her work on her parchment

Here begins the travels of Una Emberkettle, a story of both travel and food. Setting forth on a quest to recover missing children, I am joined by strange people from every corner, and one friendly halfling who I'm sure will prove to be right mix of seasonings for this recipe. I begin with the recipe laid down by my grandmother, for apple raisin scones . . .

The next morning Una arrived with her backpack on and some foraged goodies from the surrounding area, and a small bundle of warm scones and a little pot of apple preserves.

"No sense traveling without a little treat, there's one for each of you!"

That the surrounding area seemed festooned with random leaves and signs glowing in an assortment of autumnal colours . . . she could not comment on

OOC: cast light on as many things as I could on the way here.

"Oh! Raisin buns!! Those smell amazing Maria!"

She started folding her bundle back up

"These will keep, unless someone wants one now?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:43, Sat 05 Feb 2022.

Maria placed her baked goods back in her pack, "No please! This is an unexpected delight! We can have your goodies now and mine later once we're hungry again. This will be a long trip after all." Maria smiled, "I must say miss Emberkettle I find you to be both thoughtful and polite. I am excited to be in such company."

Berskenna had enjoyed her one night in the inn, clearing aside space in the inn room to set up her brewing supplies, taking time to purify the water in her waterskin. Once that was done and her waterskin was filled again, she set to work preparing a road beer to ferment while they would make this trip.

Working the cantrip magic of controlling water and flame, she focused on her task solemnly for hours before finally sealing the concoction up and going to sleep.

In the morning she recast her armour, which flowed out from the tattoos along her body and over her traveling clothes, and arrived a few moments after the others

"Oh my, I think I will have one of each please!"

She hungrily bit into both the raisin bun and the scone, and made a small noise in happiness

Rowan awoke as she often did with a blinding headache, a half-finished flagon of ale cradled in the crook of her arm like a bundle, hair plastered to her face with sweat.

She sat up seeing the half-elf from yesterday leaving, and bolted from her seat, stopping and returning to down the ale and place some coppers on the bartop before hustling out to meet the others, bleary-eyed and pained

"I'm here! I'm here! Don't leave without me!"

She doubled over to breath for a moment and stood up, periodically straightening her mail coat as she waited to get underway . . . and snagging a scone, which she took small bites of to make last

"So, ladies, I have a question for you all." Ralston said. He seemed eager yet it was obvious he was holding something back. "A simple task really. If you are will to make a delivery for me in Lanis once you get there."

"I would be honoured. Is the message inscribed or should I remember it?"

Berskenna tossed her hair to one shoulder, stance wide, smiling

"If you could deliver a sealed envelope for me I would be willing to cover the cost of a coach for you all." Ralston explained on, "The person to receive this envelope is Margaretta de Chollier. She is a priestess and alchemist in Lanis. You can find her in the Witch's Quarter on the Street of Jars. It's a street famous for alchemists and artificers."

"Hard to argue with that! Yeah, we'll get yer letter to the right person, so we will."

A paid for coach sounded alright by Rowan, even if she wasn't paying anyways beforehand . . . but the overly generous halfling might be overly generous some more down the road to compensate . . .

"Street of jars? Must make a note to browse there, sounds like the kind of place new discoveries are had!"

"Right, then." Ralston said with a smile as he handed over a thick envelope the size of a small book. It looked to carry a heavy fold of papers inside. The weight, however, was much less than would've been suspected. "I'll see to coach, you'll set out in the morning and I'll see to it you are well fed and rested. I'll even provide a bit of road food to help with your travels."

(OOC: post your IC actions, if any for the night, then I will advance the scene afterwards.)