Suddenly, you were out of the mist and at the entrance to a town. Looking behind you, the road and graveyard were gone and here you are. The sun was beginning to set and no one was out on the streets.

Lop breathed out a sigh of relief as she exited the mist and then the breath froze in her throat as the road and graveyard disappeared. I really need to get some sleep she thought to herself.

She considered how to best carry the greatsword figuring that it was probably not the best thing to be walking into town heavily armed. As she pondered the issue for a moment and then suddenly the sword seemed to melt into shadows that raced down her body and then vanished into her own shadow. Lop yelped in shock and not a little bit of dismay as her weapon vanished. "This day can't get any weirder" she muttered to herself.

Sighing again she headed into the town looking for an inn, "Wonder where everyone is?" she said to herself as she looked.

It wasn't hard to find one. It was called "The Golden Nugget". The door was locked.

Lop knocked on the door "Hello?" she called out "Anyone there?"

"Gods above, Marin! There's someone out there!" a man's voice said as you can hear heavy footsteps coming towards the door before it swings open. The man was a massive human, about six foot four and a good three hundred pounds, mostly in his gut. He had a full grey beard and a few wisps on his head.

"Get in quickly!"

Lop hesitated a moment and then follows the mans instructions and quickly enters the Inn. "I thank you for your kindness" she said giving a formal bow.

"Think nothing of it," a human woman, much shorter than the man said, but about the same age said. "It's almost dark and then they'll be about."

"They?" Lop asked "I am not from around here" she explained "I was investigation some ruins and then got lost in the mist" she added.

"Hmm, the mist you say?" the woman said. "Let's forget all that and get you some food."

The woman dragged you towards the counter before she went behind and got you some stew and some ale.

Lop's ears twitched slightly at the way the women seemed to want to change the conversation but she was a guest and she was very hungry.

She took a seat at the counter and gratefully accepted the food and drink "So could you tell me why noone was about? and the doors locked? You mentioned a they" she asked them between mouthfuls of stew.

"The kindly ones come out at night," the man said.

"Kindly ones?" Lop asked racking her brains trying to remember if that rang any bells from her studies. I feel like I'm missing half the conversation here she thought to herself.

"It's best not to talk about them," the old woman said. "We're all safe now, so don't worry about it."

Lop opened her mouth and then closed it again, she wanted to ask more but these people had helped her and the exhaustion from the earlier events was beginning to catch up on her.

Instead she nodded in acceptance "The perhaps you could tell me where we are? I don't think I know this village"

"This is the town of Sweet Water Cliffs," the old man said. "We're a mining town."

"Sweet Water Cliffs?" Lop repeated and idly tugged at the end of one ear, a habit she had when she was deeply thinking on something.


"Is that near Rassoni?" she asked naming the large city that was closest to the ruins.

"I've lived hear all my life," the old man said. "I ain't never heard of Rassoni."

Lop felt her unease growing at the man's words where in the hells am I then she thought to herself.

"Could you tell me a bit about the surrounding area?" she asked them.

"Not too much around here. You go a mile north and there's the cliffs we're named for, the mountains to the east and west keep us from travelling those ways. Down south, about four or five days travel is Kingsport where the silver and iron ore is sold," the old man said.

Lop nodded as the man spoke although his discrption of the local area didn't match her knowledge of the land around the ruins.

"Thank you" she said instead of voicing her confusion "Perhaps then it would best if I sleep and then can work things out in the morning"

"It's for the best," the old woman said. "You can have a spot in the common room. All of our single rooms are taken."

Lop nodded her thanks again and headed towards the indicated common room.

There were already a couple of humans lain out on the floor in a couple layers of blankets. The slower breathing meaning that they're asleep.