A man who looked like little more than the common thug was making his way down the rode towards the little village of Misala. Former village, he corrected himself. From what the rumor said, it had been abandoned for over a generation, possible two. Thick boots kicked up dirt into the already dirty brown trousers he wore. His beard was unkempt, a mass of brown that was sorely missing its normal treatment of being braided like the dwarves did theirs. A black tunic covered his chest to make him look at least somewhat decent. A sword hung on the left side of his belt, a backpack on his back filled with books, parchment, quills, ink, and a tiny bit of rations.

Still a good bit from Misala, the man kept his beady little eyes on the text in the pages. An old, old dialect of the common tongue, difficult to read yet easier to speak. He would, if he needed to, just to confuse those around him. His eyes rose for a moment, then lowered back to the pages. They described fantastical things, things that many would rather be forgotten or kept hidden. Things of demons and magic, of wars and monsters. He chuckled, knowing full well that he'd be a dead man the moment the Paladins realized he'd pilfered it and a few other books from the library before running off to lands unknown.

It was about that time when he realized that he had come into the shadow of a building. He looked up, noted the horrifyingly overgrown state of the village, then shrugged and continued, shutting his book in the process. It was stuffed underneath his arm as he made his way into the center of the camp, situating himself a little away from the rest. He let the backpack onto the ground, then stuffed the thick tome inside out of view of prying eyes, then pulled out a few pieces of dried jerky to gnaw on while others enjoyed their roasted boar and other treats. He did notice the elves and the odd girl in the worse looking armor. The girl did not impress him. She looked like she was overcompensating.

With that thought in his head, he took out a small book about the recent history of Altea and began reading to pass the time while he waited for their esteemed benefactor to come and give them the job.