Before the gnome official could answer, a presence appeared from within the foliage. Black-cloaked and full of greenery, it came to a clumsy halt before the gathering party. At first, the man was weary of such a shady figure, but as it neared, and the face of a joyous young woman became visible, it once again calmed him down. After reporting to the advisor, it seemed that she turned toward him, fiddling with her hood as she did.
 
 "AH, GREETINGS, IVORY ONE. INDEED, I AM THE AXEMAN, KOL'RAKUL, AND I TOO SHALL DELVE WITHIN THE CRYPT!-" A big, goofy grin creeped up on the barbarian's face as he momentarily looked away. Words of kindness could often make him blush. "I- HAH, SHALL DO MY BEST, IF NOTHING ELSE. THOUGH IT SEEMS I AM AMONG EQUALS IN SKILL." The Axeman exclaimed, as he carefully observed the newcomer. The continuous squinting, despite the early hour, and somewhat unnatural color made him vaguely suspect her being more than she appeared, but he quickly ceased such thoughts, as it was a matter not for him to judge. Yet, he could not help but give the hooded one a sly wink as he finished talking.

 Not a moment after the barbarian had turned back at the gnome, a wheelbarrow approached the ever-growing group, it's master hailing from afar. As the contraption came closer, Kol'Rakul was surprised to see it drawn not by beasts, but by mechanical dogs! Their owner hopped off and as the Axeman was soon to discover, he was not unlike these wandering entertainers he usually came upon his journeys, though what he displayed far exceeded any of them.

 Kol'Rakul marveled at the metallic hounds crackling with arcane energy, smiled at the sight of the small sentient crossbows, and wondered where and how one could find and tame such a chest. Even the minuscule shadowy creature amused him, though he nervously clutched his axe a tad tighter than usual after hearing of its' tendency to steal shiny things. He had only recently cleaned it, after all. Once the display was over, the towering man let loose a roaring laugh and clapped vigorously. "WHAT A WONDROUS SHOW, RINGLEADER!"

 And, just as the parade of exotic contraptions was over, more adventurers began to flood the scene. A Vaulter followed. The Axeman had heard tales of them, intrepid explorers emerging from their underground home, intent on gathering stories and knowledge, not unlike Kol'Rakul himself. He gave the man a solemn nod of acknowledgement before his eye caught another most peculiar creature, one that resembled an owl-man, with impressive feathers at that. His eyes quickly widened as he extended his hand in greeting. Indeed, the barbarian had formed friendships with a travelling group of said people, and had even wandered close to a village, once. "HAIL FIERCE KENKU! HOW GOES YOUR TRIBE! AND WHAT GLORIOUS PLUMAGE!"

 Yet, just when everyone seemed to have arrived, he heard a familiar voice behind him. It was the fiery monk with an attitude to match. Oh, how could he forget. Truth be told, despite the constant friction between them, the Axeman had grown to like her temperament, as well as respect her fighting spirit. And despite all that, Kol'Rakul knew that this girl was troubled, and something truly vile gnawed at her. Facing her with fists against his waist, he yelled in a cheeky manner. "THEN I DREAD TO IMAGINE HOW SHARP AN AXE MY PERSONALITY MUST HAVE TO SLAY ME IN COMBAT. ALSO, I DON'T SEE ANY CHAINS ON YOU TO 'KEEP ME IN LINE'! HAW-HAW! COME HERE YOU NAGGING RASCAL!" He raised two burly arms for a hug, one still holding onto the axe, though he was unable to come closer, as his thoughts were interrupted by the wizard's speech.

 Ah, the party would be split, interesting. Kol'Rakul was fine either way. Glorious combat was always around the corner either way, and cooperating to defend this city's people was, after all a priority. Seeing as there were still more to arrive, the Axeman did not speak up, and chose to rather wait for the entire party to form up and discuss it, and socialize in the meantime. His version of socializing was, of course, to sit upon the grass where he stood on, unscrew his massive mead horn, retrieve a whole bunch of cloth-wrapped meatbread rations and lay them next to him for a crude pic-nick, open for all to join.