[b][i]The Faintly Gallows, Blackwater[/i][/b]
The Faintly Gallows began to come alive as it did every morning. A halfling by the name of Gabriel Knotts played a jolly solo with his fiddle to the amusement of many guests; to some, it was the first time they had heard a fiddle, while others probably heard it every morning; nevertheless, a few of the patrons tossed a few coins his way. A young woman known as Haven was busy tending to the patrons and Sloan looked over her with a smile, joyful that he had some help tending to such a busy inn. It only took a single glance around the room to spot out priorities. A few merchants were in the center of the room discussing trade and weather; some mercenaries in a corner were counting their coin, promoting jealousy amongst the others; a few shady individuals found darker corners to hide in, keeping their heads turned away but turned just enough so they could see someone if they approached. On a normal day hunters would have brought in their fresh meats, but the vicious rainstorm of the early morning hours had dealt its blow. [i]Just another day[/i], thought Sloan.

"Got any rooms available?" Sloan jumped, a bit surprised at the sudden question. He turned to face a dark-skinned woman.

"Oh," he began, "oh yes, of course. I just need a name and your initial payment..."

[b][i]Streets of Blackwater[/i][/b]
Valunn strolled the streets of the town as they began to come alive. People were moving everywhere, but he wasn't sure what they were doing. Some carts, a few children, a bit of yelling - a bit busy for such a small town. [i]An easy place to blend in[/i], he thought.

There stood a man in a courtyard, an old fellow with a thick mustache. He stood on a pedestal to elevate himself from the crowd around him. In one hand he held a paper and was shouting "Get it here! [i]The True Lives of Elven Warriors![/i] Stories of er... great adventure and... romance... heh heh." He looked nervous, but seemed to enjoy spreading the news. [i]Could have information[/i], thought Valunn.

"Excuse me, sir," Valunn called out, talking towards him. The crowd dispersed, uninterested in the lives of elvenkind. "Hey," he called out again, "I'll have a word with you." At that moment the man noticed him and looked at him with a shy grin.

"Shamus is busy spreading what he knows at the moment my good man, see him at The Faintly Gallows," he said, oddly referring to himself in third-person. The man went on to yell a bit more about some nonsense, so Valunn reached up and grabbed his forearm before yanking the old man down off the pedestal. "...or I can come now," the man said in a frightened tone.

Valunn led the towncrier over to a nearby alley. "Alright 'Shamus', how about you spread some news my way?" Shamus nodded his head nervously, not about to hesitate denying the strong warrior. "Darkwood is about to receive some visitors, Shamus, but I'm pretty sure they're already here, you understand? Now these 'visitors' aren't the friendly type, so as soon as you hear [i]anything[/i] suspicious find me at The Faintly Gallows - immediately!"

"Er... yes sir," Shamus replied, "but uh... what's in it for me?"

Valunn smirked and pulled a small pouch of silver coins from his bag, shoving into the old mans chest, "greedy old bastard," he said before turning to walk away. But the old man tapped on his shoulder, letting out a nervous chuckle. "What?"

"You'll probably find more [i]capable[/i] help" he began quietly, "by posting a notice on The Faintly Gallows notice board, eh?"

"Yeah," replied Valunn. It [i]was[/i] a good idea, to round up a few volunteers and be ready in case the 'strangers' made it to Blackwater. "I might just do that then... but not until I'm certain they're here. Meanwhile, don't tell anyone what I told you, you hear? No need to cause a ruckus." Shamus nodded his head and Valunn turned and headed back for the inn.

It wasn't a long distance, but the crowd of people made it a longer trip. The inn was a bit more busy at this hour, and it wouldn't be long until a few straggling travelers would arrive. [i]Wow,[/i] thought Valunn, [i]this place is shady as hell[/i]. It was no lie. Valunn figured he could count the number of innocent people here on one hand. Everyone else looked to be a thug, a scoundrel, a drunk, or a killer. [/i]Just the type of people I need for my situation[/i]. Valunn didn't bother to post a notice yet, not until he was certain the town was in danger, so he just moved through the crowd, went up the steps, on up to the attic which was used as storage...

And Lily was nowhere to be seen. "Gods be damned," Valunn said to himself. Then he saw it: an open window on the far-side of the room. He walked over to it and noticed a rope tied to a nearby plank, obviously Lily's handiwork. "You dumb girl, where've you gone off to now." He looked out of the window to survey the surroundings before hearing a tiny voice call out to him.

"...hi." Looking down he saw Lily making her way back up to the window. "I didn't know you'd be back so soon."

Irritated, Valunn reached down, grabbed the girl by her shoulder, and in one smooth stroke pulled her through the window. "Bloody hell girl, what'd I tell you before? You do what I say - WHEN I say, you got that?"

"I just wanted to check out the town, it's not that big of a deal," the girl argued.

"Not that big of a deal? Didn't you see what was following us, girl? Do you really think it's a good idea to be out in the open?"

"Hey, we handled him," she continued to argued, raising her voice, "we can do it again."

"[i]We?[/i]" Valunn reared his hand back and backhanded the girl onto the floor, sending her onto her stomach. "[i]I[/i] barely managed to 'handle' him, you dumb bitch, and all you did was run like the frolicking cunt you were born to be. Besides, that was was just one of the fuckers, now I have all [i]six[/i] making there way here, do you really think I can handle every single one of them?"

The girl didn't reply. She looked up at Valunn and wiped the blood from her face. As harsh as he was, Lily knew he was right. It was stupid for her to go out alone, and she knew it. She finally replied: "Well if you're going to be watching over me, at least [i]act[/i] like you care about me."

Valunn just laughed at her and remarked "Believe me girl, there's plenty of others in this world who would've done you worse. You're lucky you're not slung over one of the tables there, begging for help. It doesn't matter how 'mean' you think I am, at least you're able to see how things [i]really[/i] are."

The girl just slumped back in a chair and didn't bother to look at her guardian. Her eyes began to water and Valunn walked back downstairs, slamming the door behind him. He'd take a seat in one of the booths, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious to come in.