[indent][b][i]"The journey shall be fun, that I can promise. When we finish it, you will be greatly rewarded, I can assure you all that, I made sure of it."[/i][/b][/indent]

Lander found a seat by the hearth. [i]Fun... Reward...[/i] The words lingered in his mind like clothes hung out to dry. Whoever was pulling the strings of this endeavor knew more then these people knew. Even this Aldred person is most likely in the dark. No, this wasn't about fun, he thought, this was about something much bigger. He could feel it, sense it. Something wasn't right and the promise of a reward just made Lander more sure that they were being used. He didn't like the feeling, but he knew that the only way to find answers was to join them.

By now the tavern had filled up with a variety of characters. There was an elven girl, a sailor and a young half-elf with a wolf. A few more joined and they all began talking to Aldred and each other. Lander studied them all. Some of them were ordering drinks from the tried looking bartender, but Lander had no desire to drink anything this place had to offer. He had tasted of pure mountain streams, filtered by the stones and rocks washed clean by millennia of use. The thought of river water stagnating in barley or hops turned his stomach. He stared into the fire, trying to keep his mind busy by determining what species of wood they were burning and how old the tree was that the logs came from. It was poplar, and he scowled as the tree had been far too young to be used as firewood.

After a while, Lander walked over to the table where Aldred was and nodded to the others gathered around him. "I will join you," he said, "but know this, I am not a hired thug, nor am I a mercenary. I am not a thief and your promise of payment does not interest me so do not think that you have any say on my actions." He shot a glance around at the others, unsure if he was making any friends. Probably not, he thought, but he wasn't here to make friends.