Outside the town of Tolbana, a lone figure lounged out by the local stream. In her hand was a fishing pole, little more than a long stick with string attached, the lure bobbing lazily in the stream's clear waters. Breakfast was slow coming today, though the disappointment was diminished by a handful of useful items she had accidently fished up; herbs, sellable junk, even the odd old shoe. Typical in-game fishing rewards, just no damn [i]fish.[/i] Eventually the rod began to tip, a tell-tale sign of a bite; hoping against hope that this catch was of the piscean kind, she stood to haul it in. After a minute of frenzied angling her prize leapt from the waters, a magnificent specimen of a... another damn boot. [b]'Chyort voz'mi!'[/b] For all her attentiveness and patience, this morning was a bust. With no kipper for breakfast, she packed up her gear and headed toward the town, instead deciding to flog the chaff and eat at the tavern for once. At least there would be ale there she thought, trying to look on the bright side.

By the time she reached the tavern it was already mid-morning and the streets heaved with players assembling for the upcoming raid-spam. With Tolbana being so close to the Floor Dungeon's entrance it was fast becoming a staging ground for parties; this was the main reason she had travelled so far of course. As a trader and spelunker, one must always be in the thick of it, ready to strike whilst the iron is hot so to speak. These folk often needed materials for potions and armour, something that she had grown to specialise in acquiring. Tolbana was a gold mine for a savvy businesswoman. But the rumbling of her stomach, whether simulated or imagined ensured that the day's work would wait and she filed into one of the less packed taverns, flagging down an NPC maid. Taking her place in one corner of the room, she set about turning her table into a makeshift sales counter, carefully placing stacks of materials out for the other patrons to peruse as she made a start on a small mountain of bacon, humming Katyusha as she worked. A small sign sat before her, specially crafted by an... associate in the Town of Beginnings. [i]Pyotr's Gubbins.[/i]