"Stupid village, stupid people, stupid cold." Thark said, rubbing his arms to try and bring some warmth back into them. The last village had been a bust. He barely walked in, when he was surrounded by guards and jabbed at with spears. They said he wasn't welcome around here and to get lost before he found trouble. Then someone pelted him with a rotten fruit. That made Thark angry, but he held his temper. It was like his mama used to say:

"Thark, if you don't control your temper, no one will trust you. How can you get anywhere without that?"

So Thark left, humiliated once more. Thark was losing hope, his dreams of adventure slowly dwindling due to unreasonable people.

He continued his walk, wishing he really heeded his mama's advice and packed a coat. It was fiercely cold, sapping all the heat from his body. Thark had no doubt he would freeze if couldn't find shelter soon. Soon, he spotted something in the distance. Thark could make out a shape just ahead. Heading towards it, he noticed that the shape was in fact a gate to a village.

Thark could've shouted in joy, if it weren't for the fact that the cold would probably freeze his mouth in place. Making his way towards the gate, he spotted a couple of guards standing watch. He waved to them to get their attention. Noticing him, the two guards tensed and readied their swords as Thark made his way towards the entrance of the village.

"Halt! Move no further, Orc!" One of the guards yelled.

"Wait! I no Orc! I just a Half-Orc. I just want to go in village." Thark said, raising his hands in the air "I want out of this cold. May soon be icicle."

One of the guards raised his eyebrow at Tharks' response, before lowering his sword.

"How do we know we can trust you not to try and ransack the place if we let you in?" he asked.

"I am good. Wouldn't hurt people, unless they give me reason to. Just looking for job." Thark replied, secretly grateful that the guards hadn't immediately attacked him.

The guard put a hand to his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. Looking between the Half-Orc and the village entrance, the guard sighed.

"All right, you can enter. There's a tavern just past here. Big wooden sign, two drow sisters run the place. Can't miss it. But watch your step. We will be watching you. The Jarl doesn't like troublemakers in his village."

The guards motioned for Thark to enter. Thark nodded his thanks and looked around for the tavern the guard mentioned. Eying a sign hanging off a builing, Thark took a closer look and noticed it was the tavern. Smiling, Thark entered the building.