[color=C6DEFF][center][h1]Bast Ragoczy[/h1][/center][/color]

The gardens of Eros, especially at night were simply breathtaking. Away from all the smells an noises of the town, the gardens had a different, tranquil charm to them. The smell of the flowers, gently carried by the night's cool breeze, the moonlight illuminating the garden before them with it's silvery light, giving it an almost ethereal beauty.

Bast couldn't help but to smile when she saw Eilidh, a proud centaur warrior, react like a maiden. Enjoying only each other's company both of them had a lot of time to enjoy the night together.

When they arrived at the guild, it was already very late and pretty much everyone was already asleep. 

[color=C6DEFF]"Good night, my dear. I was glad I could see another side of you I haven't seen before. You were simply adorable."[/color] Bast said, laughing as he gently kissed Eilidh's hand, before they went to sleep.

The sun rose and a new day began. Things were as rowdy as always on the guild hall, as the members met each other to have breakfast and look at the new requests posted at the board. Unlike the other days though, Bartholomew had an announcement to make. According to him, the guild was passing through difficult times regarding money. Thanks to the big hole on the wall, they needed an extra amount of cash to fix it and the last requests earned them almost no money.

Some other members suggested that they maybe would need to start taking requests from Varjo, even though Bartholomew said to not draw too much attention from those people.

[color=C6DEFF]"Oh, good morning, my dear Eilidh? How was your night? Have you dreamed with our little walk last night?"[/color] Bast asked, laughing as he saw Eilidh approaching the request board.

Approaching the board himself to take a look at it, Bast analyzed the two Varjo related requests to see which one would draw less attention. The probable answer was the second one, since it seemed to be merely a request to rescue some prisoners and it wouldn't take them near Varjans. The possibility of entering in direct combat with Varjans was very little. 

[color=C6DEFF]"I don't know if anyone is taking the Varjo requests, but if anyone does, I recommend being careful. Especially about the liberation one... It may be too soon for us to enter in direct combat with Varjo..."[/color] Bast said, looking to all the members gathering around the request board.

[color=C6DEFF]"Eilidh, my dear. If you're planning to take a Varjo related quest, I ask you not to. Varjo is not a safe place and even it's rulers are as bad as the rumors say they are... It's certainly not the time for us to openly announce our hostility to Varjo. We need information first."[/color] Bast said with a dark expression as he said the last part, almost as if he was saying that by experience.

[color=C6DEFF]"Please, Eilidh. It's not that I don't trust your skills. I just want you to be safe."[/color] Bast said, with a serious stare towards her.

[color=C6DEFF]"I'm taking the Alike in Dignity quest. It should be a rather... interesting one."[/color] Bast said, taking the request from the board as she walked towards it.

[@PaulHaynek] [@Silver Carrot]
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[color=8dc73f][center][h1]Freyr[/h1][/center][/color]

Freyr was surprised when he heard Nagare asking him to tell her more about the Viera. Just as she said, people knew little about the Viera as it was incredibly rare to see one outside of the feared and dangerous Vieran Woods. Freyr couldn't say he wasn't happy to hear that. Knowing more about other races and their cultures would definitely help to understand them better and to not fear or hate them due to misinformation.

[color=8dc73f]"The Viera are surrounded by mysticism, rumors and myths due to how... reclusive we are. Not only that but the Vieran Woods are an incredibly dangerous place. Due to this, there are a lot of stories about us being told, which are mostly mere myths or half-truths. I'm really glad you are interested in knowing more about the Viera."[/color] Freyr said, smiling to Nagare as he started to explain.

[color=8dc73f]"We Viera have a saying, a rule we must always follow: 'Viera who have abandoned the Wood are Viera no longer. Viera mus always live with the wood' Thus the reason why seeing vieras is something so rare. Only the rare few who were exiled or choose to get out of the forest by their own will are seen outside."[/color] Freyr continued.

[color=8dc73f]"The 'cities' we live within the Vieran Woods are behind hidden passages which are hidden by illusion spells and barriers created by Viera with an exceptional affinity with natural magic, called Spell Weavers. Only the Viera are able to tap within the threads of magic that run through the forest in order to pass through these barriers. That's another reason why it's so rare to even take a glimpse at their cities. You need to know a Viera to enter their cities."[/color] Freyr said, with a smile and a distant expression as he remembered his childhood.

[color=8dc73f]"The Viera people have incredibly enhanced senses. Not only their hearing, but also how to 'feel' magic and 'hear' the voice of the wood, going as far as having a real connection with the natural world. When the forest we live in becomes corrupted, weak or is in some kind of danger, we feel it ourselves. Another reason why we Viera must always live within the woods is that not only the loud noises from cities outside, that harms our ears, but also the magic. When Viera are exposed to a high concentration of 'unnatural' magic, such as spells & etc. we enter in a trance, a state where we cannot control ourselves nor think straight. Vieras become incredibly dangerous when in this state, being able to tear metal shackles with our bare hands and kill humans with our bare hands with ease... The reason why we aren't constantly in this frenzied state when inside the forest is that the magic that runs within the forest is... different... It's much stronger and concentrated, but at the same time, much more delicate and subtle than the magic outside. It's... hard to explain. Only those who were already within the Vieran Woods and felt the magic there know."[/color] Freyr continued, gladly explaining to Nagare everything that he knew about his people.

[color=8dc73f]"Regarding our culture... You would be surprised if you went to the Vieran villages, deep within the woods. While there are many things here we don't have there, the opposite is the same. Even our daily lives are replete with magic. Our connection with the forest goes beyond that of a mere druid. It is something almost spiritual, as our elders usually say. Other than that, most of the Viera are female. Only a mere 20% are males, making male Vieras really spoiled by their mothers when they're small, but as soon as they learn how to take care of themselves, they're sent to another village, as male and female Viera live in separate villages. The relationship between male and female Viera isn't exactly that friendly though as the males are secretive and competitive for food and space, even with our own species"[/color] Freyr continued. At that point, it became really obvious that he was happy about remembering the Vieran Woods and was exceeding himself a bit on his explanation.

It was only when they were in front of the guild that Freyr realized that he had exceeded himself in the explanation.

[color=8dc73f]"I-I'm so sorry..."[/color] Freyr said, looking down obviously embarrassed.

[color=8dc73f]"It's been so long since someone asked me about the Viera and so long since I remembered the Vieran Woods that I ended up talking a little bit too much..."[/color] he said, laughing.

[color=8dc73f]"I'm sorry for taking so much your time... It's already late so I'm sure you are tired."[/color] Freyr said to Nagare, Ditzy and Haley.

[color=8dc73f]"If you have any other questions, please do tell me tomorrow. I would gladly answer them."[/color] Freyr said, with a warm smile to Nagare before he went to his room.

The next day started with worrisome news. The guild was in dire situation regarding money. They money reserves were low and they didn't receive that much with the previous requests. On top of that, they needed the money to fix the giant hole in the wall. 

Haley mentioned they might need to start taking Varjo related quests even if Bartholomew didn't like it. Although, Bart wasn't the only one who thought that would be a bad idea.

[color=8dc73f]"I... Varjans are not to be taken lightly... I don't believe we should mess with them unless we are fully prepared for war."[/color] Freyr said, with a serious tone.

[color=8dc73f]"If it's really necessary for us to take them though, I can take one. Since I'm a hunter, I should be able to pass by unnoticed, be it in the Liberation request or the Great Escape one... Although I do think it would be better to avoid direct confrontation with Varjans for now..."[/color] Freyr continued, explicating that if he had to take a Varjo related request, he would take the Great Escape one.

[@PaulHaynek] [@Restalaan] [@AzureKnight]