Sylvia was glad that there were no complications with the guard, and that they were allowed entry. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though they were actively looking for anyone hiding. She noted the crowds and she figured that the festival preparations made the streets even more crowded than normal. She heard Andras' answer, and she muttered "Huh..." in curiosity. So if there wasn't any holidays coming up, and the competition was a month away, then...what was everyone preparing for?

Sylvia decided to peg it as a month long preparation for the competition, kinda like how stores back on Earth would start selling holiday themed items more than a month ahead of the holiday. Maybe they'll find out the reason soon...

Soon they reached Andras' brother's store. After Andras spoke, she nodded to him, and answered the family "It really isn't a problem. I wish all of you the best in the future. We'll be sure to stop by tomorrow," She then looked to Elena and she smiled to her kindly, "I think Hektor will fall head over heels for you. I wish you both the best," She then looked to Andrews and she thanked him, "And thank you again, Andrews. Without your help, we never would have found Buddy. I think he's happy to have met you," She then looked to Buddy and asked "Right, Bud?"

After saying her individual goodbyes and wishes, she was ready to continue, possibly to wherever Ferric and Mica intended to go. After that, she planned on finding an inn for the four of them to stay at while they're in Gransys.

The party would part ways as Ferric took his wagon closer towards the huge castle walls. Though oddly enough, it seemed like that just before they would enter the castle walls itself, Ferric took them to an off path. There were less people here and the roads looked less maintained. The stone were worn with grass growing from between. Occasionally you’d spot a stray dog walking by. It was easy to tell that this was obviously a less affluent part of town. Fortunately there wasn’t any trouble as Ferric stopped by a corner.

“And here it is! It’s not much right now, but I paid good money for this spot!” Not too far away was a fairly bustling market bizarre. Already all sorts of vendors were selling food, goods, and textiles, and there were other shops nearby as well. Places to get your clothes washed, someone who made nets, even a stable. It would remind you a lot of an intercity area. Perhaps a bit shady, but a tightknit community. “If there’s a festival going on I better set up quickly! C’mon son, let’s unload our goods.”

As Ferric, Mica, and Buddy unloaded the cart, a few figures approached. Leading them wa a darkskinned dwarf with a full black beard and an axe as huge as himself. There was two halfling with shortbows and shortswords. A burly orcish man with a threatening looking hammer and shield. And finally a tall slender dark elf, wearing their hood up so you could only barely make out their facial features. The dwarf approached with a chuckle. “Well well well! What do we have here?”

Sylvia recalled the intercity areas in New York, and decided to remain alert. She would rather be safe than sorry in an area like this. While Ferric, Mica, and Buddy unloaded the cart, Sylvia decided to keep watch for anything. Soon enough, a group of five approached the group. Sylvia wasn’t sure what to make of the group, but she wasn’t going to jump to conclusions immediately. She asked the dwarf with a calm and a steady tone of voice, “How can we help you, Mister....?”

As she asked, she made sure to position herself between them and Ferric and Mica. She was still going to protect those two if need be. Hopefully they don’t mean any harm. But the the group of five and the weapons made her uneasy.

"Name's-" Before the dwarf could answer Ferric stepped pass Sylvia with his arms spread out. "Cousin Shor, you shady bastard!" The two dwarves chuckled as they embraced one another. Mica also came out as the darker dwarf, Shor, went to hug the young dwarf. Ferric turned to you. "Allow me to introduce you, this is my Cousin Shor Axefist. He's a guard captain here in Gransys. Shor, this lass is Sylvia Thorne, an adventurer who helped me and my son from a few tight spots with goblins." Shor nods and extends his hand out to you. Pylia and Buddy also come over. "Thanks for saving my cousin's butt. I knew he'd get himself into trouble on his own, so I'm glad to know you saved Mica from his mistake!" Shor said boisterously. Pylia and Buddy nods and introduces themselves. Shortfang has notably not left the sack yet.

Sylvia quietly let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She was glad to see that the two were related and knew each other. She smiled and she shook Shor's hand. She answered him, "Not a problem. Happy to help out. As Ferric said, my name is Sylvia. It's nice to meet you, Shor," She noticed that Shortfang hadn't come out of the sack, but she wasn't going to mention it. If Shortfang wasn't comfortable coming out from hiding yet, then she wasn't going to force him. But she did wonder how long he was going to hide there.

"Aye lass. If you ever get into some trouble, don't be afraid to talk to me or my unit here. These two are Kor and Cera, my morning patrol." Shor motioned to the halflings. One, a male halfling with some stubble, continued to look tough though it didn't really work so well considering he was barely your waist high. The other halfling, a female with short hair, seemed more friendly and waved hello. "The big orc there is Yorik. He works nights." The orc chuckled and nodded his head. "If ya come ta me fer help, just know dat all I can do is crush heads. If dat's all ya need, den I'm yer man." He said with a very thick accent, similar to the traders you spoke with when you left the encampment. Then Shor pointed to the dark elf. "She's Aisha. Also works night, and the only one with magic between the five of us." Aisha simply nodded at you. Shor then turned to look at you. "Anything you want to know about the city? I'm not tour guide, but for a friend of Ferric I'll tell you what I know."

Sylvia noted the names in her head mentally. She waved hi back to Cera, keeping herself from laughing at how Kor tries to be tough. When she was introduced to Yorik, and he made his comment, she answered "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, thank you," She then nods back to Aisha in greeting.

She turned her attention back to Shor and when he asked what she wanted to know, she hummed, "Hmm...Yeah, I have three questions about the city,"

She then asked, "First off, do you know where...or which inn would be a good place to stay? We're not quite sure how long we're staying in Gransys, but it would be a good idea for us to get lodgings figured out,"

"An inn eh? Plenty of places to stay around here. Closest one I'd recommend is the Silver Stag, just a few blocks away from here. It can be a bit rowdy but as long as you don't mind the noise, it's got good drink and good beds. If you're looking for something cheap but isn't a complete dump, closer to the waterfront is a boat called the Bloated Float. It's got some of the best rum you can't get in Gransys. I should warn you though, the Waterfront isn't a nice neighborhood. Full of thieves and madmen." Shor thought about it some more and had one more answer. "If you can afford it, the Union Inn isn't too far, and it's in the castle town. It's a nice place, got private rooms, safe storage, the whole works. Can't say I'd want to spend too many nights there though. It's just a money sink, and don't be surprised if you get escorts bothering you while you're there. Unless you make yourself known around the area, they're going to try and trick and scam you."

Sylvia nodded at the answer, and she mentally noted the inns. She mentally decided that the Silver Stag might be a good place to stay. She answered thoughtfully, "That's good to know. Thank you, Shor. I think we might be going to the Silver Stag tonight,"
She then continued her line of questioning, "OK, my second question, and this is just out of curiosity, but we have noticed that everyone here seems to be preparing for a festival. What's the occasion? Is it for the competition that's a month from now?"

"Ah, that." Shor seemed notable dishearten hearing about this. "Well, nothing of the sort. Simply that the duke is returning from an expedition in about a fortnight or so. He and other lords had been called to deal with a threat to the north, and news is that they're victorious, so naturally the city folk have been told to celebrate the return of our lordship." Shor sighs as he rubs his face. "Which is fine, really, I can't fault m'lord answering our king, but as you can imagine lot of people getting rowdy for the coming festivities. Been keeping me and my boys busy dealing with drunken louts and pickpockets trying to take advantage of the festivities." He says with a tired smile. It seemed like he had a lot more on his mind than just the festival. "And what's your last question?"

Sylvia blinked at the news and she commented in surprise, "Oh! So....So Duke Erod isn't even here right now?!" She was surprised to hear that. And what was the threat in the north? Could it have been...the black dragon? No that can't be...Could it? What was happening right now? As she thought about it, she pensively and distractedly answered Shor, "That...sounds rough..."

She snapped out of her thoughts when he asked what her third question was. She started "Oh right! Uh..." She then asked somewhat embarrassed, "Say...someone has business with Duke Erod Blackbane and has to talk to him, when he returns of course, where should they go?"

"Well, naturally they'd have to head into the castle town, straight to the keep itself. Though you'll need an invitation of some sort. Can't just let anyone go in and bother the duke." Shor crossed his arms and looked at you. "I'd guess you have some business with the Duke? At the moment, his seneschal is taking care of court matters. I'm sure if you speak with him, he can rely the information to the duke. Of course, you'll still need that invitation."

Sylvia nodded and answered "I do. And it's an important message," She then pulled the medallion that Chief Arduo entrusted to her out from under her shirt, but kept the chain around her neck, and she told him, "Chief Arduo entrusted this to me. I believe this is supposed to get me in to see him and deliver the message," After letting him see the medallion and having a good look, she would tuck the medallion back under her shirt and out of view once more.

She then added, "And...with all due respect to his seneschal, I'd rather wait until Duke Erod Blackbane returns and tell him myself. I'm someone who wants to be one hundred percent sure that he receives the message,"

Shor's eyes widen seeing the medallion, getting a closer look at it. "Gods, this is a true Marker... Hmm, if you really do have a message from the chief, with this, than it must be serious... I'll respect your decision to wait, but if you don't mind could you tell me what's so important that the chief must call upon a marker? Tis no small thing to use it in these lands. A Marker can rise a commoner to the ranks of dukedom, if he so requests." Shor and his men were genuinely concerned, at least the two who understood the importance of the Marker. The others were simply concerned since the others were. "Aye, the fact you even came here with a Marker's suspicious." Kor said bluntly. "That's not something the chief should've just given to anyone. If it's that important he ought to be here himself. Unless something happened to him."

Hearing this made Pylia look at Kor angrily. She stepped forward with indigenous anger. "I'll not stand idly by if you're implying that Sylvia stole this 'Marker'. Regardless of it's importance, she would never do something so sinister!" Kor stepped forward and locked eyes with Pylia, though Cera tried to hold him back. "The only proof of anything is that she has a marker, and we know what that means. Something real tragic has to have happened if the chief himself couldn't deliver it in person!" Shor clapped his hands loudly enough to cause almost everyone to flinch. "OI! Enough of that! Back off Kor." Shor looked to you expectantly. "We're not in any position to start throwing any accusation around. The only fact here is that a Marker is being used, which means whatever is happening is of dire importance and needs the Duke's attention. And if it's that important, as a guard captain I want to make sure that whatever needs to be done gets done. For everyone's sake."

Sylvia nodded at Shor's request to hear the message, but before she could start, Kor threw an accusation her way. She had to admit, his suspicion was fair. If she had been in his position, she probably would have been suspicious too. Before she could say anything though, Pylia angrily rose to her defense. As Shor was calling Kor to back off, Sylvia gently put a hand on Pylia's shoulder and told her calmly, "Pylia, calm down. It's alright. It's perfectly understandable. He doesn't know me as well as you do,"

She then turned her attention to Shor as he spoke. She answered Shor's comment, "That's a relief to hear. I just want to make sure everyone gets through...what's coming safe and sound," She then told Kor, "Your suspicion is understandable. You are most certainly free to contact Chief Arduo or anyone in Cassari however you can and ask about me or my time there,"

She then turned her attention back to Shor and after a moment of thinking, she answered, "As for my message itself...I think it would be wise to inform you as well, since you are a guard captain for Gransys. You'd know how to best protect the city. I only ask that you be careful with this information, because while I want everyone to be ready and safe, I don't want to cause an unnecessary panic. Okay?"

Once she got his answer, she would lean down and whisper in his ear, deciding to keep it brief,

"The Black Dragon has returned. Chief Arduo requests soldiers or fighters who can protect Cassari,"

She then leaned away from Shor and studied his reaction.

Though tensions were high due to Pylia and Kor, Shor made sure to listen to you carefully and make it clear that despite his subordinate's words, he was in command here. "Of course. I know all too well how dangerous information can be when it incites a panic. I'll make sure to keep this information confidential." As he, his group, and Ferric listened to you, they all seemed a mixed of tense, frighten, and confused. "The Black Dragon..." Aisha said quietly. She took a step away from the group to think about this. Yorik didn't seem to grasp the full implications of this information. "Black Dragon? Dat some sorta gang? Or do ya mean... A real dragon?" The two halflings were quiet, just glancing at each other. Suddenly, Shortfang sprang from his back, looking right at you. This caused the guards to immediately grab their weapons, however Shor raised his hand to stop them. "What's a kobold doing here!?" Kor said out loud. Shortfang however didn't pay any attention to them and looked right at you.

"Boss! You have dragon dream too!? Shortfang have dragon dream too! Shortfang left home because bad dragon dream! He returns, Calamity Dragon Kalmeet!" Shortfang seemed to be really intense about this. The others were very wary with Shortfang, however Shor gave them a harsh look to put their weapons down. "Enough! Lower your weapons. Just because he's a kobold doesn't mean he's with the dragon... Hopefully." He took a deep breath, rubbing his face in distress. "But this is worse than I thought. This... Ah..." Shor looked at you with his arms crossed.

"Well, I suppose since you already know of the dragon, there's no harm in me telling you this; we've heard rumors of the dragon's return. What's been keeping me and my men busy are rumors of cultists who worship the dragon and the destruction it brings. At first it was nothing more than lies told to the poor and desperate, to trick them into a scam and sell what little they had to hedonism and gluttony. Recently however, we've received reports of more organized actions by a group called 'Elysium' who have been sowing chaos in the lands. It's mostly been kidnappings and robberies, low level thuggery... But the fact that we've received no ransom notes, as well as most of the robberies being things such as tools and supplies as oppose to riches, makes many within the guard concerned that these truly aren't just the acts of pretty criminals. What cultists we've managed to capture speak of almost nothing but the dragon's return and death it'll cause. Apparently these people see the dragon's return as some form of cleansing, and plan to live out the rest of their days pleasurably and ensure the dragon's rampage is absolute. Sufficient to say, that isn't good."

When Shor gave her his reassurance to keep the information confidential, she thanked him quietly. Sylvia looked at their reactions carefully. She couldn't blame Aisha for needing to step away for a bit. When Yorik asked, Sylvia answered grimly, "A real one," When everyone reached for their weapons, she turned around to see that they were startled by Shortfang. She looked back to them, and she reassured them, "It's alright. His name is Shortfang. He's with me. He helped us protect Ferric and Mica on the way here,"

She then looked to Shortfang, and she was immediately surprised by his words. She answered him, not concealing her surprise, "I did! You had one too?!" ...So even Shortfang wasn't here by coincidence...

She then turned to face Shor and the rest of his guard as well. She was surprised to hear that there were already rumors going about. This group, Elysium...

She answered him when he was done, "It doesn't sound good. It doesn't make sense..." She then told Shor, "Thank you for letting me know, Shor. If there's anything we can do to help out, you'll let us know?"

After his answer, Sylvia would thank him for answering her questions.

Shortfang nod. “Very big deal in tribe. Lots... Lots of fighting. Shortfang leave to find more about Calamity Dragon.” He said earnestly. Up till now no one had really explained the dragon business with him. As for Shor he looked to the others for a moment, discussing something in hushed tones before turning back to you.

“To be honest with you Sylvia, there’s a lot you can do for us. As you might imagine between investigating Elysion, keeping order before and during the festival, and the duke taking most of the fighting men out from the city, the garrison here is stretched thin. Even now I need my two night shift guards, Yorik and Aisha, on day duty just to make sure we have the regular amount of guards in the area. Other captains aren’t in any better position.” Rubbing the back of his head Shor looked to Ferric. “Of course, I think I’ve gabbed long enough, you still got a shop to tend to! I shouldn’t bombard you all with these troubles for now. But I do got work for you, if you’d be interested. You can generally find me either on patrol or at the barracks nearby. Look for this emblem,” Shor showed you his badge, which looked like a shield made of two draconic wings with a sword in the middle. “That’s our garrison symbol.”

With that said Shor and his guards left to continue their patrol. Pylia still seemed on edge while Buddy was as indifferent as ever. Shortfang seemed pretty excited. “Like pa say to Shortfang! Shortfang leave, find heroic destiny!”

Sylvia listened as Shortfang and Shor answered her. She mentally noted the garrison symbol and she answered Shor, “We’ll be sure to find you when we get the chance,”

After all was said, Shor and his patrol went on their way. She sighed quietly to herself, troubled by what she had heard. She didn’t really have an answer for Shortfang’s comment. She still mentally mulled over the fact that Shortfang has the dream about the dragon too. All of them were guided to each other...

She then turned back to Ferric and the others and she stated “The news of this Elysion group is troubling...”
Deciding to bring the focus back to the task at hand, she suggested, “Ok, let’s finish unloading the cart,”

The group would return to helping Ferric unload his wagon, soon finishing up within the hour. All that was left to do was set up the shop properly, however Ferric insisted that he and Mica could do that just fine. “Now then, I’m sure you’ve gotten used to everyone thanking you for all you’ve done, but just let me do it one last time. Sylvia, Pylia, Shortfang, Buddy, thank you kindly for your assistance. I’ll likely not be traveling much more these days now that I got a shop, but feel free to come here and do business with me and my son!” Ferric took out a box and took out four sacks of coins. “Your pay, one hundred gold coins each. I’m glad to have met you all and I hope to see you all again soon!”

Pylia took her coin and pocketed it. “It’s no problem Ferric. I’m glad we all made it here safely. Keep yourself and your son out of trouble Alright?”

Shortfang giddily counted the coins, shaking with excitement as he felt them fall through his hands. “So much money! Shortfang never have money before!”

Buddy simply handed his coins to you. Whatever use he had for money he didn’t seem to have. He didn’t need to eat, nor needed armor, and generally just uses his Urgrosh.