[i]The next day...[/i] It was an hour after sun up, and the entrepreneurial town filled with hard working men and women had already begun their work-days. As it was a frontier settlement for travelers, protection, and supplies, there was a lack of poultry and small time farming, so what woke Mari up would be the sun peeking through her windows and the distant calls of merchants rather than the sound of any rooster crowing. If or when she made it outside, at first she would see no one in her group. But thanks to the rising son and her sharp eyes, she would recognize Kane if no one else in the distance, speaking to a man on horseback by the northern gate before the man trotted away, deeper into the forest. If she drew closer, she would notice the party waiting patiently. In fact they seemed at ease, as if waiting for more than her. It became evident that Po wasn't there just yet. As it were, Orek and Phyrrae had taken a seat on the very last porch before the gate, right before a store that seemed to be selling small items of pottery and knickknacks for good luck or ornamentation. They were playing a strategy game on a small wooden board, called 'Thrones and Conquerors.' It was a war game with a heavy emphasis on calculating your opponent's next move. As Kane approached the group from what he had been speaking to the rider of, Orek heard his footsteps and looked up to notice Mari too. "Mornin'" He called, not noticing Phyrrae changed a small piece on the board which Mari could point out if she so wished. Phyrrae had very quick hands, evidently. "Taking the north road through the Murkrift would be best." Kane rumbled. In the sunlight, Kane looked even more formidable than the night previous. It was something else seeing one of another race, but one of such muscled bulk and bestial features as a Drogotar was still intimidating. "That's..." Orek began, blinking at the board and then eyeing Phyrrae. "That's not right... er, Kane you do know what lurks there, eh?" "I've heard Orcs have mobilized in the northern forest. Something calls them." He said. "What lives in Murkrift sleeps." A voice declared behind Mari, revealed to be Po along with another fellow, mustachioed and apparently wielding a rapier, sheathed at his hip. They both walked by her and stand beside the others. Po gave Mari a smile, before speaking to the group as a whole. "With luck we can get through it. But that still leaves the problem of the water being acidic." The other fellow openly appraised Mari with a raised eyebrow, taking her hand and kissing it if she let him/was too surprised to pull away. He spoke Vrettonian, and clearly the entire party was unamused. Orek looking to the sky as if begging the gods to smite him while Po looked blankly ahead, as if embarrassed he even brought the fellow this morning. "No one told me such a beauty would be going on this trek." He remarked, heavily accented in his speech. Po tapped him on the shoulder and interrupted him. "Why don't you talk business with Orek, Sinclair." Po said, and when he saw the look Po gave him, the man did, complaining under his breath in the foreign language. [@Luminosity]