[center][h1][color=goldenrod]Francesca Varangian[/color][/h1][/center]

It had been some time since Fran had been to the capital city. Not since the Pretender Uprising had she been here, and while things looked the same, she could feel a certain air of quiet desperation as she walked through the streets. People are safe here, yes, with a roof over their heads and work to do. But there was an ever looming threat of worse to come that kept everyone on edge. Fran prayed that these people only have to worry, and never have to suffer their fears becoming a reality, as so many have before. Still, there were luxuries here in the city that Fran wouldn't be able to find easily or cheaply in her travels. 

One such thing would be music. Many are too busy eeking out their lives to compose a poem or write a song, and Fran certainly had found many traveling bards accosted by disgruntled locals for their perceived friviousity. Which was a shame considering how uplifting music can be in times of hardship and stress. Fran was a warrior through and through, but even she would appreciate the soothing tunes of song during her weary travels. 

Fran was on her way to the market when disaster struck. Descending from the heavens came a swarm of crows - no, monsters much worse than that. They seemed to have spread throughout the entire city without warning, with many people scrambling to safety. Immediately Grab leapt into action, shouting over the crowd to direct them to safe places such as churches, large buildings, or even in people's homes if there was nothing else. She was quick to use a calm but authoritative tone, one which she had learned during her time as a Squire, to get people to listen to her. She spent most of her time getting people to safety but when one of those monster swarms arrived Fran was not afraid to leap right into battle either.

Fortunately for Fran and the common folk, the city guard were quite dense here and we're able to slay the monsters quickly and efficiently. Fran herself hardly did much beyond being a distraction and drawing the attention of the monsters onto her: she very intentionally exposed herself to be attacked, keeping the monsters' attention on her while keeping the others safe. Any that had tried to go after them were quickly attacked by Fran herself, to force the swarm to deal with her or die. Ultimately by the time the city guards had slain enough of the monsters to send them fleeing, Fran was surprisingly alive, and not nearly in as bad a shape as one would think after being mobbed by hundreds of crow monsters. Shortly after she was asked to head to the Palace to meet with the Princess, as every able-bodied warrior was needed in these trying times. After making herself presentable, Fran would head to the palace as asked.

Fran conducted herself quietly, dining separately from the others and watching the meeting with the princess with stoic silence. She always respected the royal family and while she understands the people's distaste for the royal family, their blame on the Princess was harsh and misdirected. That being said, Fran was not so naive as to think the royalty were faultless. The king had sired no proper heir, with no queen to rule in his stead. No line of succession beyond the title passed down into his daughter who, while kind, was unprepared for the burden of leadership. Untested and now the target of everyone's ire, Fran understood people's hate towards her. But Fran did not hate the princess. She was making the most out of a terrible situation, with the weight of an entire realm on her shoulders. The stress would be unbearable, but just as well the princess would have the means to make the world a better place. And thus Fran put her faith in the princess, and would gladly quest in her name to bring peace and prosperity back to not just the Dale, but their world as well.

After the meeting, Fran received a stipend of 100 gold to assist in her quest. Fran would do some shopping for supplies though the situation the nation was in made useful supplies in unfortunately short supply. Initially she wanted to purchase some armor for herself however no blacksmith had any armor ready for her. She would have to commission them which made them immediately useless; Fran can't afford to wait for weeks or months for equipment she needs now. The only place that had armor right now was the royal armory, who's equipment was well outside of Frans budget. This got an exasperated sigh from the warrior. [color=goldenrod]"I can see why there aren't many heroes in these lands. There's no shop to supply any up-and-coming warriors, and only the wealthy and connected can afford the immediacy of basic protection. With the bar so high and minimal standards so low, little wonder why there aren't many adventurers interested in exploring the lands." [/color]

Finding regular supplies wasn't any easier. Many rations were worth a day's wages, and even rope was worth half of that. When Fran tried to find some medicine for first aid those were quite more exoe since than last time she was in the city. No doubt that many folks are suffering from sickness and famine now, which makes food and medicine in high demand. This made Fran wonder how anyone manages to get by these days… and chances are they get by the same way Fran does: with violence. 

As Fran was buying what supplies she could find she reflected on her day's pasts. Many villages were afflicted with sickness and famine that made their already short supplies thin. And many of these folks were, in turn, a target for bandits. And the unfortunate truth was that many of those bandits were little more than village folks who had turned to steal and raid their neighbors for supplies they needed to feed themselves and their families. Fran was no mage: she could not conjure forth food and water like a cleric could, or make the ground fertile like a druid's magic can. All Fran had to offer was her blade, and even that she couldn't provide forever. But she could offer the next best thing: training. Before she had arrived in the capital Fran had been training villagers in battle, using simple weapons like staves since that was the most ubiquitous. Fran herself was a Polearm Master and was able to teach the basics to the villagers, hopefully able to form a militia to defend their homes. Though Fran also had no doubts that those same villagers may one day use the knowledge she taught them to raid and pillage others. Such was the circle of life.

The next stop was a music shop. However it seems like during the previous fight against those flying monsters, someone had taken the opportunity to loot the store. This just got a tired sigh from Fran. [color=goldenrod]"Even in times of crisis, there are folks who are willing to steal from each other. How does the saying go? 'Loot the burning house?' for shame."[/color] Fran does take the time to buy an instrument from the shop, hopefully it'll help them with repairs. A sturdy drum, something she can play to keep herself entertained while traveling but can also be used to signal others during the chaos of battle. Drum signals are important in bigger battles where one might have a hard time hearing things over the sound of things like clashing steel and shouting men. After paying for these supplies, Fran heads out back to the castle. 

There was one last place she wanted to shop at, though given the state of the city she has little doubts that it would not end well. She went to check the stables to buy a horse. Ideally a war horse, but she could suffice with a riding mare if that's all they have. Unfortunately her concerns were correct: by the time Fran finished examining the horses available, all that she could buy were draft horses, and at quite a mark up at that. Most of the better horses were already given to knights and messengers, so any available steeds were mere work horses. Fine if Fran had intended to pull a wagon, but these horses were also quite expensive and Fran couldn't afford one, let alone two. [color=goldenrod]"Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Horses tend to be reserved for mobility anyways. Just goes to show I've still a long way to go before I earn my title." [/color]Fran tried not to think too much about how someone with a noble title can't seem to afford much more than her halberd, which she's been using since the days she was a Squire. [color=goldenrod]"Discretion is the better part of valor I suppose. To be able to connect to the common folk I shouldn't be on a high horse." [/color]

With most of her shopping done there wasn't much left for Fran to do beyond training. To that end, she will need to get her weapon maintenance. She hates to admit this, but Fran does a terrible job keeping her own equipment in order. Perhaps back when she was a Squire she was far more dutiful about maintaining Sir Astrea's arms and armor, but as a knight Fran had gotten incredibly lazy at it. Sure it still slices, dices, and slashes as it should, but even Fran could feel it's edge full by the day and it's half creaking under the strain of battle. So Frans final stop would be the castle smithy. Perhaps here she can pursue some new armaments, or at least maintain her current weapon. 

It did also make Fran wonder: with the economy in shambles as it were, would it help if Fran was able to contribute to it somehow? She has no doubt that they will come across resources in their little adventure. Off the top of her head she can imagine that they will fancy many enemies. And unless they're all Behemoths, she's certain most of them will be mortal folks with arms and armor which could be repaired and repurposed. Because if the 100 gold is all the crown can afford to pay their heroes, Fran will have to find out her own means to acquire wealth and resources. Nothing in this life came for free, and time was money. It would be cheaper for Fran to take what she needs from those who have it, which unfortunately is likely the mentality of the various brigands and bandits that plague the land. But turnabout is fair play, and if those thieves have filthy lucre from stealing from others, than Fran in turn shall make a fortune off them. 

Entering the smithie, Fran makes her presence known with a knock on the door and a polite smile.[color=goldenrod] "Hello. I am Sir Francesca Varangian. I wish to leave my weapon here for maintenance. It has served me for many years and it is due for some proper love and care."[/color]