A Dragonborn with a dire wolf cloak sneaks past the guard at the South Gate, a human calmly enters from the North Gate, and two wood elves, an adolescent boy and an older woman pull their hoods up to shield themselves from the light rain at the East Gate. The younger elf runs ahead, excitement in his tone, while the older lags behind, watching her young companion. "Aerimus. Wait for me." She smiled.
"Oh, I can't help it!" He cried. "We're finally here! We made it!"
"Yes, but if you don't calm yourself, you may draw more attention to us than we already have." She said, her patience knowing no bounds.
"Oh, alright." He sighed. "We should probably get a room at an inn someplace."
Meanwhile, in the Southern part of town, the human was doing exactly that. "What name should I put you down for, sir?" The elderly owner of the Dancing Leprechaun asked.
"Aapo. Aapo Virtanen." He replied.
"Hey, you've been here before, haven't you?" He asked.
"Sure have. I migrate here every fall." Aapo said with pride.
"Ah. Welcome back. Enjoy your stay!"
The human didn't sleep right away, instead choosing to explore how the town had changed. Similar to the dragonborn, who had silently taken to the streets in search of a strong opponent to test his skills.
Cherry Street was long, lined with shops of varying quality. The weather was gloomy, but hopeful. The rain had just tapered off, and the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds. The two elves walked down the street, though 'walked' isn't the most accurate term. The best way to describe their movement is 'Meriele walked. Aerimus ran ahead at a dead sprint, realized he was traveling with someone else, and slowed to a halt to wait for her.'
"Everyone freeze!" A commander barked from the gate to the city guard barracks.
"Wha-? Meriele..." Aerimus's brow was knit with worry.
The elven cleric moved slightly to grab his arm, a gesture the pair had grown to mutually appreciate. The dragonborn held his breath, and Appo held his hands in the air.
The guards fanned out into the street. The elves were chosen and went without a fight. They went so quickly that if you hadn't seen them before, you wouldn't believe that they were ever there. Appo put up a fight and ended up cuffed, and the dragonborn ended up cuffed, no struggle necessary. They all went into the soldiers' barracks and had their weapons disabled.
The four were taken to a well furnished room with a roaring fireplace. "The captain will be with you soon," the squad leader said, releasing them from their handcuffs. "Rest up and dry off your cloaks." The door was then slammed and locked. The four stood in silence for a minute. The dragonborn went to try the doorknob, which then broke off. Everyone's eyes went wide at the sight of the broken doorknob.
"What did you just do?!" Appo exclaimed. The dragonborn could only bring himself to shrug. The room fell quiet once again.
"Well," Meriele said. "We might as well get comfortable." Aerimus had already dashed to the fire and taken off his soggy boots and cloak. His ears twitched as he relaxed near the fire.
He sighed, satisfied. "Meriele, when was the last time we had a fire to sit around?"
"It's been too long." She smiled, joining him. The other two sat as well, the dragonborn closest to the door and ready to bolt, should the opportunity arise.
The opportunity never came. Not ten minutes later, the door swung open and a Tabaxi walked in. Her feline features scanned the room as the four stood up. "Hello." She said. "Well, you're probably wondering why you're here." General agreement from her captives. She sighed. "Look. My...patron... needs a group of special warriors, and you guys are it. There's a carriage waiting outside for us. Let's go." They went out into the streets, the guards holding the group at sword point as they got into the carriage.
