Part 2: The Adventure Begins

Update 2: The Adventure Begins



A young elf dressed in tattered robes, frail and willowy even by the standards of his race, sat at a table near the bar in a dingy little hole-in-the-wall tavern in Sorpigal, staring into a mug of cloudy beer and grimacing with each sip. His keen ears heard approaching footsteps over the noise of the bar, and he looked up to see the portly, balding innkeeper looming over him. The elf sighed deeply, irritated by the interruption.

"Two-drink minimum, son. Can't let you nurse that beer all night. Bad for business."
"I am not your son. My name is Daraken, and your so-called 'drinks' are unfit for consumption by human or elf. If I pay you for this one and another, will you leave me alone?"
"Suit yourself."
"Very well. Allow me one moment whilst I... well, that's odd. Perhaps the other one... no, no, not there either. I could have sworn I still had some loose change in that pocket. Hmm."
"Are you tellin' me you can't pay?"
"Nothing of the sort! My coin-purse was on my person but a moment ago. I am certain I have merely misplaced it in one of these pockets, unless..."

Understanding glimmered in the elf's eyes, followed quickly by anger. He stood up and struck the table with his fist, making a faint thud that barely disturbed the surface of his beer.

"This tavern is a den of thieves! I will not stand for this!"
"Not my problem, son. You owe me two gold for that beer."
"I told you, my name is--"



An elf clad in a stained tunic and cheap, gaudy jewellery slapped Daraken on the back.

"Daraken, my old friend! What a surprise to see you here, slumming it among the humans!"

"Cedric, our friendship died along with our master. You were never fit to be a sorcerer's apprentice anyway. You lack discipline."

Cedric chuckled.

"Quite right, old friend, quite right. I've turned to other, more profitable pursuits of late. But from what I overheard -- not that I was listening, of course, but you know as well as I do how elven hearing is -- it seems that you might be in need of a little help. I know you well enough to be sure that you'd rather join up with me than spend the night washing dishes for a human."
"What scheme do you plan to drag me into this time, you reprobate?"
"Follow me and all will be made clear. Bartender, put this man's drinks on my tab."
"Cedric, your tab hasn't been paid in weeks. I know your profession isn't one with a steady cash flow, but if you can't even afford your own drinks--"

The innkeeper's protestations went unheard; Cedric and Daraken had already disappeared into the crowd.

Cedric led Daraken to a table in a far corner of the tavern, occupied by a black-haired human male dressed in worn-out finery that had clearly been tailored to fit someone else and a well-dressed elven man with a placid smile on his face but a devious sparkle in his eyes. The human glanced up from his beer and his mouth curled into a smirk, twisting slightly where the scar on his cheek met his upper lip.

"Daraken, these are my business associates. We have need of a sorcerer for our latest venture, and so I have brought you here to suggest a partnership. Well, perhaps 'suggest' isn't the right word. I don't intend to give you a choice in the matter, after all."



"'S a pleasure ta meetcha. By the looks o' ye, ye'll be a great help just so long as ye don't blow away in the next strong breeze. Name's Sylphosaurus."
"Sylphosaurus? I know you humans have the most bizarre names, but that is surely even stranger than most."
"'S from the language of a tribe o' nomads north o' here. Means 'slits the throats o' people what make fun o' my name'. Any more questions?"
"Oh my. I suppose we shall leave it at that, then... for now. May I inquire as to the manner of your, er, business?"

Sylphosaurus threw back his head and laughed heartily.

"I ain't the brains o' the outfit, only the fingers. Cedric an' Piggy can tell ye more'n I can."

Daraken raised an eyebrow.

"Piggy?"



The well-dressed elf spoke.

"I'm the one known as Piggy to Fairycakes over there, or as Crowdbacon to everyone else. I trust Cedric's already introduced himself?"
"Much to my regret, I have prior knowledge of the man."

Crowdbacon clapped his hands together and smiled broadly.

"Excellent! With the pleasantries over with, I can explain the great task that brings you to us. Our mutual acquaintance Cedric recently came into possession of a journal, from, I gather, a previous employer. This journal made reference to the 'Secret of the Inner Sanctum'. Inner Sanctums, as a general rule, hold great treasure. Moreover, if the inner sanctum in question is secret, it follows that said treasure is as yet unplundered. Our quest is to rectify this situation, and, not incidentally, amass untold wealth in the process."
"I see. If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly is this Inner Sanctum and by whom was it constructed?"
"The journal was... somewhat vague on that matter."
"Well, do you at least know where this Inner Sanctum is located?"
"It wouldn't be much of a secret if we knew where it was, would it?"

Cedric roared with laughter at his own joke.

"Anyway, you're a sorcerer, are you not? You have magic for this sort of thing. If anyone can find the Inner Sanctum, surely you can!"



An elegant young woman with golden hair half-walked, half-drifted across the tavern. Following close behind her was a dark-haired, sharp-featured woman wearing a red dress and a mischievous smile.

"Forgive me for my interruption, but did I hear mention of the Inner Sanctum?"
"What's it worth to ye to know, eh? Maybe if yer friendly with me, I'll be friendly with ye."

Sylphosaurus' hand reached toward the young woman, but she pushed it away with surprising strength.

"Sir, I must object! Such behaviour may be acceptable in the social circles you are accustomed to, but I am a preacher of the gospel of Radaso (may his light shine eternally), keeper of the sun's flame that brings warmth even to this underground city! My purity is sacred, and I must guard it with my life!"
"Hah. Typical woman, all talk an' no action. Go preach ta someone who wants ta hear it, preacher. What about yer friend there?"



The dark-haired woman smiled brightly.

"I'm Jostiband the sorceress! I'm travelling with this nice preacher lady because when I told her how much I love burning things but how it's always so hard to find things to burn without getting in trouble, she said she'd get me the help I needed!"
"I... see. Well, I suppose you have a better attitude than Daraken over there, at least. And we are in need of a cleric. Preacher, what was your interest in the Inner Sanctum?"
"Just last night I received a vision in my dreams from Radaso (may his light shine eternally), granting me a sacred quest to find the Inner Sanctum. If you have some information on its whereabouts, I beseech you to share it with me."
"Not so fast, my lady. It seems to me that we are holding all the cards here. We can easily find another cleric; you, I suspect, cannot as easily find another source of information on the Inner Sanctum. Perhaps you would travel with us in exchange for a share of our earnings?"
"I must admit, I have been down on my luck lately, and sorely in need of funds. I suppose that arrangement is acceptable. But do not think that I will tolerate misbehaviour!"
"She's not kidding, guys! She can be real strict when she wants to be!"
"Jostiband, put out that man's drink. It's bad enough for his health without being on fire as well."
"See what I mean? She never lets me have any fun."
"Ah, there you are, Cedric! Did you think you could escape so easily? Now, about your tab..."
"Quickly, everyone! Let us make haste and egress before he fetches his broom!"



And with that, the brave but penniless party of adventurers fled the tavern and set out upon their quest for the Inner Sanctum. What dangers and excitement awaited them? Only time will tell. Tune in tomorrow for the next chapter of Let's Play Might and Magic!