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The clouds were crying with him. Cain must have been running for countless hours now. Every breath he inhaled was like stabbing a spear through his lungs, every step made his head want to burst, and every heart beat was adding another reason to end his life. He was branded a coward, a murderer, and a traitor. His life had just been stripped of him, all he had never known was the military, all the friends he ever had were dead. Yes, the clouds were crying with him that day.

This wasn't supposed to happen, it was supposed to be an easy mission it sounded like they had caught up. He had to run faster, he had to get away, running was the only thing he could do, run until he could have the pleasure of thinking, but someone had given them bad intel, someone had lead them into a massacre. There had been no time to react, but hadn't that been his skill? His talent? If he didn't step up the pace, they were going to catch him, and kill him. The military hated failure and losing 19 of the best men and women to ever serve was more than just a failure.

At least 10 of them went down in the first barrage. His head was really hurting now, his vision was despicable, and he left such an easy trail to follow. Under normal circumstance Cain would have sent himself to detention for getting caught up in this predicament. Sadly no one had prepared him for the shock and hurt that went along with true pain. Puddles were now very apparent on the muddy road, the tree cover was limited, his entire body was soaked, and his shoes were exceptionally wet. It had been wet that day too, it was why he had changed the marching order, if they were in the originally planned one, they would have all been dead right now. Instead of dieing with his comrades... his friends, he had survived, he had a knack for survival...

It hurt so much... his own heart hurt so much right now, he wanted to tear it out, he wanted to tear out the memories too while he was at it... wait no, this was physical pain, his heart felt like it was going to burst, Cain couldn't breath, his foot connected with a small hole, Cain hit the floor hard. This was how the great 'Dragon Arrow' was going to die, alone, wet, and in a puddle. Before Cain could laugh at what his friends would have done if they could see him now, he passed out, expecting to never see daylight again.

Sunlight danced across Cain's face, he felt so warm and comfortable. Why did day break always come so early? He might as well sleep in until they called reveille, or Nathan woke him up... Cain's training kicked in, he was in a foreign bed, in an unknown home, and most likely in some distant town. With one fluidic motion he took off the blankets that had provided him reassurance, and stepped to his feet. Scanning the room gave him two important pieces of information, his bow was missing along with his arrows, and this house was some sort of log cabin, which could easily be set a-flame, and end Cain's life pre-maturely. The log cabin was undecorated, and the only sign of furniture was the pillow, and the blanket Cain had just slept on. When a small draft played across Cain's body, he noticed that he was currently shirtless.

One minor change to his normal apparel however was that his scarred chest was covered in white bandages. A full body mirror stood in a corner of the room, finely decorated edges of gold lead Cain to believe that this mirror belonged to someone of wealth. Either these people were thieves or they didn't like showing off their value. Cain stepped in front of the mirror and analyzed himself, checking for any signs of drugging, or alteration to his own perception. His eyes were a cool blue, the whites of his eyes seemed fine, and his tongue revealed that he had eaten anything overnight.

The short messy auburn hair that accompanied Cain everywhere, still refused to straighten. His skin was slightly red from irritation, probably some damage from the night previously. His pants were the same black they always had been, and end nicely below his ankles. His physique wasn't overly-muscular, and he liked his height at 5 feet something or another. His frame was built for speed, not for arm-wrestling. The leather shoes that he normally wore were in the corner just behind him and neatly folded on top of his shoes was his long-sleeved dark blue shirt. It was slightly darker in shade than his own eyes. Cain stepped towards his shirt with every intention of dawning it, but something caught his eye, a finely decorated envelope that was resting on the scrunched up blankets.

Odd enough that this envelope looked like it hadn't been disturbed after being thrown across the room with the blanket, but Cain had a talent that made sure he would have noticed that letter. Up until the second the glittering of the gold encrusted envelope caught his eye, Cain had not seen it. Cain reached for it slowly; this had to be a trap. It had no indication of who the recipient of the letter was. Picking it up slowly he unceremoniously tried to rip it in half. Strange, not even a fold could be seen in the envelope after he tried his best to rip it apart. Then with extreme care he tried to instead lift the flap of the envelope. This proved more productive and a letter could be seen inside. Cain took the letter from its holding place and unfolded the contents. The writing on the letters was ornate and read:

"Lust for power overwhelms the being of the weak. Desire is the unnatural dominant force, pulling the strings within the hearts and minds of Eberron and all that dwells on or below and even above the surface.

Should you deserve this power -- should you seek it with intention clear of desire -- then heed this letter, and listen well.

Your destination is to be Sharn, City of Towers. Make haste. Time waits for no one."

It was signed by no one, and as each word registered in Cain's mind it gave him a sense of foreboding, and that this letter was special... Cain read it over several times trying to extrapolate information from it. The first paragraphs seemed like jibberish, but the second and third were in comparison much more clear. If you seek power, go to Sharn. Stupid really, they were becoming cleverer in trying to get people to go to those stupid 'learn magic in 3 days' seminars. Cain dropped the letter and tried to push its contents out of his mind, but it proved quite difficult. Then something happened that made Cain push the letter from his mind, foot-steps were coming closer to his door.

Cain reacted on instinct, he lunged behind the door that was about to swing open, and made his body flush with the door. The door opened smoothly for a wooden door, Cain held his breath. Cain decided to sneak a peak from behind the door at his captor, and was amazed to see a young woman no older than 17 very unenthusiastically placing the tray of tea, eggs, and toast down on the ground and rolling up the blanket which Cain had thrown earlier. Then the woman noticed the letter on the ground, stopped what she was doing and picked up the letter. She stared for less than a second before flipping the page over, as if to try and see if there was anything written on it. She shrugged and pocketed the letter. Cain actually felt a tinge of guilt, the woman had cooked her breakfast, and she was cleaning up after his mess. Cain took a large sigh, and closed the door which he had hid behind. It shut with a soft click, and the woman froze in her place. She turned around slowly; as if fearful some monster had snuck on her.

Quite on the contrary the woman seemed overly delighted to see him. Cain then finally noticed the girl for the first time, her brown hair fell slightly below her shoulders, and her face was free of blemishes. Her smile was radiant, and actually, she gave the impression of an angel. But she seemed for familiar... Which brought into question if Cain was actually dead? "Uh..." Cain spoke for the first time in an entire day, if that sound he made could be considered speaking.

The woman spoke very shakily, and seemed really shy, namely for someone who had just taken him in. "I... I made you breakfast!" She chirped almost too fast to comprehend.

"Thanks..." Cain was unsure how to approach this situation, "So uh, looks good" This was stupid, Cain was having trouble with words.

"Tr-Try some," The woman kneeled down and picked up the tray and offered it to Cain. He courteously took some of the toast, it actually wasn't half bad. Of course Cain was starving and any kind of food would have tasted like it descended from the heavens. Cain smiled his approval of the toast at the girl, who looked relieved, as if expecting him to spit it out in disgust. In between his second bite he asked the woman if she had any place to eat and sit down at the same time. She nodded with a purpose, and almost dropped the tray. She laughed at herself, and it was making Cain's knees kind of weak every time she did. She quickly directed him to the rest of the house, which was about as decorated as his room.

The dining area had a wood stove, with a wood table, and wood chairs. This whole wood thing was kind of creeping Cain out, but to each his own. The woman placed the tray in front of him and sat across the table from him. She would ask casual questions, which Cain would politely respond to in-between bites. Finally when Cain was done his food, and only the tea was left. Cain started to ask his own questions "What's your name?"

"Gabrielle," she quietly responded, when she spoke Cain's heart seemed to flutter.

"Do you live here alone?"

"Yes, my papa passed away sometime ago, and my mama, she is very sick. She is barely awake an hour each day." Gabrielle seemed sad, but less so than Cain would have expected her to be.

"Why did you take me in?" Cain was interested now, this didn't seem right.

"Well you were passed out on my path, and I couldn't leave you there, I came back with my wagon and brought you here. You are quite heavy." She laughed, and Cain politely laughed with her.

"You haven't seen my bow and arrow have you?" It was the question that had been burning to ask since he got up.

"I do not think so... you did not have one on when I saw you." Gabrielle seemed nervous, as if he had asked a question she didn't want to answer.

"And what day is it?" Cain spoke clearly; he almost looked ready to spring at her if she answered wrong.

"Pardon me..." Gabrielle looked extremely nervous, and much of her once heavenly beauty seemed to ooze away by the second.

"WHAT DAY IS IT?!" Cain was on his feat and yelled the question more than asked it, he needed to know...

"The Day of Mourning" That was a wrong answer, Cain lunged at the woman's throat and began to strangle her, his eyes wide with rage, it was just like he had always feared as the woman began to change into a ravenous wolf...

"WAKE UP!" he screamed and his neck violently snapped to. Quickly taking in his surroundings he saw it, a Dream Larva, a nightmare eater. He took an arrow from his quiver, easily lined up the point blank shot, and let the arrow fly from his bow. It never stood a chance, blood dripped from its skull, and it keeled over, dead. Cain took a moment to take in what had just happened.

The thing about his dreams, they were always based about his real life. On the day of mourning 4 years ago, he had been sent on a request to investigate a string of murders. It was expected that some sort of animal was to blame. Her house had been the first he had investigated, Gabrielle had been very beautiful. But almost as quickly as he had done the interview with her had he heard a noise from behind him. A rabid wolf lunged from the foliage behind him, and had tried to catch Cain off guard. Luck hadn't been on Gabrielle's side, Cain didn't have time to react, and the wolf missed its marked by 2 feet. Instead of killing Cain, it had torn out Gabrielle's throat. Cain had quickly dispatched the wolf with ease. The reason that Cain knew the wolf had never intended to kill Gabrielle was because more attacks continued on him. Wave after wave of destructive animal. Cain had quickly realized that there was something more than coincidence in effect, and Cain promptly found the cause.

A rogue druid had been killing humans, because the b*****d believed "They were a scourge on the planet, and deserved to die." The sad part was the idiot was physically blind, and couldn't tell the difference between one humanoid or another, Gabrielle was an elf, not a human; he had killed one of his own kind. To add to this insult, that day had been named "The Day of Mourning" for reasons not related to his own. It had been a day that he had relived many times, among his worst nightmares; each time in his dream the woman seemed to become more and more beautiful. But Cain had trained himself with a trigger. If at any point in time, a person in a dream responded that it was "The Day of Mourning." Then he knew it was a dream. That day only came one a year, and on that day every year, Cain paid tribute to those lost.

Cain realized he was leaning against a tree. His shirt and shoes were both back on him, along with his custom longbow and quiver. Also in respect to his original battalion, he had worn a black cloth that fitted around his lower face and nostril. It was a ritual that John had started. Cain rose to his feet, when something fell of his lap, the letter from his dream. Cain stared once again at the paper that lay opened and on the mud filled puddle in front of him. Nowhere left to go but Sharn then. Cain stared deep into the road ahead, with no end in sight; his feet would carry him to where the wind stopped, Sharn City of Towers.

The songs of dozens of songbirds woke Cailidin from his slumber. He slowly stretched, his eyes already open, watching the sun as it started it's ascent into the sky. He loved this time of day, it was so peaceful and full of beauty. As he stretched he heard a ruffle of feathers, and moments later a small hawk landed on his outstretched arm. Smiling he moved the arm to bring the bird closer to his face. He still remembered the day this bird had came to him. It was about a month after he had released Hunter on the Talenta Planes. He had finished the ritual to attract a new companion, and this little fellow came diving out of the air. The two had been close since, sticking together as they traveled.

The smile still on his face he spoke softly. "Good morning Ambar, I hope you slept well." The bird bobbed it's head in answer. "Good. Now you should probably go hunting, we're leaving soon." Again bobbing it's head in answer this time the hawk turned itself around, jumping off it's perch and taking flight. Smiling as he watched his companion start it's search for prey. Cailidin leaned back against a nearby tree. Times had been going good for him, the woods he walked through safe. It had been months since he last had to do battle, months to walk in peace with Ambar on his shoulder or in the air. Soon he was to leave however, to continue on on his journey. Where it would take him he didn't know, he only knew he had to go on it.

His thoughts were interrupted before they could continue on a few moments later as Ambar glided down to perch above him. A look of curiosity on his face, Ambar never finished hunting this quickly, he stood and turned to face the bird. Hopping down from its perch it glided over his head and dropped something small before perching on his shoulder. Managing to catch the small object, a scroll, Cailidin looked to the bird on his shoulder for a moment before turning back to the scroll. Undoing the string keeping it closed he placed it gently among his belongs and unrolled the scroll. The writing was ornate, and as his eyes scanned over the words he spoke them aloud.

"Lust for power overwhelms the being of the weak. Desire is the unnatural dominant force, pulling the strings within the hearts and minds of Eberron and all that dwells on or below and even above the surface. Should you deserve this power -- should you seek it with intention clear of desire -- then heed this letter, and listen well. Your destination is to be Sharn, City of Towers. Make haste. Time waits for no one... Ambar, where did you find this?"

The bird cooed gently and took flight, slowly gliding upwards. Following it with his eyes Cailidin rolled the scroll back up and placed it in his belt. That done he grabbed his pack and staff and followed where the gliding hawk led him. A few minutes of travel and the bird dived downwards, landing on a broken tree and sidestepping to the spot where it broke. Cooing gently once more it bobbed it's head, it had found the scroll here. But why would a scroll containing words like this be here? Retrieving it from his belt he reread it.

It was a strange letter, especially to have been found in the middle of the woods. He wondered what this meant, power in Sharn, desire being unnatural. Desire was in most sentient beings, it did not make it unnatural, at least not in the strictest sense of the word. But what it said was not as important as what it asked of him. It spoke of journeying to Sharn, a city filled with manmade behemoths, huge towers into the sky. He had been there before, it was a wonderous creation of man, it fit into the landscape. Created by magic it wasn't necessarily unnatural, and with the buildings moving upwards it didn't enroach to much on nature. In fact it was next to one of the first forests Cailidin journeyed to. Finally, he decided, he was leaving this forest soon anyways, his journey would simply continue somewhere else.

Mind finally made up Cailidin walked towards a nearby tree. He would go to Sharn, it would not take long. He wasn't completely sure why he should go, and after a moments doubt began a spell. The spell complete he walked into the tree in front of him, moments later emerging out of a tree in the King's Forest, his destination nearby. Motioning Ambar to take flight, he wild shaped, his form shrinking, arms becoming wings, tail stretching out behind him, feathers bursting from his skin. The change quickly done he stretched his new wings and took flight, spiraling up through the air towards his companion.

In the air all his concerns about this were gone, he was one with nature up here, flying in the updrafts, moving ever upwards. The cliff seperating the forest and the city was soon beneath him, and before his eyes he saw the huge towers that made of the city of Sharn. Magnificent as they were they could never compete with natures glories, massive oaks, beautiful sunsets, massive oceans. But that city was his destination, and so he flew there, riding the updrafts with Ambar at his side, diving and rising, gliding and beating his wings. It was not long before they arrived in the city, diving in between the buildings. In the city, it was now up to him to find out where to go. And he had an idea. He had heard from some brother druids of a great library in this city. Some had studied there, learning of exotic plants and animals. And that seemed like the logical place to head to.

Diving between buildings Cailidin and Ambar searched for the library. It wasn't long before they found it, a great building with people entering and departing. Gliding down in a spiral Cailidin reached close to the ground before beating his wings to lift him up to a open window. Peeking in he hopped down into the library, closely followed by Ambar, and landed on the ground. As his change back to his human body started his thoughts again turned to the letter. He hoped this was the place it wanted him to be at.

Armod turned back, looking at the glorious city of Sharn, the city in which he had spent much of his life. Not as glorious as some of the planar cities his mother and him had lived in when he was younger, but the city of towers was still an awesome sight. But now wasn't the time to contemplate the wonders of this world, it was time to do his job. Bandits had been preying on merchants along the road to Sharn lately, it was his job to take them out. Unrolling the map he had been given he checked it over once more. The bandits were taking refuge in the King's Forest, not to far in. Their camp was in a small clearing, they would probably have sentries as well. He would have to evade those to get in, then kill the leader, leaving the rest unorganized.

Route memorized he rolled up the map, stuffing it in his belt and pulling his trident out of the ground. Small clumps of mud had taken residence on the three prongs, one thought and they fell off, too wet to stick. Looking the trident over and smiling, he loved what elementals could do with weapons, he started walking. The King's Forest was in sight, once in, it was about a ten minute walk to the perimeter, then maybe five minutes to get past the sentries. And that's if they were as good as he was told. These were supposed to all be trained and experienced warriors, men who knew no remorse and killed and robbed for a living. And if there were mages as well... Well either way this would put a bit of excitement into his life. The usual guard jobs were much to easy.

The rest of the walk to the forest was spent thoughtless, Armod simply walking along the path. It was often this way when he journeyed, he kept his mind clear, a distracted person was easier to ambush. The walk was uneventful however, no bandit ambushes. Good enough for him though, it saved his energy for when he got there. As he moved through the trees he kept the same frame of mind, simply tracing over the route in his mind, thinking of nothing but the route and the possibility of an ambush. It was about two minutes after he entered the forest when he was snapped out of his thoughtlessness by a sudden noise in the bushes to his left. Taking no chances he plunged the trident quickly into them, the three prongs slicing through the brush and into flesh. Pulling the trident out and up he saw the source of the noise. A dog, a sentry dog. It was obvious as he saw it, the breed was one commonly used as a watchdog.

Tossing the carcass to the ground the trident seemed to glimmer, and the blood dripped off the prongs, washed away by the the tridents transformation into water. Once the blood was gone it took a solid form again and Armod turned back, heading forward towards the camp. With the exception of a few birds chirping in the canopy of leaves above him nothing else made any sounds as he neared the camp. As he neared it he saw his first, or rather second, sign that the bandits were here. The bodies of three slain merchants. All of them looked as though they had been tortured to death, and as though it was not quick. If he couldn't defeat them, he would have to pray that they didn't decided to capture him, the skinned body of one of the merchants told him that clearly.

Close to the camp he started moving more cautiously, keeping low and silent. Creeping silently towards the camp he passed by one sentry, the bandit almost completely hidden among the trees. Positioning himself behind the man he killed him quickly and easily, not a noise was made as the three prongs found a place stabbing through his head neck and upper back. Pulling them out he turned and headed forward, the clearing, and most of the bandits in sight.

As he gulped down a few potions he spotted the leader, a half-orc, and a big one at that. Five other bandits were in the clearing, four humans and a dwarf, all of them in quality armour and weilding quality weapons. The dwarf in particular seemed well armed, a glowing battle axe strapped to his back and intricate designs carved into his armour. He would have to be quick to kill that one, then the leader. With those two down the rest would hopefully fall like a harvest to the farmers sickle. Finishing one more potion he decided he was ready. A human was closest, one good stab should finish him, then the battle would be started.

Pushing all thoughts and fears from his mind Armod charged in silently, trident flashing sideways, the outer prongs slicing cleanly through the bandits neck. Ducking down he then stabbed it up towards another human bandits chest, the strength of a cloud giant in his arms pushing the three prongs deep. As the three prongs slid out the other bandits were armed. War cries emanating from the dwarf's throat he charged as the two humans loaded crossbows. Relying on the dwarf's momentum to kill him he stabbed his trident out, only to have the dwarf dodge around it while two crossbow arrows whizzed through the air. One cleanly missing the other struck his chest, and bounced off. His potions were serving him well.

Swinging the trident at the dwarf he spun, clipping the dwarf's arm before charging the crossbow wielders. Not to steps were taken though before he felt something strike his chest with immense strength. Knocked back he saw the half-orc for a brief instant before his view was blocked by the dwarf's battle axe. Disoriented he watched it fall downwards in slow motion, everything was in slow motion. As his head cleared the axe sped in its descent, soon it would be... The thought spurred him into action and he rolled, the axe missing him by an inch. Struggling with the axe the dwarf cursed, and Armod pulled a dagger from his belt, getting up and stabbing the dwarf through a crack in his armour, the blade digging deep into his neck. Pulling a potion from his pocket he tossed it towards the crossbow wielders, the flames from the exploding vial engulfing them, killing them instantly. Now there was one final opponent, and all he had was a dagger. Looking around he saw no one. Then he saw the glimmer, just in time to move aside, a massive club smashing into the ground. Invisibility, likely from potions. It wouldn't help him now though as with a thought the trident was in Armods hand, and a moment later, the bandits back.

Pulling the trident off it cleaned itself as Armod looted the bandits corpses for gold. One perk of the job, he got the loot from kills like this. A few minutes later he was gone, his mission complete.

Back at the guardhouse in Sharn Armod was just finishing off cleaning up when Aaron, a fellow guard and good friend of his walked in. Smiling he gave a small wave.

"Mission complete, the bandits didn't stand a chance." He smiled and pulled his money pouch, full of the gold he looted, from his belt. "Drinks on me tonight." His smile lessened however, as he noticed his companion wasn't smiling as much. "Aaron, what's wrong?"

Handing him a scroll Aaron spoke quickly. "No drinks tonight, commander wants you to check that out." Armod looked at the scroll as Aaron nodded to it. "And he also said to take it as a vacation, he's not happy with you. He doesn't want to speak with you until your vacation is over." Words spoken Aaron left, leaving Armod confused.

Upset with me? He shook his head, the commander was probably mad because he would be out of a job if things continued this way. This would be a convenient way to get ahead while he was gone. Well, maybe it was for the best he though, opening the scroll, reading it over quickly.

"Lust for power overwhelms the being of the weak. Desire is the unnatural dominant force, pulling the strings within the hearts and minds of Eberron and all that dwells on or below and even above the surface.

Should you deserve this power -- should you seek it with intention clear of desire -- then heed this letter, and listen well.

Your destination is to be Sharn, City of Towers. Make haste. Time waits for no one. "

Power, the want of many and the bane of the noble. As he geared up again his thoughts wandered, he might have to leave the guards soon, once this was over. Might as well become a freelance adventurer, but either way he would have to leave. One last mission, he'd make it good. though after he checked this out, he would probably be leaving, whether he accepted the invitation or not.

It didn't take long for Cailidin to realize that even if the letter had wanted him to come to this library, it would be difficult to find what he was looking for. He had been walking around for ten minutes, and had just sent Ambar up to see if he could spot anything and this man made forest of books was already starting to frustrate him. Deciding to simply sit and wait for the hawk to return he walked out, following a bookcase, until he reached its edge, sitting with his back against the bookshelf. As his hand slid down the carved wooden surface it brushed against a different surface, one that was hard and cold. Stone.

He realized it as soon as his hand touched it, the hard, cold, surface that was stone. And as his eyes follow down to where his hand rested on it he smiled. Cailidin knew the library was made of stone, but the floor had seemed to be completely covered. With even this amount uncovered however, he would be able to speak to the stone, essentially speaking to the library. It was only now he remembered he had that spell ready though, and only as his hand touched the stone that he realized the walls were also made of it.

Shaking his head, he should have realized all this sooner, he stood. The stone on the floor was only a small area, a rip in the carpet. The walls would be better to speak to. It was as he got closer that he realized why he must have not seen the stone, the walls were hidden behind bookshelves. Slightly happier now that he had an excuse he walked along them, looking for a large enough space between shelves. It was not long before he found such a spot, and walking towards it he cast the spell. Ambar had returned in the ten minutes this little spell had taken, but he noticed him not, his focus being entirely on the spell. Facing the stone wall he now just had to ask it the question, and he had to make sure it was properly phrased.

The words coming out in druidic, he spoke softly and slowly, only himself and the stone would hear. "I am Cailidin, druid and friend of nature. I have recently received a letter, one which spoke of power here in Sharn. I have come to this library in search for the power, or giver of power. I need to know if this person or thing is in here, or where in Sharn."

The response of the stone rang out in a melodic chorus of countless voices, voices neither male nor female, rather something of the in-between.

"There is naught we know more than nothing at all."

Short and cryptic, and about as much help as could be hoped for from speaking to a stone wall.

Nothing at all of this power... But this was simply stone, a different question may be better to ask of it. Something simpler, more direct. In fact he had a few questions to ask, and with luck they would provide better answers.

"You know nothing of power, but what has touched you, who has touched you? Or rather, who has touched you in the past two days who is different, and what have they been like?"

Singing once again, the wall answered to this second question.

"There has been only you, druid. You who speaks to us, who questions us. You who are different than the rest."

The two answers were enough. This must not be where he had to go. Calling to Ambar, who leapt into the air and down onto his shoulder from atop a bookshelf, he spoke to the stone wall one last time.

"Thank you for your answers. I have no more questions for you, so rest well." Smiling to the stone wall he turned and walked away, quietly laughing as he saw someone look away awkwardly. A druid talking to a wall must be something these people rarely saw. Walking towards the centre of the library, for there would likely be the best place to find the exit, he started speaking to the bird on his shoulder.

"Once we leave this library I will be calling to the birds of the city to help us. I want you to perch on the library roof until I am finished speaking to them, and you must not frighten them. Once we're done I'll find you food." Cailidin smiled as they got to what he figured must be the centre of this building. From here he managed to find a door leading outside, and as such he walked towards it, his stride swift and confident. The looks he was given were returned with a smile, and soon he was outside, closer to where he was more comfortable. Moving away from the flow of people he found a small bench, a few pigeons on the ground, fighting for a small amount of food. Sending Ambar up he walked towards them, confidently and unthreateningly.

Nearing them he reached into his food pouch, drawing a handful of seeds and throwing it to them. The pigeons quickly moved to this new food source, chirps of thanks coming from them. Kneeling down near them he smiled and cast a spell, much like what he cast in the library. This one was quicker however, and rather than stone let him speak to animals.

Speaking to the pigeons Cailidin asked his question. "Hello my small friends, I need to know, have any of you seen anything out of the ordinary in this city of late. In the past few days I would say. Or if you have not can you search the city for me, quickly of course? I will have more seed when you return, along with other good food."

Cailidin's words had little more than enough time to reach the birds before the took off, a flurry of flapping wings and startled chirps. Pigeons flew in all directions away from where Cailidin knelt, leaving him short of an answer.

"Trying to find friends among the bird-life of the city? If you don't mind my saying so, I think you've been touched a bit... too fondly by the sun." A man's gentle-hearted words cut through the din of frightened birds, the body that accompanied them following close behind. He stood behind and a bit to the side of Cailidin, laughing to himself at the druid. "Are you looking for something?"

Cailidin looked at the man who approached him and spoke gently. "The birds are my friends as all of nature is." He smiled and continued, speaking in response to the second question, "And yes, I am in fact looking for something. Animals can be easier to speak to than people at times. Seed is generally good enough promise for some birds." He laughed softly. "I presume you may want to know what it is I am looking for? Because truly I do not know, I simply know I have received a letter speaking of power, and am searching out what it has talked about."

The stranger placed a finger on his stubbled chin, pondering the news. "Well, can't say folk like you are uncommon in Sharn. I'd say if whatever it is you're lookin' for's anything important, you'd be able to read up on it inside the University's library. You --" He took in Cailidin's entire image a moment. "You do know how to read, right?" Laughing at his own joke, the man held out a hand in greeting.

"Don't believe I've introduced myself yet, huh? Name's Tobias. If you need any help, I'm your man." Tobias proudly prodded his own chest with a thumb, grinning. "I know this street almost as well as the street rats, 'cept you know you can trust me more. And your name is..?"

Cailidin smiled, extending his own hand and shaking that of Tobias. "My name is Cailidin. And I do know how to read." He laughed softly, before moving on to business. "I am presuming the library I just exited is the University's library? Well if so whatever it is I am searching for is not in there. The stone of the library knew nothing of this power, and the circumstances with which I got the letter are strange. Though maybe in that you can aid me, has anything or anyone strange been seen around here?"

"Strange, you say?" Tobias ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. "Well, seein' a Druid in a big city like this one's pretty strange, if you ask me. But by the sounds of it, you're lookin' for someone in particular. You got a client or something?" His voice dropped to little more than a whisper with his final sentence.

Only Cailidin's eyes betrayed his confusion at that question, the smile stayed on his face. "A client? No, I have no client. I am simply looking for someone, or something, that left me a letter in the middle of the Nightwood earlier today." That said Cailidin raised his right arm in the air, waving it slightly, signaling Ambar to descend. The hawk landing on his arm he spoke quickly and quietly. "I don't think this man knows of what we seek, so head through the city and look for anything out of the ordinary. Meet me back here in about ten minutes."

As Ambar flew off he looked back at Tobias. "I am sorry about that. But no, I have no client, I am looking for something of which I do not know. I can only presume that what I am looking for is something out of the ordinary. Nothing like that other than me has been seen here?"

"Yeah, you didn't look like one of them anyway," he muttered quietly.

Tobias' eyes lit up, a smirk painting itself on his face. "Come to think of it, I may have just the man for you. Or, at least, would have, had you come here a day sooner. And I'm not quite sure it it's a man or not. You could say he was a stranger sight than even you! That is to say, if I had even properly seen him. Wearin' a big black cloak and everything, walking like a shadow. Real quick-like, too. Hard to keep up. Last I saw, he'd gone into the Spices shop just down in the Bazaar on the South Plateau...that means nothing to you, does it?" Tobias chuckled again.

Committing the names to memory quickly Cailidin replied, a happy tone to his voice, he may not have to search much longer, once he found where this place was. "No, not quite. Though I do realize they are places. Do you perhaps have a map of this city? Because with nature's blessing this man may be able to help me."

Shaking his head in response, Tobias held out his hands, open-palmed. "My apologies, but the only map of Sharn I have is in here." He indicated his temple, winking. "Another quick stop at the library, though, and you just might be in luck. How does that sound?"

Cailidin smiled. "Thank you for your help." Reaching into a pouch on his belt he stuck his hand in, drawing out several silver coins and handing them to Tobias. "Take these as payment, I have no real use for them anyways." A smiled on his face he turned, heading back towards the library. As he walked forward he heard a screeching noise in the air, the sound Ambar made when hunting prey. He had almost forgot about the bird, and when the small creature landed on his shoulder he smiled, an apology on his lips. Cooing softly the hawk seemed to accept the apology before he even spoke it, and together they went back into the library, to find a map and the directions to the spice shop Tobias had mentioned.

A womanly scream echoed shrilly from somewhere up above, catching Tyrin's attention. "Hey, sounds like someone's having fun." He took a few steps out from under the overhang he'd been relaxing under, peering at the rooftops. Another scream. Tyrin's eyes darted to a fast-moving figure now: one that had...jumped off the roof? "Well, well. What some people do for fun."

He sat back down, resting his head against the smooth, cold stone wall. Skipping Eragia's lessons and spiels was fun enough for him. And on a day like this one, things couldn't get much better. Tyrin let himself be washed away by the sound of the drizzling rain, drifting into a snooze...

When a sickening crunch shook him from ease. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

Jumping to his feet, Tyrin bounded out into the open, looking around for the source of that gross sound. Unfortunately, his guess had been right. Sort of. Two bodies lay sprawled on the ground. One was looking perfectly fine. The other...had probably seen much, much better days. Tyrin couldn't help but sigh. "Don't you know not to go jumping off buildings without a featherfall spell? Just think of what the Watch would say if they saw the damage you've done to their catwalk, too -- Will!? Is that you?"

He rushed to the broken man's side, stifling a laugh despite the pain he knew his friend was feeling. "Playing the hero again, huh? Sheesh, you look like you were eaten by a Bugbear or four. Need some help?" It wasn't as much of a question as it sounded, Tyrin already knew the answer. "Fine, fine! You win. I'll help you. Just hold on while I go get what I need." His scroll and a gem. Easy enough in terms of supplies to gather. "Don't go anywhere." He added playfully.

Back in the library this time Cailidin had a purpose. He'd find a map of Sharn, spend a few minutes to memorize the route he would need, fly down, and ask around until he found the store. First he would have to find the bookkeeper of this library though, without aid he could likely be in here for hours, a commodity the letter seemed to suggest he didn't have.

He found the librarian quickly, she was sorting out a mess on the ground. Deciding to help her to speed up the process of finding the map Cailidin knelt down, picking up a book and smiling at her. Putting the book on a cart he went to pick up another, only to find the woman staring at him suspiciously.

Her voice high and with an undertone of anger in it, she spoke quickly. "People don't help for nothing, what do you want?"

Confused, he replied. "I was just helping you, to make it go quicker, so you could show me where I could find a map of Sharn. I'm hoping I didn't offend you in some way." This city was so much different than what he was used to. Help was generally something to be thankful for in the wild, and back among the druidic circle he had lived in. Help got tasks done more quickly and increased survival, he was definitely not used to hostility. His thoughts were interupted moments later by her response.

"Maps are over that way." She pointed across the library. "Now leave me to my work, I don't need someone to mess it up for me, I have enough work to do already."

Slowly rising he walked away, Ambar gliding down in front of him towards the far end of the library. A fluttering was heard, as well as shocked voices, and the hawk was returning, a large rolled up map in his talons. As he glided overhead he dropped the map, Cailidin catching it, part of it unfolding. He smiled to the bird, and he felt pain in his ears as the librarians voice blasted into them. He didn't catch much in the high shrill shouting, but he did catch the words "Get out of my library you-" and the message was clear to him. Immediately running towards the door he waved an apology, getting back out into fresh air.

Breathing a sigh of relief as the shouting faded away Cailidin whistled to Ambar, calling the hawk to settle on his shoulder. Two pairs of eyes ready he unrolled the map, and started studying the route he would need to take. The Spices Shop in the Bazaar on the Southern Plateau, where was... Ah, he found it, and the quickest way there. Putting into his head the location of the of the bazaar he handed the map to an old man entering the library, along with a few silver coins and a smile. The map heading back to its proper place he walked over to the edge of the skyway. Looking down he launched Ambar into the air and dived, his body streaking downward as it started changing.

Moments before he would have hit a catwalk below the change was complete, and he pulled out of the dive, soaring gracefully into the air, Ambar diving down beside him. The thrill of flying still making him feel giddy and happy he pulled a few tricks in the air, much to the enjoyment of the crowds on the catwalk. Quickly recovering his mind he laughed to himself, the sound coming out a soft chirp, and dove down, heading to the Southern Plateau, and the Bazaar on it.

The flight to the Bazaar had been a short one, and before long Cailidin was among the crowds, walking through them. He had sent Ambar to get some exercise as soon as he has seen the large amount of people, and now he was searching for the Spices Shop. After paying a small boy a gold coin he was led to the shop in question. The boy ran after he got there, leaving with no thank you and waiting for none. Still awkward among these people Cailidin entered the shop. Now he would have to find the black cloaked man, or information on him.

The shop was quite a sight for his eyes. The walls were lined with shelves, all containing bottles filled with various spices. The air was filled with incense, a nice smelling incense, but one that also made the shop slightly foggy. Rows of small shelves lined the middles of the shop, more spice bottles on them, and on the far end of the shop was the shop keeper, behind a counter. A door was behind the counter as well. Smiling as he slipped past a customer he nodded towards the shop keeper and spoke, keeping his voice bright and happy. No matter the customs of this city, politeness was definitely something that people liked.

"Hello sir, I am looking for a certain someone who was seen in this store. He was said to be wearing a black cloak, and was out of the ordinary for this area. He was supposed to be quick, walking like a shadow. Do you know anything about him or where I could find him?"

Cailidin's words were apparently unheard. Taking the conversation in a completely different direction, the man behind the keeper spoke up, "Good day to you, stranger! And what would your poison be today?" He asked, twirling his thin moustache and grinning. The man's tone belied his words - a hint that his question about 'poison' must've been something he asked all his customers.

Poison? Were those bottles of poison rather than spices? Cailidin's face briefly showed shock, but he brought it under control in time to reply. "I'm sorry, I'm not looking for 'poison' but rather a man. A customer of yours I would presume. I'm willing to pay for any information."

This time, Cailidin was answered by a loud sneeze. The entire crowd in the confined spice shop seemed to freeze at the sound, only to continue their business afterwards. "Ah, forgive me. So, you say you're looking for someone in a black cloak?" He hesitated, still fiddling with his moustache. "Sorry, haven't had any customers like that lately. You sure you're looking in the right place?"

Sighing Cailidin shook his head. He knew enough about secret messages to know that was one of them. And he knew he wouldn't find anything out by asking this man. No, he had one of two options, to fight, or to sneak into that doorway. Whatever was behind would probably tell him more than this man. Deciding against violence at this time he turned, no more words for this man, and left. Outside he moved into the shadows as his form shrunk, swiftly changing into that of a small snake. He'd get in, and if he had to resort to violence he'd give them poison.

Sliding into the shop he kept to the walls and swiftly moved behind the counter. He had to move quickly, the incense wasn't good for him in this form, he brought in to much of it and not enough air. It wasn't long before he got out of it and through the doorway, and he tasted this new air with his tongue. Incense, leaked through. Well he would have to move on. Turning a corner after entering the doorway he was presented with two choices, a wooden door and a spiral staircase. Deciding upon the door, it would be easier on him he slithered towards it, his hissing created an almost musical sound. Getting closer to the door it warped, moving enough for him to easily slide through.

Nothing strange in the air and nothing to check but a table in front of him Cailidin changed back, his body stretching out, limbs growing from various points and the tail moving in. Strange spices lined the walls but he payed them no attention, instead looking at a few papers on the table. Spice contracts... And a contract, dealing with an assassination. The black cloaked man, moved like a shadow. This may be what he was looking for. But as he read over it his mind slowly drifted away, back to the outdoors. This world was so foreign to him, and some of it seemed so out of place, almost tainted. He longed to be back in the sunlight, or under the drizzle of a light shower, even the fury of a thunderstorm. But he had something to do. It wasn't everyday letters were left on dead tree stumps in the middle of the Nightwood, and he would find out why it had been.

Armod sighed as a light drizzle washed over him. The rain felt good, and it allowed for him to collect his thoughts. With his background, water always helped, and as such he was heading to the docks. Passing a shop he looked in the window, seeing his reflection. The face that looked out at him, though it looked the same, definitely wasn't the same face that looked out at him that morning. His eyes were the same blue as they were this morning, and his hair was still the colour of the sea. His skin was its normal blueish colour, and all his clothes were his, from the breastplate with the symbol of water to the bracers. But in himself he saw the sadness, sadness over losing his friends, his job, his honour.

It had started after he had finishing packing up, as he was about to leave. His commander had entered the room, and an argument ensued. Clearly showing his greed his commander had tried to take what little Armod already had. A fight had ensued, and now the commander was dead, the trident buried deep in his chest. That same trident was now being used as a walking staff, but where he would go was beyond him. He would be hunted down soon, after they found the commanders corpse, and his species was not common at all, it wouldn't take long to find him. He would have to leave the city, the place where he had made something of himself, but first, first he would find the one who offered power, and tell him of the mistake in doing so. Then he would leave, leave and try to regain his honour.

For now though, he had to find the source of the letter giver. He had no clues, except that he would have to search in this city. And with the size and variety of it... He doubted ut would be easy. Sighing to himself he pushed his grief to the side, leaving himself relatively thoughtless and undistraced. All he thought of was this letter. He had to search Sharn for someone who had power, and could lead to more. There were rumours abound that 'Godhand' was here, he could be a candidate. Without the support of the Watch and their contacts, he would be hard to find but he kept that thought in his mind.

Other than 'Godhand' he couldn't think of many who would offer power. Possibly the Archsages, but they would have likely sent a messenger, straight out telling him. Possibly the Garotte, more their style, and with him receiving the letter, it was definately a possibility. It would be harder to find them than 'Godhand' though, and as such he would search out 'Godhand' rather than the Garotte. Yes, his mind was made up, he would find 'Godhand', and find out if he was the one. If not he would search out the Garotte, and if even that failed he would leave the city, and his new career would begin.

His mind relatively empty as he walked down towards the docks Armod took in all the sights, the scenary and people, everything he was so used to. He had travelled this path quite a bit, and he knew many of the people. He would have to leave them with no goodbyes, he didn't want the guards to be able to track him down. Moments later he felt a breeze, and his thoughts were interupted as a young man dressed in the garments of a mage rushed by. Following him with his eyes he saw a large crowd, all of the people in it having the appearance of adventurers. Not that uncommon, except for the air that was given off.

It was an air of nervousness and excitement, and it was loud. People talking, yelling, laughing, some compared weapons, while others showed off their spells. One in particular caught his attention, a half-elf dressed in gray, as he created a massive display of light and sound, with no spell components or gestures. Perhaps a psion, though they were few now. Moments later his view of the man was gone, as the crowd shifted. Still, this type of crowd wasn't something seen everyday, even with the way this district usually was. Clifftop, so 'Godhand' was here, not the docks. Well, at least he wouldn't get that last reminder of what he had lost.

Walking towards the crowd Armod seemed to almost be swallowed up by it. One second he was on the fringes, the next he was standing behind two men showing off their skills at knifefighting as mages spells went off in the air, and seconds later he was comfronted with a group of young men and women talking excitedly about getting to see and possibly adventure with 'Godhand'. None of the people he saw as he moved through the crowd seemed like the type someone of 'Godhand's renown would adventure with however, and that almost made it seem to Armod that this man may not be the letter writer. He didn't see anyone, except possibly the psion, a thief he saw for a second, and a paladin, who could be even close to powerful to travel alongside him. And if those three were in this crowd they probably weren't letter bearers, especially as they didn't seem to be in a great hurry to get to the front.

Of course he would have to get to the front, it would be the only way out of this crowd, and besides he may be the letter writer. If not though, maybe he would be a good start for Armods new career. He was powerful, he knew it, his fellow guards had often spoken of it, and he had often gotten the difficult jobs. Perhaps he was powerful enough to adventure with 'Godhand', though he did want to find the letter writer before he set off, he had a few things to say to said person. But that would wait, he didn't like being in this crowd, and so he started through it, moving with it's flow, ever forward, ever closer to 'Godhand'.

It took a while to get used to the flow of the crowd, but after figuring it out it didn't take Armod long to get near the front. The psion he had seen earlier was there as well, or almost there anyways, and many young adventurers had managed to get up front along with him. Turning his attention from them Armod finally looked at this 'Godhand', the one so many had come to see. And the sight was definitely one to see. Though not particularly distinct physically, dressed in red and black leather armour and a hood that fit tight to his head, he could've been any other adventurer. But the feeling that he got looking at this man, the power that came off of him. It was almost enough to make Armod feel like nothing compared to him. But he knew otherwise, however powerful this man was just a man, and so Armod moved to push through the last few in his way.

Finally breaking through to be in front of this man Armod saw the psion standing nearby. Though it almost looked like he was communicating with 'Godhand' no words came out of his mouth, and so he moved forward and spoke, his voice loud and confident. "Godhand? I need to talk to you."

The man barely made a sign to show he had heard Armod at all. He simply held up two fingers in the general diretion of whomever addressed him. But, he was still responding to someone...