Café de Nuit

Jonathan looks at the armored figure curiosly without fear. The boy looks past the man into the room his eyes catching Dorgio and Norzak.

"Hello there sir. I am Jonathan Maytr. I met with Dorgio and Norzak last evening and over some ales and they suggested I stop by for an employment opportunity."

Cirdan silently steps aside...

Alain steps forward to offer his hand to newest member of the party saying:" I'm Alain Smithe it is a pleasure to meet you . I'm told you have some experience with hunting things down in the sewers . But how are you at hunting above ground rats as it were of the underworld variety ? "

Jonathan takes Alain's hand and shakes it warmly.

"Above ground rats...surely you dont mean people? The things I hunt usually end up with my blade in them. But I imagine it would be easier, hunting humans."

Jonathan pauses for a moment in thought.

"Are you looking for an underworld figure? Like a criminal? You're not a rival gang are you, or are you law enforcement of some kind?"

Jonathan directs this question around the room.

Dorgio gives a short, sardonic laugh at Jon's question. "We are no cartel, friend, and certainly we are not the law. But sometimes, our business, it puts us against a less ethical crowd." He decides not to go into specifics just yet. "We do not traffic in that which destroys our brothers, and we are -not- murderers. But some criminals, they frown on that."

"But let us hear of your time in the sewers," he says. "We may be heading there soon; we would be liking to learn how well you know the system."

“I must say, its good to hear you aren't criminals or the law. Have you any water I might enjoy? I'm fresh from work and try not to eat or drink when I have to be around such filth.

"I’ve been here in Richemulot for a couple of months now and so far my only employment has been down below in the sewers. Easy enough work to do and easy enough to attain as I hear most natives here are leery of going down there. I don’t see why either, the sewers here are far more efficient than the one back in Mordentshire. I have to squeeze into some tight places below and the smell can makes a man’s eyes water and his stomach rebel, but its work. Once I even found an abandoned stretch of sewer, but the rest of my team was sticking to our catching schedule and that stretch wasn’t on our route.

“Yesterday I was working down in the pipes when I saw a rat big as a dog. It was busy chewing into something when I came upon it. It was tearing into the meat like I might chew into a piece of chicken. I was being quiet you know, sneaky. Almost no one or no thing can see me when I don’t want them too. And this rat was no different.

“But Stoneguts, my dwarven supervisor, came right up behind me lantern in hand and startled the beast. It turned snarling, its large yellow teeth bared and still covered with bits of flesh, and charged him. I was able to get up behind him and stick my trusty knife between its ribs. The stink from the stab was worse than the odor from its mouth I think. With a howl the thing ran away. No way it’s surviving my knife wound.”

Jonathan reveals a wicked looking, rune covered silver blade, twisting it in the air to accentuate his point.

Norzak listens with interest to what Jonathan has to say. The lad, though young, seemed at ease with going into the sewers and killing rats. That knife looked wicked enough to harm dog sized rats! The young man's assessment that he could sneak around and not be heard by the rats was hard to believe, yet here Jon was, alive and kicking. He'd not reveal anything to the lad yet, but was sure he'd be helpful to them.

"Well like I's tole ye lass nite, ye's got moxie, boy! Plus ye works with a dwarf, so ye canna be half bad at that." Turning to the others, Norzak says "I dunno bout ye fellas, but I's thinkin' this lad here could be quite useful to us. 'Es bin in the sewers an we all knows we gonna have ta go in there sooner or later. I votes we let 'im join us. Plus, 'es gots a really nice knife."

The dwarf turns back to Jon and says "I'd like ta meet yer dwarf pal Stonegate 'n' have a lil chat whit him. Mebbe he knows somethin' bout rat stew, if'n yer get me meanin'!" He reaches into one of his many pouches and removes a flask. Unstoppering it, he takes a healty swig before closing the flask and puting it back.

Alain takes out a common enough looking empty mug(12 oz) out of his backpack and mutters something under his breath . Then passes the now full of water mug to Jonathan saying :" You wanted water right, to take the taste of the sewers out of your mouth ? "

Bennedict taps his index finger against his lip, thoughtfully, as the newcomer speaks. "Yes, you may be exactly what we need. But tell me, I notice your blade is cast form silver? Any particular reason for that choice?" He smiles, knowing the answer, but thinking it will be useful to test their newest acquisition.

Cirdan takes off the horned helmet and rubbs his chin.

"Ben... You mean we could have to deal with wolfmen here? - Then we should better prepare ourselves."

He weighs his purse. "Maybe we won't have money for silver blades, but at least, we could buy some silver arrow heads for Norzak."

"-Oh, pardon my rudeness, I am Cirdan, Knight of the Eternal Order, from Darkon. Welcome to the party, Jonathan."

"Thank you Cirdan. I feel most welcome. My knife?"

Jonathan looks at the blade curiously.

"I didn't have any reason for choosing it...it sort of chose me. I found this knife when I was a boy of eight and it has been with me ever since. It being silver has been a kind of curse for me. More than one cutpurse has thought to try and take it from me for its value. This blade has saved my life more times than I can count.

"Ah thank you for the water Alain. How did you perform such a feat without a waterskin? Are you a wizard? I have heard such men exist though have never met one. Surely being able to conjure water from nothing is true magic."

Jonathan sniffs at the water almost not trusting the mysterious way it appeared. Then he drinks it, satisified it is real water.

"That is amazing!"

After finishing off the glass, Jonathan hands the cup carefully back to Alain as if it were the most valuable thing hes ever handled. A moment passes and then he looks to Cirdan and speaks.

"Whats this nonsense of 'wolfmen'? Dont tell me you put stock in such tales."

JMaytr wrote:"Whats this nonsense of 'wolfmen'? Dont tell me you put stock in such tales."

Cirdan raises an eyebrow. "In Darkon, creatures that look like hybrids between wolf and men are fairly common. I hunted my first one in the Mistlands at the age of eleven. - From the nightmares of the Gray King they are said to come..."

Dorgio nods in agreement with Cirdan. "I, too, have encountered wolfmen." He leaves it at that.

"So Jon, we are to assume then, that the rats you have encountered, they are not . . . supernatural?"

His eyes flick to Benn, wondering if there isn't something to the rat cult they've been studying.

He then suddenly turns back to Jon. "Speaking of rats, that song you sang at the bar, what was that? Some mouser's jig?"

"Oh this little thing, it is a minor bit of magic I picked up in my travels as it can only do that three times a day . But it is useful when my water skin is goes empty in a waterless place . " Alain casually responding to Jonathan's surprise as he puts it away at his use of the minor magic item.Thinking: Well this place is ripe for the selling of certain items by his reaction .