1: Arrival

The sun shone down on the city of Haredil as the small group rounded the crest of the hill. The white towers and copper domes and minarets glittered in the light, welcoming them back after their long journey. The last few weeks had been exhilarating, dangerous, as they had probed lost catacombs in search of treasure, fending off monsters and evil spirits to gain their prize. And a good haul it had been, too, the coins now loading down their saddle bags.

Almandar looked around at his companions, staunch comrades in the battles they had faced, and many more beforehand. Lady Tarissa was the leader of the group, despite her foreign origins. Born to aristocracy somewhere to the south, she looked nothing like the nobles of Haredil or its neighbouring cities. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was now free of her helmet, and her pale lips formed a smile as she saw the city ahead. The paladin might be an exile, but Haredil had become a home for her, too over the past few years. With the dust of the journey, and the heat of past battles, only her regal bearing now marked out her high born ancestry, but once they returned, there was no doubt that she would be able to move amongst the nobility once again, her knowledge of etiquette making her ideal as spokeswomen for the group.

Where Lady Tarissa was muscular and heavily armoured, Almandar’s fellow magician, Calleslyn, was willowy, armed only with a dagger tucked into her belt. She was wearing travelling clothes now, of course, but by tomorrow, she would, he knew, be dressed in rich robes that only complemented her beauty more. As pale and blonde as Tarissa, her hair was long, currently tied back into a long pony tail to reveal the high points of her ears. She had lived among the forests of the southern island for much of her life, which perhaps explained her mixed expression as the city approached. She looked, Almandar thought, calm and relaxed. Perhaps for her, as an elf, this was just the end of another journey, a pause between travels, rather than a true homecoming.

Vardala, the third of the women, seemed the happiest. The diminutive gnome sat forward in the pony’s saddle, her eyes fixed on the city ahead. She had already made some effort to smarten herself up before the arrival, brushing dust from her clothes, and even now, she straightened her russet tunic, and ran a hand through her short brown hair. She seemed to be anticipating the homecoming more than the others, and Almandar reflected that this often seemed to be so. Gnomes, he knew, were a folk fond of family and home, and while Vardala had no living relatives that he knew of, perhaps, for her, this was her hearth, the place she felt most comfortable. Certainly, she was a native of the city, like himself.

As usual, Dolrim was the most difficult to read. The dwarf was taciturn, like all of his kin, and his face showed no emotion now. His armour was heavy and battered, for he had taken the brunt of the fighting over the last few weeks, and would have been crippled or worse had it not been for Tarissa’s healing magic. Dark eyes under bushy eyebrows remained fixed on the road ahead, thinking whatever thoughts it was that dwarves so often kept to themselves.

Almandar turned away, and looked back towards the Haredil. It was his home, where he had been born and raised, long before meeting the others. There was no doubt he would be glad to be back. Before too long, he knew, they would be adventuring in the wilds once again, and he enjoyed those times. But the city held many delights that he was denied on the road. It was a place of civilisation, a place of sanctuary. Over the next few days, there would be many things to do. He had to attend the Wizards’ College and renew his acquaintances there, as well as brushing up on his studies. And, in addition to making his observances at the chapel there, he would pray at the temple to the deity closest to his heart; Sarlene, goddess of love. But most of all, there would be time to relax, to enjoy the public baths, the fine food and wine, to chat in the marketplaces, and – Sarlene willing – find companionship for the night.

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The villa lay near the western side of the city, not far inside the wall. It was a large building, first bought, and then renovated, with the money that had earned while adventuring. Almandar and Vardala had insisted on that; they lived in inns while on the road, but wanted somewhere to come back to, a base of operations they could truly call their own. It had taken a while to restore the building to its current state, for it had been quite run-down when they had first purchased it. But the result was well worth the trouble and expense.

The central building stood two stories high, with, like many others in the city, a wide, flat roof where they could gather in the summer. To either side stretched two wings, one of which contained the stables. Between the wings was a wide courtyard, walled off from the rest of the city. For adventurers, doing without at least some level of defence did not come naturally, safe as they should be in Haredil.

Horvan swung the gates shut as the last of the horses entered the courtyard. He was a young man, competent in his job as steward, but no adventurer himself. They had hired him a year ago, realising that somebody had to maintain the house while they were away in the wilderness.

“Have you done well?” he asked, “I see none of you are badly hurt, thank the guardians!”

Almandar smiled, dismounting, and clapping the young man on the back. “Yes, we have done well. We must take this treasure to the vault, and then clean ourselves up. We should require only a light lunch – give you time to get some fresh supplies in.”

He looked around at the others. They had dismounted from their horses and ponies, too, stretching their legs after the journey. Tarissa and Calleslyn joined him in greeting Horvan, but Dolrim just nodded in their direction, saying nothing. Vardala seemed to be busying herself with the packs on her horse, only occasionally glancing in their direction. Perhaps she thought something had come loose… Almandar put the thought out of his mind.

“We’ll tell you all about it this afternoon,” said Tarissa, “but I, for one, am looking forward to a bath and some clean clothes. And, for the evening, a proper meal, perhaps? Will everything be ready?”

“Yes, my lady,” replied Horvan, “nothing much has happened while you were gone, I am pleased to say. Everything is as you left it.”

“You know,” broke in Almandar, “this evening, I think I would like to head out to a tavern. Spend some of that hard earned money, and remember what it is like to be back in the city! Is anyone with me?”

Dolrim nodded, grunting his assent, but the women demurred. “No, I think a little peace and quiet is more in order,” replied Calleslyn, “I’ll stay here for this evening.”

“As will I,” replied Tarissa, then looked over towards the final member of the party, who still had not joined them, “What about you, Vardala?”

“Oh…” said the gnome, as if a little caught by surprise, “no, no, I think I will stay here, too. I, uh, think I’ll make an early night of it, though. I’m feeling quite tired after all that time camping in tents.”

Almandar nodded. It would, perhaps, be good to spend an evening with different company for a while, having been on the road together with the others for so long. “Just you and me, then, Dolrim,” he said, adding, “we’ll try not to be too loud when we get back. But first, we have an afternoon ahead of us… and a young man to regale with our stories of adventure, eh?”