It was close to Midnight in the Gold Port of Sol City. Despite the hour, the port was still alive with dock workers and sailors bustling about with cargo and engaging in less than savory activities. The noises of the bustle and the crowd crammed the dark streets and alleys. The smell of the ocean engrained itself into the fiber of every building and every fixture of the place. Small creatures scuttled about silently underfoot living off the detritus of daily life.

On this night, something else, something much larger than the normal denizens of the port, was moving quickly through the darkness. He was here on business today. The kind of business done in dark corners. The business discussed in hushed whispers and the fell corners of the world. It wasn’t the kind of thing he did normally, but tonight, he would make an exception.

---

Shaa walked into a small bar in one of the seedier parts of the port. Shaa was very familiar with rough establishments but this place made him make a mental note to wash his hands when he left. Maybe a couple times. After a moment, he is noticed by the bartender whose face lights up with recognition. The bartender motions him to a set of stairs leading down by the bars end. With a flick of his fingers in acknowledgment, Shaa heads down the darkened stairway.

He seems to be descending for quite awhile until he comes to an abrupt stop in front of an iron door with a sliding peep hole at the top. As soon as he approaches, the peep hole slides open, revealing a pair purple eyes 👀.

What’s the password? Asked the eyes with a threatening intonation.

Ughhh Timmy, you can’t just ask for the password. That’s way too suspicious. Shaa folds his arms and rolls his own eyes.

Well what am I supposed to say then? Whined Timmy, obviously disappointed.

You have to say something like…State your business. Or…Name or something. If you ask for the password, people will think we are up to something.

But we are up to something.

Yeah but we aren’t telling “ them” that now are we? I have already hit my quota for breaking out of prisons this year, not looking to tack on to that. Now open the door.

But you still haven’t given me the password yet!

Timmy!

Say it…..

This is so dumb.

That is definitely not the password.

Ughhhh fine. Shaa clears his throat. Pointy ears. Lots of cheer. This I swear. I’m not that kind of elf.

Locks and bolts on the other side of the door can be heard sliding open. When the last latch is released, the door swings wide allowing Shaa to enter the room. As he passes Timmy, a young Teifling, Shaa punches him playfully in the shoulder.

Owwww!

You’ll get over it.

Shaa walks over to the other side of the room where a group of people have gathered around the organizers for this little get together. Shaa recognizes some of them but there are also several unfamiliar faces. One of the organizers, a stocky man with a white beard and somewhat jolly demeanor, begins to speak. 

Welcome everyone, glad you all could make it tonight. This is a wonderful time of year but all of the celebrations can sometimes mask some of the tragedies all around us. Maybe we can fix some of that tonight. We are going to be splitting you all up into pairs and give you your assignments. Everything needs to be done before daylight so you don’t have much time. If you get caught, no one will be coming for you. Good luck. The man starts handing out slips of paper with an address on it. When Shaa gets his, the man points to his partner for the night who is hanging out in the corner.

This is going to be the day Einheria Idunn Vaetki goes to jail.

She can feel it in her frigid bones, in the fragile, boreal little thing she calls a heart, dread sitting like dregs at the bottom of a teacup within her ribcage. She isn't sure how, or what exactly will do her in, or even what crime she's committed to warrant her own arrest yet, but something or someone is going to drag her out of this seedy little bar into some foul dungeon where she'll be granted a life's sentence, and considering the fact that she doesn't even know if dragons can die of old age, that's going to be a long, looooong set of centuries.

Her lower lip is starting to sting with the way she's been biting on it, even if she's been careful to mind the sharp points of her fangs; she can't help being so nervous. She's never stepped foot into an establishment like this before, and she certainly hadn't thought to dress down for such a place, so she's still adorned in Frostgale-appropriate attire, with fur draped over her arms like a shawl and tiny crystals woven through her thick white hair. Einheria stands out and she knows she does, and if she wasn't so interested in this work, she likely would have fled a while ago. But this has caught her interest, sparked the embers of passion from her childhood to life all over again, and she'd be loath to run away now!

...Even if she's terrified of this little room, and some of the people in it, no matter how small she tries to make herself seem, tucked away in the corner.

Tension bristles through her shoulders at the foreboding words-- "If you get caught, no one will be coming for you"-- but she keeps her breathing even. She can do this; she must! For the sake of her newfound streak of vigilantism, and the pledge she has made to herself as of ten minutes ago! As people within the room start moving together, those lavender eyes of hers flit about, looking for her own partner, her breath hitching as they land upon an incredibly tall minotaur-- is he shorter than Ak'ka? Taller? Oh, the horns make it hard to tell! But he's huge!

She's going to die. She's going to die.

"A-Ah, salutations," she chirps meekly, dipping into a curtsy. "M-M-My name is Einheria-- are y-you my partner...?"

Shaa walks over to the corner where his new partner was waiting. It wasn’t ideal to do something like this with someone you don’t know, but Shaa trusted Nick the organizers instincts. The guy seemed to know everything and everybody! As he got closer, he was a bit taken back by how beautiful she was. It was a stark contrast from the bar, like a chandelier in a broom closet. She looked young but there was something powerful behind her eyes. Shaa learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover.

As she introduced herself, he could tell that she was nervous. This actually happened to Shaa a lot though so over the years he learned to just ignore it until they believed he wasn’t going to step on them or something. But it might be something else too. They were about to go out and do something…illegalish, which didn’t really seem like her bag at first blush. He would have to dig a bit later, but they had to get moving. Shaa puts on a big smile and some over dramatic airs.

Hello there Ein..eker…Snowy, my good lady mam. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Shaa and I will be your escort this evening. Shaa gives an over dramatic bow to try and cut the tension. We will be going here. Shaa hands her the paper with the address. Annnnd we will also be leaving there immediately afterwards with stuff. Preferably quickly and unscathed. But don’t you worry about that. I tend to do most of the scathing of people..and stuff. Oh man. Shaa realized they might need a cart or something to haul their stuff off to the drop off. They would need to make a pit stop first. Between the two of them and a cart, stealth probably wasn’t an option. Oh well. We are on a tight schedule so we just need to go see my friend Jack first about transportation for our items this evening. I plan on winning the biggest haul. Besides. If we stay here any longer, we might start smelling like Timmy.

Hey! Yelled Timmy from the door.

Whatever Stinky, I can smell you over here. He clears his throat again.

Yes, anyway, are you ready to get going?





 

S-Snowy?

All Einheria can do for a moment is blink up at Shaa, surprise glittering like little snowflakes in her eyes; this man is so polite...! A little bit on the theatrical side, but it feels carefully architected-- not at all fake, but rather a gentler offering, a way to ease the tension sitting in the air. Between the dramatic bow and the operatic way he offers her the piece of paper, an address clearly scrawled across it, she can feel her frayed nerves settling. If her panic had been bits and pieces of shredded tea leaves at the bottom of a cup, the ease that washes over her is honey settling sweetly over the surface of something freshly brewed, stirred in with slow and dedicated patience till it lingers just right.

"It... It's lovely to meet you as well, Sir Shaa," she says, a sonorous little giggle echoing beneath the words, a restless, still ever-so-slightly uneasy smile pulling at her lips, though it's no longer born of anxiety over her partner. "I-I am prepared to follow your lead however necessary. I am... quite unfamiliar with work of this caliber, but I give you my sincere word that I will not disappoint you."

Einheria muffles another giggle behind her hand at the playful banter between the minotaur and the tiefling at the door-- they must be friends, surely?--, pulling her shawl a little tighter around herself as she nods.

"I am ready to go, Sir Shaa. Let us do this together, and bring a new reign of joy."

Shaa and Enheria, seeing the night passing quickly, hurry out the bar and into the night. The first stop was to head to a stall owner named Jack, who was a friend of Shaa’s. Shaa leads them through the alley ways to a section of the port with an open air market. This late in the night, most of the stalls were closed but a few were open to cater to the late night crowd. It doesn’t take them long to find Nick selling frozen cocktails on the corner.

Jack finished up with his last customer and waved them over. Heyyyy there is my guy! Jack said as he saw them coming. Who is this? You shouldn’t be hanging around with beautiful women, it makes you even uglier by comparison, and that’s saying something. Shaa and Jack laugh together as Shaa playfully tries to force feed him some napkins. Ok ok, I’m sorry. What can a get you guys?

No drinks tonight Jack, but… Shaa looks around carefully to see if the are being overheard. We were wondering if we could borrow your supply cart for a little while. We need to haul some stuff tonight and then we can bring it right back to you.

Jack gets a bit of a stiff look. That’s a weird request coming from you. There is not a lot of stuff out there that you can’t pick up if you set your mind to it.

Shaa shifted his hooves on the cobblestone street. Normally thats true but we need things…intact..so a cart is for the best. Shaa plunks down some coins on the stall counter. Jack looks at the coins a moment, blows a raspberry at him and pushes them back. Have you forgotten the thing with the Gnolls already? Jack looks at Enheria. You see these hands? Jack wiggles his fingers in front of her. They would not be still attached to my arms if not for this churlish toad face. Jack gives him a hard hug, tearing up a bit, his arms unable to reach all the way around. Your money is no good here you idiot. Just don’t break it. I just had the wheels aligned. 

They unload the cart and start off towards the address. See you guys later. Shaa waves at him as they start to turn the corner. Jack goes back to selling drinks to the passersby. He notices a man watching the stall from the distance. When he moves to get a closer look, the man has vanished. 

As glaringly uncomfortable as everything about this situation and its unfamiliarity is, there is, certainly, a comfort to be found in how easily Shaa navigates the terrain, the people, the everything.

Einheria merely watches with doe-like eyes as the minotaur leads them through claustrophobic alleyways without so much as a pause, not a splinter of nervousness ever once bristling through him; it's enough to ease some of the stiffness that unconsciously builds between her own shoulders, enough to ease her gait as she follows along behind him. It's still perhaps a little intimidating, navigating all of this uncertainty, but... it doesn't quite feel so bad with a confident leader ahead.

As Shaa engages in easy conversation with the evening drink-peddler, all Einheria can do is stammer uselessly at the way the stranger compliments her, at the way Shaa tries to shove napkins in the man's mouth. There's no malice to it, either, which is the even more unusual thing! Is this some grand cultural difference, where affection is displayed in acts of gentle violence and insults? If so, she isn't terribly sure it is a part of the culture she wishes to partake in, though she has no intention to disrespect it.

She stays largely silent as Shaa and Jack engage in conversation, though she can't help but giggle at the easy way the two interact, the acts of gentility interwoven between the playful teasing, the mockery. There's a genuine compassion there, to be sure, even if the abrupt jump from insult to affection does give her whiplash.

"Th-Thank you very much, Sir," she thanks Jack quickly before they set back off. "I promise we will take good care of your belongings...!"

She offers a polite wave before turning to run after her partner, lips pursed in a contemplative look.

"Dear me, Sir Shaa," she whispers as they start off, tilting her head up to look up at him. "Are all of your friends so prone to insulting you? The culture here must be... quite different from what I am accustomed to."

Shaa thought about the question and it took him back a bit, like he just remembered something. Oh…yeah I’m sorry. You must not have met a lot of other Minotaur before. Culturally, when two or more Minotaur meet, we insult each other, hit each other, wrestle each other to the ground etc etc. Its our way of checking on how each other is. If you are strong enough to fight back, you must be ok. If that makes sense. It also is a way of keeping each other strong so, when we are apart, which is a lot, it’s like we have prepared each other for fighting.   

So, when I make friends, I insult them, hit them….give them nick names….Snowy…just so you know I care, and want you to be strong. My friends have come to understand that, takes some a little bit longer than others to get used to. Obviously I wouldn’t attack them like I would a fellow Minotaur. They would need a healer after that kind of nonsense. So just some fun playful jabbing for the less punchy inclined. And as I result I also get a lot of name calling in return which is just fine by me. Fun piece of Minotaur trivia for you. Never punch a Minotaur without expecting you to get punched back. It’s kind of like shaking hands for us…with broken bones.

So, it’s going to take us a bit to get to the address. Tell me a bit about yourself?

The last thing Einheria had been anticipating was such a detailed explanation of minotaur culture, but it's hardly unwelcome-- in fact, quite the opposite! She listens raptly as Shaa explains the prevalence of sharpness, of curtness, of all the ways the things she'd always known to be antagonistic are merely interwoven with deep care in his culture; it's such a far cry from all she's known, but it's fascinating to hear such a unique and rich love language that stands in such stark contrast to all she knows of her own.

It certainly would explain the "Snowy" nickname, at least-- unless that had more to do with a struggle to pronounce her name.

"Oh!" she exclaims softly, nodding to herself. "That makes sense, Sir Shaa. I never would have thought about it that way; love is measured through a test of strength in your people's culture, then...! Such a thing is far sweeter than I could have anticipated! Forgive my rudeness, please; it is merely unfamiliar to me."

Einheria digs her teeth into her lower lip a little bit as Shaa asks her to talk about herself, in turn-- such a thing feels difficult, truly, especially since she's so uneducated on her own draconic culture. In all her sheltered years, she'd learned quite little of the traditions of her own serpentine people beyond what she'd read in ancient books...

"Well..." she starts quietly. "...I have lived within a mountain for my entire life with my father, and I... had actually never left home until this very year. I would love to exchange cultural details with you, Sir Shaa, but I am unfortunately quite uneducated in traditional dragon customs. My father had me live a rather sheltered life."

Shaa listened carefully while Einheria explained her sheltered background. It made Shaa sad to hear as his own life had been so colored with action and adventure. Sure, he had lots of scars, bruises and near death experiences to show for it but, honestly, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Now most people, would want to protect and gaurd a person so sheltered. For some reason however, this is not how Shaa took it. He got a strong urge to “ pull out the crayon box” find the craziest colors and jam them into Snowy’s pristine hands. Sure, he would keep her safe..it just might get a bit messy.

Lived in a mountain your whole life hunh? So, one could say that one was in need of some stories to tell. Some interesting flavor if you will. Well my dear lady, you are in luck. As it happens, I happen to be a very colorful Minotaur. And I have an idea. The only question here is “ Do you trust me? “ A big one I know for a stranger. But if you allow me my dear lady, I will get a story for you yet. All you have to do is climb in our cart here…and hold on.

In need of some stories to tell, hm?

For all of her life, Einheria had been the listener; eager to open up whatever fancifully packaged books her father pressed into her delicate hands, eager to turn the pages until they grew worn with love beneath her dainty fingertips, eager to learn every line of every story until she could recite them with a bard's passion and keen memory. Her lips would stay sealed and her eyes would stay wide as her father told her of all the places in Charon he had been, from the endless, sun-kissed sands of the Zeinav Desert to the unforgiving heat of the Ash Lands, from the tapestry of stardust woven over the Moonglade to the thunderous plains of Dragon's Cradle.

She has always been the listener, never the storyteller-- so Shaa's offer... it brings her pause and a thrum of excitement all the same.

"I... I would say I do trust you, Sir Shaa," Einheria says, her nod hesitant before it gains fervor, determination glistening in those slitted, serpentine pupils. "I would have to, t-to go on a mission with you this way...! S-So, if you wish to hand me a story of my own to tell, then I trust you!"

Nervousness flutters in her heart, pounding at her pulse like a jackrabbit's foot against snow as a fox follows in hot pursuit, but she ignores it in favor of chasing the soaring eagle of excitement Shaa has set in sight for her. She's careful about her skirt and mantle as she steps into the cart, her fingers curling tightly around the edges as she glances back at him.

"I-I am ready for whatever it is you wish to do!"

Not far away, another story was unfolding. Very. Very. Slowly.

The address listed on the paper was to a warehouse, not too far from the docks. Looking at the warehouse, there was nothing particular, nothing special about it. It was large and wooden. It had big doors up front for loading and unloading. A couple people side doors on the side for workers. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. 

Front Doors: Two guards stand to post. A younger man, with a scrunched up face and tussled brown hair and an older one, rounder with greying hair and a sleepy face. They have been there since early that morning.

Dan, this is is the most boring job in all of Charon. Like seriously, we are guarding a giant building. Who would be crazy enough to attack a giant building in one of the busiest ports in the world? Nobody, that’s who. There are freaking soldiers everywhere. I could leave my coin purse here on the ground, go get a snack, and it would be right here when I got back, waiting for me.

Dan looks at Gray skeptically. How are you buying a snack if you leave your coin purse on the ground?

That is not the point! The point is this job is pointless.

Pointless? We are getting three times rate today for this. I’m going to get a new hat.

But why! Why are they paying us three times rate for nothing? They wouldn’t do that for nothing. Did you see what they brought in today.

No and neither did you. Hand me my tea.

Listen, there are a ton of noises coming from inside!

That? It’s just the extra mercs that they didn’t hire for that cargo that we didn’t see. I think I didn’t even see some mages guild guys in there….guarding nothing.

Dan…sometimes I hate you.

Still waiting on that tea.


Inside the warehouse: Several people in uniform are sitting around a table while others are checking cargo. The people around the table are made up of mercenaries reporting in for the nightly watch.

We have finished off the last checks sir. Cargo is in place. Did the perimeter checks and alls clear.

Great work Simmons. We are being paid a mint for this job. No room for screw ups.

Then what’s Collins doing here? Everyone at the table starts laughing except for Collins who is making an obscene gesture at Simmons. Haha seriously though Captain Wyatt. Collins is a trash person and we are ready for anything.

What about the mage guild guys? 

Running the alpha routes and generally being creepy. No joke, I swear I think I saw one of those guys chewing on a live frog. Then everything smelled like feet. So weird.

Everyone at the table looked around at each other awkwardly.

Anywho. Says Wyatt with a small eye roll. The caravan will be here in the morning for the pick up. There are some very powerful people backing this so everything needs to go PERFECTLY. The group breaks to fall into formation.

---

Shaa and Enheria 

Shaa helps Snowy into the cart and hands her a drink picked up from Jack.

Ok here’s the plan. Drink that, keep your head down, and when I say GO, you jump out and throw as many boxes as you can in the cart. And, just for some extra luck, I am going to pull something out of my magic bag here to help us on our way.

Shaa reaches into his gift bag and pulls out lsIWkxxQ

Hmm, didn’t expect that. But we’ll make it work. Any questions?

---

Jolly Bag of Gifts

A look of equal parts apprehension and confusion flashes across Einheria's face as Shaa sets one of those strange drinks in her hands; it's cold, comfortingly, settling sweetly into her skin in the way every little wintry thing seems to, but there's always that inevitable surge of nervousness that comes with unfamiliarity. She glances it over, unease pooling in her eyes for all of a split-second before she sets it to freeze, shattering it like ice beneath the force of her glaive.

Shaa had asked her to trust him, and trust him she will.

"W... What, precisely, is in this drink?" she asks regardless, tilting her head. "Worry not, I will do as asked! I am merely... curious."

Einheria watches as Shaa produces what looks to be a... candlestick, quaintly lit, from the aforementioned magic bag-- how strange that nothing had burned from it, but... fascinating! There's a certain power to it, to be sure, dancing along the edges, invisible sparks of energy crackling to life from it, but she somehow knows it will bring no harm to either of them.

"A-Ah, beyond that, I am prepared for whatever comes next, Sir Shaa. As many boxes as I can obtain, I will...!"

The Warehouse 

As the night wares on , Dan and Gray walk and stretch, trying to burn away the ache of dark inactivity. Gray wipes his eyes of sleep and peers out into the inky black narrows of the port. In the distance, he sees something moving. 

Ummm hey Dan. What time is that caravan supposed to get here?

Sometime this morning, why?

There is a cart coming right towards us. Seems to be moving pretty fast.

No traffic.

No no, I don’t mean it’s smoothly coming at us. I mean it is coming at us fast. Like crazy fast. Wait…is that being pulled by a bull?

Pssst bulls don’t pull carts. You have just been awake too long. We are almost at the end of the shift. Couple more hours then you can take a nice long sleep.

Gray continues to peer into the darkness. Yeah, your probably right. …wait…no….Dan DAN! OMG! THATS NO BULL!

With terrifying speed, Shaa rushes right at the door, pulling the cart behind him. The two gaurds jump clear just in time as he smashed the door into tiny splinters.

Holy crap! Did you see that!?

No. And neither did you.

Continuing to charge into the warehouse, they come up on the mercenaries who are wide eyed. Shaa drops the cart, slowing it before rushing the table of mercenaries. As they scramble away, one of the mercenaries pulls a cross bow and starts to fire. Shaa has flipped the table in time to catch some of the bolts as others whiz by. Grabbing the table by the legs, Shaa Bull Dozes three of the mercenaries into a room. He brakes the handle off the door to lock them inside.

The mercenary Simmons pulls a sword out while the final mercenary runs toward the cart. Seeing the rogue mercenary, Shaa tosses the candle into the cart. Snowy! Heads up! Wish this jerk happy birthday!

You’ll regret this monster! I’m gonna cut you up into steaks! Simmons rushes at Shaa with a downward strike of his blade. With a smile, Shaa grabs the sword by the blade and hauls Simmons up in the air. Dangling helplessly, Shaa punches Simmons in the face, causing him to fly across the room and collapse in a heap. 

---

Adrenaline Rush
Juggernaut
Hands Are Weapons
Improvised Weapons
Burning Candle
Bulls Stength

It takes every little inch of resolve Einheria has to not squeak the second Shaa starts running.

The momentum is so much more than she could have envisioned, Shaa's easy strength propelling them both forward at a breathtaking velocity; she does as ordered, keeping her head down, but the speed is dizzying all the same. It's thrilling, exhilarating, and she's not sure if she wants to scream from wicked delight or just scream, but she keeps her lips tightly sealed all the same.

There's a crash, and then the unmistakable sounds of slapstick violence-- panicked yelps from unfamiliar voices, the thud of bolts striking the wrong mark, snapping and crashing and myriad more chaotic noises that Einheria almost can't believe are happening so close together. But then there's the order -- "Heads up!" -- and despite it all, despite the cacophany of chaos, she doesn't hesitate, doesn't struggle as she leaps to her feet, catching the candlestick between slender fingers.

It feels fitting, really, to wield something like this; her father had turned his nose up at all of those fairy tales with knights who slew dragons, with towers and princesses and a clash of flame and steel, but Einheria had always had a morbid fascination with them. What would it be like, to stand in any of their shoes; to be a fair damsel, waiting for rescue, able to count on someone else? To be a proud knight, adorned in gleaming armor, confident and strong and triumphant, a heroine in silver? To even be the foul serpent, coiled around withering, overgrown cobblestones, the stalwart guardian of a maiden's prison, ready to defend it to her last breath?

Today, she supposes as she holds up the candle-- foreign flame sparking to life somewhere deep within her soul, an incandescent star against an icy cavern-- she's getting a taste of what it is to be the last.

"You can't be serious with this one, can you?" the mercenary headed her way seems to laugh, glancing over his shoulder at Shaa, at his companion, jeering at the delicate lady he's been sent after, sword glinting in his hand. "Seems a waste o' steel to go after this one-- she's got nothing but a damn candle!"

Einheria stares down the rogue mercenary, lavender eyes burning with fire-- true fire, not the cold hellfire that settles within her like permafrost-- and whispers:

"Happy birthday, Sir Mercenary."

And with a touch of her fingers to her lips and a blown kiss, a burst of fire follows. [1]

---

[1] Burning Candle - Flame Breath cast

Shaa watches as Snowy blows on the candle to release a torrent of flame into the face and torso of the incoming mercenary. Aarrgghhh! He cried as he flailed about wildly trying to douse the blaze. Shaa grabs a couple of the chairs from the currently upended table. Here, let me help you buddy! Shaa proceeds to take one of the chairs and beat the mercenary over the head with it until the flames are out and he lay unconscious on the floor. Shaa tosses the now smoldering chair off to the side.

Shaa can hear the three mercenaries in the room starting to attempt to kick the door down. Shaa grabs a heavy crate and pushes it against the door to reenforce it. He then turns to Snowy. Ok that’s not going to keep them out for long. Let’s get those boxes loaded and get …. Before he can finish his sentence, he can feel something coming behind him. Shaa doges just in time, as a fireball crashes next to him on the floor. Looking up to the second floor of the warehouse, Shaa can see a man staring at them weaving hand signs. Shaa grabs the other chair and hurls it at the other man’s head. He doges the chair and takes off down the catwalk.

Shaa runs over and helps Snowy out of the cart. Keep loading the boxes. I have to try and catch that guy before he wakes the whole port up. Here, take this just in case. Shaa reaches back into his gift bag for the last time of the night and crosses his fingers as he pulls ufW8ml|F

---

Bag of Gifts
Fighters Sense
Improvised Weapons