"Men! Brothers! Followers of Solaria and protectors of the people of Bruma! Today, we ready ourselves, we shall spend this night in merry and mirth, for this night, and this night alone, each one of you will get double food rations! and triple drinks! Tomorrow, we march and purify this place of its darkness!" The speaker roared out to the crowd around him, stood atop a circular stone dais in what would once have been this places plaza or square. His gold-winged helm matched the obnoxiousness of his voice.

It wasn't the additional annoying paladin that made Kor'Ak speak to the one they already had, it was his curiosity. "Hey, Angus-"

"LORD ANGUS REGINALD PENNYSWORTH"

"Mhmm... What is he talking about?"

"Oh, well, we art h're to cleanse a dungeon and slayeth the foul creature whom turned it to evil"

"Understood. Well, we'd hate to impose, so could you show us to the nearest place we can rest and we'll be off in the morning."

Angus scratched the back of his helmet with a gauntleted hand. "Ah. only The Church still remains, and we has't nay lodging to rest oth'r than the barracks, if thee wisheth to leaveth, we cannot giveth thee one of our wagons. If we art victorious tomorrow, we shall leaveth back to Teneir, and thou art free to cometh with us."

The Djaal was clearly annoyed, he'd been looking forward to a private room and a silent night, though It was convenient to him that they were heading to the capital. "Well... that's okay"

"Indeed... Thou art free to cometh with us... If thee proveth thou art a valorous sir that solaria might bless... Such a thing couldst easily beest proven... By taking parteth in our crusade tom'rrow" The 'Lord' spoke coyly, taking a pause everytime a logical person would have thought they were asking too much of some strangers they met in the woods.

"There's always a catch..."

"A catch? Nay! Tis but your divine service to the blessed lady of light" Angus flew his arms out wide as if it would make his conditions any less conniving. Though he quickly drew towards Kor'Ak and gestured for Kelvin to come closer and listen as he spoke in the closest he could manage to a hushed whisper "To tell thee the truth, we art low on men, the Speaker dallied too much with our assault, many of our Paladin's art wounded..." For once, Angus spoke as if he wasn't preaching, he spoke seriously, practically begging as his words rasped out of his helmet. "I beg for thou aid, I wish not to lose any of thy brothers."

Kelvin cut in now "The thing is, if you're not going to do something out of the goodness of your heart, why would we? A caravan ride isn't worth risking our lives in a dungeon."

The paladin's helmet creaked as he tilted it to take in the groups appearance, with two of them basically naked, and Kelvin's bag noticeably light, he nodded to himself and kept pleading. "I can off'r thee supplies and equipment as well..."

"Kelvin... We could do with the supplies." Kor'Ak's voice had brightened a little at the idea of covering himself with metal rather than cloth; even when fully dressed he never quite felt covered without a sheet of metal between his heart and anything that might go through it.

"I... Screw it... Fine." Kelvin grumbled as he pulled the last strip of salted meat from his bag and stuffed it lazily into his mouth, tearing off a little and tossing it to Steal, who leapt into the air and caught it in his teeth.

"Praise the Sun goddess, truly I am joyous for thy aid." And with that, the paladin's seriousness faded away, back to his booming, exaggerated manner of speaking.

One of the other paladins called out to their more much more annoying brother. "Oi! Larp, stop bothering the sods and come help up front, you buggered off for a prance in the woods again so you're on duty whilst we get a drink!"

"Forsooth, tis only fair I aid mine brothers in the fight against darkness!" Angus span on Kor'Ak, the rings of his mail jangling together as he offered them a final word "I shall speaketh to the Speaker of our pact good sirs! Maketh sure thee rest well." With that final farewell, the jovial, strange-mannered knight sprang off towards the gold-helmeted speaker.

They just stood there for a few moments, taking in the sights and people around them. Not a single farmer, woodsman, no one that wasn't wearing armour, or otherwise dressed in the Solarian Churches blue robes and other garments. And yet, there were still nowhere near enough of them to be the people that built this outpost, or to even be maintaining it.

He couldn't see the eyes of those that wandered past beneath their bucket helms, but he was certain they at least gave a cursory glance over Kor'Ak's current attire and condition. Some stopped for a second as if they'd offer him their clothes or help him out, though, after that moment's pause, they stomped away along the stone paths again, as if they were in too much of a hurry to wait around.

A wooden sign dangled and swung in the breeze over the doorway of what must have once been a tavern. Though rather than a pun and a painting of a rooster or jug of ale, the sign was instead painted a bright blue, with 'Barracks' sloppily painted over it with white. Kor'Ak beckoned Kelvin and Steal to follow him as he walked across the cobbled road; his hand gripped the old wooden door, pushing as it creaked open on old hinges.

As to be expected, there was no gathering of drunkards sat around a table, drowning themselves in mead; no surly barkeep, hairy arms crossed as they looked at a clumsy barmaid that had dropped a jug disapprovingly.

Just another ten paladins, sat and praying around a wooden shrine that looked like it had been constructed rather haphazardly out of the tables and chairs that must have once decorated the building.

Kelvin murmured to himself again "They really will do anything to have a shrine to Solaria on the march... huh... weirdos."

A flash of blue out of the corner of his eye; a stocky dwarf draped in blue robes with emblems of the sun on his shoulders and chest seemed to have come from nowhere; looking up at Kor'Ak and his companions; the dwarf narrowed his eyes on Kor'Ak, crossed his arms, then spoke in a hushed whisper. "Djaal huh... ya ain't one of us are ye..." His hand darted forward and pulled up the cloth wrapped around Kor'Ak's waist, eyes fixing themselves on the hand-drawn nametag attached to the section of blue surcoat. "aye... did Larp find ya in the woods? Poor sods."

Kor'Ak pulled back, yanking the cloth out of the dwarf's grip and patting it down "Don't just do that to people. What is wrong with you?"

"We men of Solaria do not see the body of any man or woman as a perverted thing. It is a gift from the light, a physical form that lets our souls act as tools for the great goddess..." The dwarf snorted "Or some shit like that, gives me an excuse to see some crackin' tits and not get attacked, so who am I to argue?" He put out his hand for Kor'Ak to shake. "The name is Sergeant Hard, good to meet ya"

Kor'Ak bent slightly to give the dwarf a firm handshake, and Hard quickly offered his hand to Kelvin, and finally Steal, who copied the actions of his human companions and shook the dwarves hand with his bony green fingers.

Sergeant Hard smiled as the goblin took his hand "Aye, he's a friendly fella"

"I figure Larp... sorry" Hard tried to force his deep and surly voice to be as light and shrill as Angus' "Looooooord Angus Reginald Pennysworth" His voice quickly returned to it's gruff and more hearty tone. "Let's get you fellas cleaned up and get some clothes on ye. After that, I figure I'll take ya to the storeroom to get some gear, then a hearty meal and a rest?"

Kelvin stammered out as he looked over his filthy waistcoat, pants and boots. "Y-Yeah... I could do with washing up... thanks, that all sounds nice."

Hard's grin grew wide "Aye, we're fightin' undead in the morning, you'll want your rest"