Arriving at the tavern, it was bustling and packed with people. Several of the servers were dressed in a hastily donned apron and nothing else, clear evidence they were hired straight off the street to keep up with the massive influx of people that had descended. It was into this that Estaria and Elaine arrived. Leaving Elaine at the door, Estaria weaved through the crowd like water through a rock's cracks, arriving at the host and giving him a nod.

"Buy-in?" he asked, his book ready to jot down whatever she offered. Looking around, she'd frown a little.

"Hmm, there isn't a lot of space" she muttered, turning to the crowd and putting on the stern Captain Voice for a moment to cut through the cacophony of the crowd. "Back up, the lotta ya!" she bellowed, seeing an immediate reaction as everyone stepped away and gave her some room.

"Selling competence, then?" He would ask, ready to write.

"I didn't know I could do that. But, not just" Estaria would pull two barrels of Bugmans Ale from her inventory and put them down next to him. "Competence, and two barrels of Bugman's ale. I am Captain Zashira of the Altdorf State Army, and I have my girlfriend with me who is an excellent cook" she'd nod and then wait for his response. It was pretty measured, and just scrawled down on the book. Everyone else was eyeing the barrels though, because that didn't just come from the market...

With sign in done, there were two days left before departure, so Estaria put her gear into a blacksmith that was staying open to make sure that it was in top condition, and then spent the next two days teaching Elaine the basics of a crossbow. She wasn't expected to fight, but another bolt was always good in a fight.

When the day came, the expedition set off, a large caravan of fighting men, fighting women, fighting ogres, and all the people that trailed behind such a caravan. The first few weeks were on well maintained and well paved highways, patrolled by men of The Empire and thus mostly unmolested. But, As they got into the hills, there were creatures in the peripherals, Goblins and stray Beastmen who were trying to see if there was any holes to poke in. But, a few Crossbow Bolts dissuaded the cowards of that. A mass of them would be different, but fortunately the caravan did not run into them on their journey.

Finally arriving near the lake itself, the Caravan would merge with an already present Dwarven Throng from Zhufbar. Here, would be made a semi-permanent camp to support the operation in the coming weeks. Only a fool would hang so close to Karak Varn for too long, but caution had to be measured with what you could earn from the Blackwater, so the camp was given some convivences that were not common in overnight camps.

Estaria herself, meandered among the camps after helping put up her section of the tends. Elaine had not been idle, and the early night was filled with their siren song, which made everyone stare at her with coy and teasing grins, when they weren't directed at their own partner. It made her feel very noticed, and being noticed was far from her interests when not in battle. So she made sure to be present more in the Dwarven section, where they had not yet heard her.

It was here, that she got herself a shock. A Dwarf, sat eating breakfast. Nothing spectacular about him, but a nameplate above him shone in her eyes.

Traukon Brightbelly - Level 29 Ironbreaker