A young blonde man dressed in splint armor, stood just inside the door of the Inn. The symbol, the Fist of Tyr, showed proudly in the center of the tunic he wears over the armor. He looked at the other five who just entered the Inn, each held a parchment similar to the one he held in his hand.

Are they here to meet with the strange hooded man as well? Do they know more of this fellow than I, he said to himself.

His eyes turned back to the common room and slowly scanned across the room, searching for the stranger in the hood.

When Talant approached him he smiled and replied.

“I am Clovis a Cleric of Tyr, and I am pleased to meet you Talant.” He held up the parchment in his hand. “Yes, I also was summoned by a strang man in a hood. I was expceting to find him here at one of these tables. Perhaps we should wait for him at a table in the corner?”

Far in the corner of the tavern, a candle was lit. The dark mystery of what was once blackness - pushed back by the waving glow of it's flickering flame. Barely distinguishable, an outline of a cloaked figure could be seen sitting at the table. Slowly, the cloaked figure's head turned towards the table across the activity-filled room now occupied by the elf and the human, until only the tip of the man's nose and his short greyish beard could be seen from beneath the heavy hood…

Talant looked over to the dark corner where the hooded figure sat. He signals the others to let them know he had spotted it.

“Shall we walk over there and see why we were summoned here?”

Talant got up and walked over to the table in the dark corner. He stood there for a moment, inspecting this dark-clad person.

“Well met, stranger! I am Talant the ranger, a chosen of Mielikki. And who might you be and why have you summoned me?”

When Talant indicated the other table, Clovis turned to look. Yes, it was that same strange man. He stood up and joined Talant at the table. He stood with his arms at his sides as he looked down at the man while Talant introduced himself and questioned the man.

He nodded his head in greeting to the man.

“I am Clovis, a Cleric of Tyr, but I would guess you were already aware of our identities. I must echo Talants questions Sir, who are you, and why the intrigue? If you had need of help, you had but to ask.”

Sitting at the table, Kol had been too busy trying to work out how anyone could have known him to give him a message, remaining silent in the face of the conversation of the others. Seeing the talking pair stand and walk to the far side of the room, Kol notices the man they have gone to meet. Standing, he slings his pack over his small frame, picks up his staff from where it had been leaning against the table and joins them.

“What is the meaning of this, good sir?” he questioned the hooded man. “I have only just arrived and I am receiving messages to meet hooded people in cheap taverns. How do you know me and what do you want?”

Standing in the shadows near the front door almost looking like he is ready to flee at the smallest sign of trouble was a small figure in baggy clothes.

It slowly made its way through the common room towards the table and occasionally sliding its small hand into other peoples pockets and gathering stuff that belong to them. Finally it came to the table and protruded a yellowed note, similar to the one Talant had previously received.

As the cloaked mysterious man motioned for the gnome to be seated, he picked up a long, old pipe from somewhere beside him and lighted it using the candle - dripping melted wax onto the table which drips down through the cracks in the wood.

After taking a few puffs from the pipe, the man coughed roughly and in a deep, slow and quiet voice he replied, “I thank you for coming. You can be assured your attendance will be worth your while.” The man coughed once again - fitfully this time, taking slow deep breaths to recover before continuing to speak. “There will be drinks served once the rest have arrived. Be patient.” Taking another draw from the pipe, he once again turned his head to see if the other two parchment-bearing occupant have yet located the meeting place.

A man in shimmering gray robes stepped forward towards everybody, “I too have received a letter from a cloaked individual, that is all I know”

A semi well-muscled man walked into the bar. His shoulder-length black hair waved in the breeze as the door closes behind him. He wore common clothes, no armor, though his axe and bow marked him a fighting type. He stroked his dark mustache as he came over to the table. “I'm here. What's all this about?”

As the remaining adventurers found their way to the far corner of the tavern, the crowd closed back up and seemed to pay no more attention to the small group gathered around the cloaked figure at the candle-lit table.

“Welcome one and all.” the cloaked man said, in his low, slow voice. “Your questions of who I am are unimportant. I can assure you I am neither your enemy nor your ally, but merely a messenger. I have summoned you here tonight to inform you not only of your importance to the fate of Phlan, but to guide and join you together, as having a group of adventurers will make your quest much more successful as well as profitable. I have watched you from afar. Some of you have traveled very far to be sitting here now; others have journeyed but only a day or two. But all of you are here for the same reasons - to rid this once-proud city of an unknown evil, line your pockets with fortune, and give the bards of the land another tale to sing. So look around you now, for these will be your companions on the road yet ahead of you. Please, share with one another your name, origin and what skill you are to contribute. In a moment, the serving maid will bring you a drink - don't worry about the tab, I have paid for it ahead.”

Suddenly, through the crowd came a tall dark-haired waitress with a tray held high over her head bearing seven steaming-hot tankards of cider. “As you requested… seven ciders. Can I bring you anythin' else?” She asked, a slight smile in the corner of her lips, looking around the dimly lit faces and patiently waited for a response…

“As you may already have noticed,” the man continued, “the city is rampant with rumors and whispers of information. Some more sure of themselves than others - not all can be trusted. A listening ear and a discerning mind are needed in times like this, for invaluable information can be gleaned, but it's truth is best investigated to be proven.” The man put away his pipe and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment, much like the ones Talant had… “This is all I can give you to get started..” he says as he flattened out the crumpled parchment which revealed itself to be a roughly drawn map of Civilized Phlan.

“As you can see, I have marked certain locations of interest, but this by no means shows all of the different locations you may want to visit. I would recommend you take a look around for other locations, as there are a few more important places not marked here. A magic shop is hidden somewhere, for example…” The hooded man paused at this point, as if waiting for any questions or responses from the group.

“Hidden somewhere? What good does it do anybody hidden somewhere?” Kol inquired from his seat, his head as far above the table as the stranger's chest.

“Do you know, good sir, where this magic shop may be? Hints, clues, contacts? Not to sound pushy, mind you, but hidden shops don't help anybody save the city.”

The man in the shimmering gray robes spoke.

“I am Arius a priest of the High one Azuth, I come from the dalelands Scardale to be precise, I am very well skilled in healing, and thanks to the boon of Azuth I have the ability to cast wizard spells as well and clerical ones, I think that for this party of beginning adventurers I will be the main healer for us.”

The man could be heard chuckling quietly as he listened to Kol's comments… “I suppose a different choice of words would suffice.” he said. “You will notice I have marked the locations of Phlan's temples here on the map. From what I've heard, you can purchase potions and salves of healing at these temples but for more potent and specific magic, ask around and I'm sure someone will be able to point out a magic shop for you on this map. It is not ‘hidden’ as per say - but it will be easier to find with directions, as I am not aware of it's location. Also, the temples matching your deities may offer you services free of charge including healing and blessings, but you will notice that these holy-places are not settled right now… another thing you must discover by seeking answers elsewhere…”

The sturdy and well muscled fighter looked at the people at the table and said.

“Call me Dar, I have an interest in exploring where others fear to go and also have some skill in fighting. I have some knowledge of certain shady skills that might come in handy in investigating the ruins.”

He then turned to the waitress.

“I would like some supper, what are you serving today?”

”Yes, well…” Kol murmured in response to the man's explanation, obviously unconvinced.

After the others have introduced themselves, Kol followed. “Well, I'm pretty new to this adventuring stuff. I've mostly worked as a scribe and odd-jobs gnome. I'm a bit of a traveler though and I have picked up a few tricks. I know a bit of magic that might be helpful.”

“I have heard that a great darkness is gathering here in Phlan, though I don’t see any trace of it. Could you be more specific in what you need from us? What is that you want us to do? And why isn’t the magic shop on the map? Is magic so scarce here in Phlan that commoners don’t know where to find it? What you are requesting is a lot, and you really need to explain it in details.”

Talant reached for his cider mug and took a sip. He let the liquid float around in his mouth, feeling if any strange taste produces itself.

“Please be kind, sir and tell us why you really summoned us?”

There was a short pause as the man looked up at the tall ranger before replying…

The waitress looked down at Dar, still a bit angry after catching him with his greasy paw in her apron and said, “Ol' Fartham's fried potatoes and fresh wild-meat sausage for a silver an a bowl o' his veggie-mixin's soup on the side for a few coppers more if ya like… what'll it be then?”

“A great darkness indeed.” the man said finally, looking from face to face around the crowded table; some of which seemed to be staring out into space. “Foul creatures plague most of Phlan, the section mapped here in front of you is all that is presently civil. Guards patrol the gates, especially the gate to the north leading to ‘The Slums’, as there had been the occasional leak of evil from that area, but not for some time now. Rumor is that a few brave merchants have even begun to setup shop in the part of The Slums area closest to the gate as of late.” The man took a sip of cider and continued.

“The cause of the growing evil and surge of creatures in the surrounding areas is why I have summoned you. It is time to fight back. Time to reclaim the city for it's rightful owners. As for who I am, again it's not of your concern. I am but someone concerned with this city's fate - I am not a commoner of this city, and do not know my way about it any more than what this map shows. I'm sure almost anyone you ask could point you to a magic-shop, just don't be shy - besides, most of the folk around here are on your side being you're to make some changes around here for the good of Phlan… many may even offer to join your cause.

As I have watched you journey here, I shall be watching you in your future travels, but after tonight I cannot interfere with your adventures. You probably should get better acquaintance with one another and choose some sort of leader - working as a team is of utter importance! I would suggest spending the night here at the Bitter Blade tonight and starting out fresh tomorrow. The word is that the Town Council is posting commissions tomorrow - go there to find out where to start.” His last few words were barely audible, the cloaked man coughed again and seemed to be losing his voice… He took a long drink from his now cooled-off cider. Looking rather tired and ‘under-the-weather’, his actions hinted that he was almost ready to retire for the evening… “…oh, and I almost forgot… be sure each of you carries some sort of ranged weapon with you. The enemy is said to travel in large numbers.”

“So, it seems to me that this is a just cause. And it is my belief that this is the reason my fair goddess has sent me here on a quest. Yes, sir, you are right, evil is lurking here and it must be cleansed. I, for one, will honor your request and do what is in my power to stop it,” Talant said.

Talant looked around at the other sitting round the table.

"Are you[motioning the others] ready to stand up to fight this evil? Are you all ready to stand up and become heroes? Are you ready for some adventure?“

Clovis, had been sitting quietly listening to the mans story, he nodded his head in agreement with his comment about the darkness gathering. Perhaps this was the reason he had been unable to commune with Tyr. When the hooded man mentioned all should carry ranged weapons Clovis shook his head no.

”No good Sir, it is against my orders belief to use any but blunt weapons.“

He thought about it for a moment, then smiled.

”I could throw a hammer though that would be permitted.“

Clovis looked over to Talant,

”Yes, I'm ready to start fighting for Tyr, against the darkness. But, first I will need to purchase a hammer or two, and a helm.“

“That´s the spirit! Your god as truly chosen his servants well, Clovis of Tyr,” Talant replied.

He takes another zip from the cider-mug.

“I think that we should try and split up tomorrow. Obviously we don’t need to be all at the town council, so at least two of us could go and see if they can find the magic shop. Or what do you think?”