Rustbeard's Tavern sat near a crossroads two miles outside of the RhyDin city walls. It was a large tavern with large stables and plenty of room for the many travelers who did not quite make it to the city walls by nightfall, or the many who preferred to do their business in RhyDin by day and keep a healthy distance from it at night. The sign hanging over the front door announced its name in Dwarven runes, translated into Common in fading gold lettering underneath.

The tavern was not on the crossroads, which was unusual. Instead the proprietor, when he had built the establishment, seemed happier not to disturb the clusters of black standing stones that the road's builders had disturbed. Each stone was marked with ancient runes, alien in their strange use of geometric shapes. People would still pass through, and stay at the tavern, but no one lingered at the crossroads.

It struck Noira as an ideal meeting spot, early in the morning while mist still rolled over the surrounding green hills. She sat on her backpack, waiting for the others to show while she drew runes of her own in the dirt with a stick. She'd sent out an invitation to the party from the Stone Emperor's Tomb, as well as their prospective new employers: it remained to be seen who would show, and how this meeting would turn out.

Noira smiled at Gemethyst's approach, squinting at the first rays of sunlight breaking through the cloudy horizon. "Good morning....and not just yet," she added, shaking her head and turning her gaze to the tavern in question.

"I don't think our employer would like the attention. I picked this spot because people don't like these stones....They're a little strange," she admitted with a glance at them, "but their enchantments are long gone, diminished to traces now. But I wanted it to be open enough that if they tried anything..."

She shrugged, her eyes falling to the runes she traced in the dirt. "They won't. It would be rather stupid, and I've been rather stupid taking this job and then being squeamish about it....But I'm still not used to choosing my own dangers, nor picking them for others."

She shook her head again to dismiss her ramblings, and mustered another smile for Gem. "As soon as this is done, Rustbeard's famous breakfast and stout are on me. Promise."

The beast was too large to be a mirage even if the distance and the heat manipulated its shape. It moved much like a pacified dog might even if the swelter of the humidity of this land had all three of it's heads panting. The rider a top its back didn't seem to acknowledge much of the summers blaring warmth, told by the heavy cloak that wrinkled and creased with each step the oddity took. Upon arrival, and closer inspection, the chimera type of creaturee could be studied; its bulk was muscle, fur, and scales, and its heads were wolf-like.

Akali tugged gently on the reins to steady the interesting mount, even if all six of its bat ears honed in on the trio of unfamiliars. Just as it was a new sight to these beings, they were also watched with three sets of curious eyes. Just as Akali's focus was a melted mirror of silver and smoke, so was the beasts. The saddle she was settled on creaked with a moan when she leaned some to acknowledge Ilinoira and Gemethyst, lingering only slightly on the unknown male.

"We are surprised to see you have shown, Ilinoira, and we are happy that you have decided not to forget about our quest.", she spoke behind the sharp bone and stone mask that hid a majority of her features. Those echoes were prominent around the core of a tone that was feminine yet sagacious. She made no move to pull the hood down and let her face wade in the thin shallows of the shadow it offered.

"We have not met this one.", the Riven spoke to Mesteno, now, and dipped her waist as much as her posture would allow in her throne a top the predatorial looking beast. "We are Akali, the Sanguine. You will be venturing with Ilinoira and Gemethyst?" Double checking to make sure his ears were in need of the information she had come to gift to Noira and Gem.

The three heads of the animal lowered some to sniff at the ground before lurching its necks to the risen stones.

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"I'd prove you wrong," he countered Noira with a rakish waggle of brows, "but I wouldn't want to leave you scandalised."

The banter abated when the eyes of the women diverted to the wavering shape of Akali upon her mount, and he squinted narrowly, attention hawkish as he considered the Cerberus-like creature their fourth party member seemed to have mastered. Impressive, for he couldn't imagine any creature of carnivorous nature was easy to make rideable.

He stayed quiet while the Sanguine introduced herself, and likewise when Noira offered her his name, though there was a singular arching of brow at the "we" the stranger used to refer to herself. It seemed a little rude to ask her whether it was a "royal" we, or because she was some kind of possessed symbiote. Who was to know, with all the variety Rhy"Din had to offer" His study of her, or at least what was visible left too much to the imagination, and Gem's lacking smile did not surprise him - the others seemed understandably cautious of Akali.

Still, Gem's abrupt laughter caught him off guard, and given the subject of her amusement, he had to ask" "We are talking about the same Bjorn I know, right' "Cause his dancin's usually pretty decent. What did you do to his n—- y"know, save it for when he's with us on the trip. He'll grouse and grumble hearin" it told." Which in turn would amuse him!

"Well Akali, now the formalities are out of the way, you wanna start fillin" us in" I'm curious to know what we're up against. Or" are we waitin" on others here?"