Daerth is named after the forest that it was built next to. Originally it was a logging camp until a pass through the Darkwall mountains was found near it and Fort Shadow was built in the pass to prevent demons from leaving the Darklands. Daerth exports lumber and the work of carpenters aside from hunting and trapping in the forest of Daerth. They have strained relations with the lycanthropes who live in the forest but are currently at peace as every battle they’ve ever had with the pack in the forest has been their loss.

Lykou

Kylana grins, thinking about what that would look like before changing the subject.

“The Rite of the Dark Moon is in three days, it is mentioned to test your ability when you are at your weakest. When your inner wolf cannot help you but you don’t have one yet.

On that night you are to go hunting in the woods and bring back meat. The stronger the creature and more meat you bring the more likely your approval to be a hunter becomes. Usually two deer or a bear are enough but I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble.

The Rite of the Light Moon will start just before the next full moon. Prospective hunters are sent into the Darkwall mountains to hunt, there the more powerful of a creature you bring back the more likely your approval becomes and you only need trophies not the whole creature as it takes time to return. It takes roughly a day to reach the mountains without rest and you must return within three days of the full moon.”

“What do I need to bring back for that test?”

“A few dire animals or something stronger than a pair of dire bears together.”

“That test is much more difficult than the other.”

“For you perhaps but that is because you do not yet have the gift of the moon.”

“And I’m guessing you have plans for that?”

“I want my daughter to be the one to pass the gift but she won’t consider doing that anytime soon. Still, I think you will manage now that you know what you are going to need to do.”

“You aren’t making this easy.”

“Of course not, but if you can’t even manage this, why would I even allow you to be involved with my daughter?”

“Alright I’ll do what I can but I’m going to need more lessons.”

“Conning my daughter into teaching you to fight isn’t enough?”

“Nope, and that helps her self-image anyways to see that she is in fact still better than me at something. I want more help with magic. Specifically, I want to talk to you about something I ran into while showing Kythia spells.”

“Mana Resistance Training” Kylana interrupts and I nod.

She then continues, “it is a crude, inefficient and time-consuming method of increasing Mana Potency. You want to use it to offset your current weakness but that won’t do much if you don’t deal with Mana Potential as well.”

I just smile at that.

“So, you have a way for that problem? Interesting, I won’t ask how but can my daughter benefit from it?”

“I don’t think so, the idea maybe but not what I actually do.”

“Very well, I’ll imbue something you can use for a few weeks and have it ready for you tomorrow. I’ll give you a tip though, do not try to refine your mana until you run out of forces to use in this kind of method.”

“Why?”

“Purer mana overcomes resistance easier and is thus counterproductive to this sort of method.”

“Do you know other methods that are better?”

“Not that you can use at this time.”

So, there are better ways but they aren’t available at my level. Due to my low base or low level of skill? Still, she is basically giving me everything I ask her for.

“Anything else or shall we start?”

“Any chance of helping me get Detect Living working in the next three days?”

She smiles, “Of course, we should also get Minor Drain, Dark Missile, Burning Hands and Burst of Speed since you are excused from Naliya’s class to prepare for the two trials.”

I smile even though this is going to be a lot of work to learn so much in a short period of time but I can also get Kythia to demonstrate the spells for me since she does know them even if her control is not up to her mother’s standards.

Adrian

It took Griff a few days to get me up to speed on all the passwords, signs and so on of the Shadows. Of name for a thieves' guild but they are apparently a conglomerate of various guilds of illegal activity. Of course not each subguild or cell touches every aspect of crime, Griff mostly deals in smuggling and heists though he plans on introducing me to another cell that he thinks I could do well in.

These three days were not solely just me learning about the organization but I also managed to leverage how useful my skillset will be to get some advances on my cut of loot from heists and a signing bonus to get some of the equipment Bryan and Abagail need though not all of it.

No enchanted equipment yet but some actual spell books from apprentices who don’t lock their doors at the inn and Abagail’s requested flute are already in their possession.

“You seem to have put everything to memory” Griff says as he just finished quizzing me on the various signs and tokens of the Shadows.

“I told you I’m a quick study” I respond glad that he gave up his uneducated accent since I’m on the in now.

“That you are. Feel like taking your first job then?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Something simple, I want you to accompany one of my best sneaks as he breaks in a manor of a house I think is involved in smuggling.”

“Alright but he knows I can’t do more than one of my special spells at once, right?”

“He knows and will fill you in on the details. He and his team are in room 4c.”

I nod and turn to leave the bar for the deeper rooms of the guild. They practically a small city here under the building. I wonder how they manage to feed everyone down here though I doubt I would get a straight answer if I asked. I also can’t help but notice how almost everyone past the second concealed door are dwarves.

I knock on the door only to have it open as my knuckles brush up against it. Strange, that should not have happened. Are they going to try to haze me? I suppose I am the new guy but should I even play along?

A small ripple of energy spreads outwards from my mind as I try a slightly different way to sense life force. It works and while I only feel them for an instant the mental image of direction and distance is clearer in this radar style version of my Sense Life. A little easier to do as well but there is probably some form of drawback to tossing out a ripple to hear an echo. Loss of being able to as easily differentiate between life signs and that it may act as a beacon to anyone doings something similar would be my guesses. Damn I’ve had too much time to think lately as Griff and the other rouges kept repeating things they had already said.

That may have been my own fault though, I was purposefully not ‘remembering’ everything the first time it was told to me even though I did. It would have been even more suspicious than my walking straight in their door.

Rather than enter into the room I push the door the rest of the way open and say, “I know that the three of you are in there. Your plan to scare the newbie is a bust this time.”

“Dammit” I hear a rough voice say as a dwarf steps out of a shadow that does not even seem large enough for him to hide in.

“Terrance, you idiot! He couldn’t have found us already. He was bluffing to get you to do just that.”

“Nay, he knew our number” the dwarf who walked out of the shadows answers the feminine voice that preceded his response.

“It doesn’t matter now, we may as well come out and see our extra for the job” a third voice says; this one male.

There is some grumbling but soon enough I am standing in front of two dwarves and a young elven woman. Both of the dwarves have a tattoo that appears to be a rune of some sort on their left forearms and beard rings of gold and silver in their black beards. They stand roughly four-foot tall and are in leather armor that is designed to appear to be normal tunics. The elven girl stands maybe five-foot and four maybe five inches. Her tunic is cut in a revealing fashion though she does not hold herself in a way that matches the seductress roll of her clothing. She is pretty but she has clearly had a rough life, light but noticeable scars are on the parts of her body that could have easily been covered if she were in regular clothing. Aside from how she holds herself her haircut also detracts from the seductress roll the dress alludes to. Maybe some guys like it but I don’t find the butch dike haircut as attractive. Perhaps he wears a wig and acts differently when she needs to?

“So, which one of you is in charge?” I ask.

“That would be Laura” the dwarf that responded to the name Terrance.

I turn to the elf, surprised. I don’t think that I had seen a woman in charge of anything since I had arrived on this world.

“Laura is the other dwarf” the elven girl says as if she had expected it.

“But isn’t Laura a girl’s name?” I ask, confused.

“And you don’t see me as a girl?” the other dwarf asks, indignant.

“But you have a beard” I say confused.

“Griff said that you were a smart one but it seems that you’re just another sky crazed idiot. Of course, I’m a woman can’t you tell by me beard?”

“No, well I mean the two of your beards are cut differently but I don’t know if that means anything.”

“The beard be everything to a dw. . .” Terrance says.

“Hush Terrance, I’ll be telling the boy what he needs to know” Laura interrupts and then continues as the elven girl and Terrance take a seat.

“The beard is the single most important part of your appearance. Even if you are barely more than a smooth chin you should . . .”

Laura continues onwards to give the most detailed and fervent description of beards with several words that I do not recognize that I can only assume are dwarven words for some specific type or subsection of beard. Far more than I ever would have thought possible.

After what feels like an eternity, but was only a few hours passed before the elven girl interrupts her, “Laura, if we’re going to get the goods then we need to set started on work.”

“Lynn it’s bad enough I have to look at your bare chin every day don’t interrupt me making sure that this young boy doesn’t follow your shameful choice in being a smooth chin. Beards are more important than work.” Laura basically scolds the Lynn.

“Lynn, you can always continue teaching him the basics of beards during the job. It won’t be enough time to finish but if he’s as good as Griff thinks we can always use him for other jobs” Terrance mentions but all I get is that she hasn’t even finished the ‘basics of beards’.

How can all of what she just said have only been basics? She went into detailed things like how a beard is parted denotes the difference between men and women in dwarves. That the placement of beard rings shows status. How can all of that detail be basics? Basics is just on overview. Just how much is there on beards?

“Fine, but the lad can do his looking out for us without being outside.”

“I think that was why Griff wanted me to come along” I interject.

Laura nods and then turns to Lynn who then begins speaking.

“House Tyris has been showing off an unusually large amount of imported goods, more than they can get from legal channels and they aren’t getting the extras through us. A simple break in and find as many financial documents as we can and go.”

Each of us nod, knowing what our part will be. At least I assume they do since I know mine and they have far more experience in this.