Spirit River Ranch is just outside of the main wall of Gamma city. It's not as sprawling as one might expect from the name, and 'spirit river' is more like a pathetic meandering creek. Laying or milling about in the pre-dawn half-light there are a variety of small farm animals and a several larger livestock, chiefly Bull Pigs and Judas Goats. Two humanoid silhouettes are easy to spy from the approach, the slight rancher and the unmistakable hero Iceman, who is twice as wide as the older man even without his armor donned.

Leyna shows up to the 'ranch' with a long staff that she uses as a walking stick in one hand and a shield in the other hand. From outward appearances, she is otherwise unarmed and unarmored. She does carry a backpack on her back, which presumably carries her waterskin and other personal effects.

She has platinum hair that has been pulled into a long, sleek ponytail for this occasion. Her clothes are dark and those of a traveler, including a black hooded cape cloak. She appears to be a young adult (although it can often be hard to tell with elves) perhaps in her mid 20s.

She greets the two men with a nod. "Mr. Frugal, my name is Leyna and I understand you are looking to take on a handful of Guild novices to accompany you on an important quest. I would like to take the opportunity to gain valuable experience from one of the best."

Leyna is haughty and not prone to being obsequious, which probably shows. This is as much flattery as she can manage this early in the morning. Should she kneel? No, he is not the king. And, even if he were, she would not wish to.

She eyes the Bull Pigs and Judas Goats, studying them privately and taking mental notes to write down later.

Not long after Leyna shows up, Alonder arrives at the Ranch. There is a faint sign of recognition when he sees Leyna, having spotted her at the Honking Swan the day before.

"Greetings. I'm Alonder. I'm here for the quest?"

There is hesitation in his voice, unsure if he is missing some key part of the etiquette. He is normally more confident, but knowing that Iceman is probably judging the applicants as they come is somewhat unnerving.

Urvan, the unwashed fur clad man from the other day eventually joined those already gathered at the ranch.

He seemed resigned to the work and not particularly eager as he walked along, rhinoceros in tow, to stop near to the group with an appraising look at the four.

"Morning" he greeted them gruffly and shooed a judas goat away with his foot as he pulled a small yellowish red apple from his back and bit into it without relish, the juice dripped from his beard as he chewed noisily and glanced about.

Becca also made her way to the ranch, while it may not have been her first choice for a first quest, she knew you had to start somewhere. The human woman with red hair had her sword and shield on her back and her pieced armor on her body. She was enjoying the fresh air, and as such stayed away from the dirty man with the rhinoceros. "Well met on this fine day friends. Looks like most of us at the Swan last night had the same idea."

Valgard ambled up to the small group that had begun to form. "I see we think alike too," he said with a deep gravelly voice as he gave the red-haired human woman a friendly smile. He nodded to the others that were there as well, "I take it we're all here for the same purpose. I'm Valgard of clan Bouldershoulder."

Ralden took another deep swig from the mug he carried as he approached the small ranch. Even if his instructions to the place had been wrong it would be impossible to miss the large gathering of armed individuals that loitered at the entrance. Once he was close to the crowd he polished off his beverage before he discarded the mug. He straightened himself up and tried to look professional for his guild debut.

"Morning everyone. I assume we are all here for the posted quest? I'm ready to help the mighty Snowman." He declared sarcastically as he threw up his hand with mock enthusiasm.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:44, Wed 19 Apr 2023.

The hero known as Iceman notices the group as they assemble. They make their introductions, and he sizes them up silently each in turn. When he speaks, his voice is surprisingly mismatched with his appearance. He sounds like a very young man despite the weathered skin and stern demeanor and his words carry a slight accent that is foreign to Maret. "Welcome, Hirelings, I'm pleased that you are punctual."

What might have been an approving smile at that, however, dissolves immediately with his next admonishment. "But if I hear any of you disrespect a Hero of the Guild by using any name other than either their officially given name or any other name that they expressly approve, you will not work with me." And he cracks his knuckles to emphasize his point as his eyes linger Leyna on Ralden.

"Our adventure is one of exploration and information gathering. We shall row a [Language unknown: Atheek] east around Dagger Shoals for a day toward World's End. We will disembark on the north shore of this land and explore inland southward. We are looking for signs of the cause of the unnaturally hostile weather there. You may have heard many rumors in town over the years, you may have theories of your own, but we are in search of proof." The warrior stops pacing and looks to the novices to ensure they understand.

Meanwhile, the rancher has wrangled a strong-looking Judas Goat and presses the reins into Icaman's hand. When the veteran continues, his tone is slightly less severe. "If anyone wants out, feel free to walk away now. If anyone has any questions, you may speak your mind now one at a time."

OOC: Feel free to barrage the DM with questions if you wish; the "one at a time" bit is for flavor only. Iceman will address all questions for as long as it takes IRL, but please let me know when you've asked your last.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:14, Wed 19 Apr 2023.

It's unclear if Leyna is looking distastefully upon the others, or if she just has Resting Elf Face.

Either she is considering the rhinoceros warily, or she is studying it with the eye of a naturalist.

The others seemed unnaturally friendly for this hour of the morning. Leyna pulls her cloak around her to ward away the pre-dawn chill.

Ralden casually discards a mug. Is that a local custom? she wonders, inscribing it in her memory to record in her notes later.

Edit: Got ninja'd
This message was last edited by the player at 04:50, Wed 19 Apr 2023.

At the prompt for questions, Alonder raises his hand, accustomed to the proceedings at the gatherings in his village. Catching himself and somewhat embarrassed by the involuntary gesture, he quickly lets his arm fall back to his side and asks:

"Do you have any ideas as to... Ah, I understood that we are gonna look for facts, but I was wondering if there are any leads that we are supposed to start looking into first? What would these signs of the weather changing look like?"