Rock and Roll Comes to Imre

Unlike the area surrounding Stiljabyr, the land around Imre appears as if in autumn, the air cool but not figid, the leaves still clinging to the trees in fiery reds and oranges rather than the dead landscape pockmarked by blasted obsidian rock and blue flame. Here at least seems to be some sort of haven against the chaos brought on by the Triumvirate of Evil and the Lovelock coven. We approached the man on the road and introduced ourselves. He was a student at the University named Kvothe, and was studying music and magic disciplines there. After some questions he directed us to an inn called the Eolian within the city that housed several musicians and was run by two individuals called Deoc and Stantion. The tower in the city that we saw from a distance was a place called the Archives of History and run by Master Archisist Loren. Kvothe said that he was working on earning his silver pipes from the Eolian, which made Zarruk snort in derision.
 
We crossed the bridge and entered the city, which appeared to be very affluent and full of musicians and nobles willing to hire them. The people seemed friendly, and while a few shadier individuals could be discerned the area seemed relatively safe and a haven for the arts. Even the air felt clean and fresh compared to the places we had been previously. We eventually found our way to the Eolian and were met by the man Deoc as we entered. He was very gracious and introduced us to Stantion, who served us drinks and invited Zarruk to put on a musical performance. It seemed the inn always had some sort of music playing throughout the business day, and as we arrived a woman named Dina was just beginning a performance playing the lute and singing. Zarruk agreed to perform, but it was clear that he regarded the other musicians as untalented “posers”.
 
As we waited for Dina to finish her set and Zarruk to take the stage, I sat by Dru and spoke with him, asking why he had suddenly transformed into an eagle and left us alone in the forest. He said that the things that we had been saying made it seem that his contributions to the group were going unnoticed and we were choosing instead to joke about his failures. He then said that he considered me his best friend, and pointed out he had been the first to rush to my defense when the demon appeared even after I had messed everything up so horribly with the gate cube. I felt ashamed, and acknowledged that I had said some unkind things and that I would try to not speak that way again. Then I told him that he was a valued member of our party, and that many times we had survived fights because of him. He seemed somewhat placated, but not yet the old genial Dru. I hoped to find some way to set his mind at ease soon.
 
Shortly after that Dina’s set came to an end and Zarruk to the stage. He seemed nervous, so Dru cast a spell on him to enhance his musical talents. He then began his performance, and almost immediately the audience was enthralled. The music he played was clearly different than any they had heard before, but they were enraptured by it. He then began a second song, and a third, this time asked us to join in with a rhythmic clap. The crowd was swept up in the performance, and by the end of the song they were applauding loudly and chanting his name. Stantion offered to hire him to play every night and in exchange give us all room and board for free. Zarruk didn’t take the job right away, but agreed to play a few more times so that we could have the rooms at least a few nights. Everyone seemed very taken by the gith, especially the woman Dina, who came up and whispered something in his ear before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
 
We eventually all made our way to the rooms Stantion had set aside for us, adjoining rooms on the second floor at the back of the inn. Shiara was relieved to finally have a room with an actual bathtub and hot water, and spent the better part of an hour just soaking. Dru spoke to Stantion about finding somewhere to train with Dre and Stantion told him to find a man called Eladin, Master of Names at the University. I set about cleaning my armor and sharpening my weapons, then when Shiara had finished her bath I set to placing Alarm spells along the windows and doors to make sure we spent the night undisturbed. As I was working, however, there was a knock at the door. It was Dina, and she asked if Zarruk would join her for a drink and a walk. He agreed and left with her.
 
Shiara came up to me very excited wanting to show me a new spell she had learned. She cast gold coins into the air, which disappeared and summoned a specter. She showed me that she could place items or a message into a box and the specter would instantly transport it to whoever she wanted. This could be extremely useful for keeping in contact with our allies in the future; which reminded me, I really needed to use the Oak Leaf to see if any of our former allies are still alive and able to help us.