Mezezar had joined the caravan heading towards Khorl first. Well at least that痴 what Ke-Tant Faerblay suspected. The young giant had noticed the mojh when he was on his first watch night, guarding the third wagon as he had agreed with the caravan master. His new armour had chafed uncomfortably as he watched the scaly humanoid stare motionlessly into the night. The merchant had said that the armour was made from wyvern scales and although Ke-Tant was not too sure, it was certainly lighter and stronger than the other options that were open to him. It had also cost him the rest of his coin. After his bonding ceremony with his greatsword, he felt that simple leather jack would not be a suitable accompaniment for such a weapon. But his first choices had left the giant with little option. If he was to pursue his wanderlust, he would have to pay his way, and a simple caravan guard would accomplish both at the same time. Jerad had become too familiar and staid. If he was to make his name, he did not want people痴 pre-conceptions to cloud their judgement of him. So what if his family did not amount to much, in a new city that was teeming with trade and intrigue, he was sure he could find adventure and advancement.
Obur Tilsen stepped out of the darkness a few nights later. The brash human was nearly impaled by a number of the impetuous guards, but when they realised that he had no horns on his head they relented and let him converse with the caravan master in private. He too, was soon standing watch over the goods of one of the wagons after a nod and a quiet clap on the back from the master.
A few nights later these three found themselves watching the same cargo as some rhodin attacked from the darkness. The two raiders that approached the caravan were swiftly dealt with, so they moved on to help out others further to the rear of their camp. They found a woman keeping one of the horned creatures at bay with her morningstar. She had been wounded by the creature, but had also damaged it. With the help of the new arrivals the creature was soon incapacitated. Seeing that a number of their fellows had already fallen, the rest of the rhodin dispersed into the darkness in some disarray. Mezezar and Obur went among the injured and used their magic to heal or stem their wounds. One caravan driver who was unconscious due to blood loss was brought back to wakefulness through Obur痴 channelling of the green.
The caravan master congratulated them on their efforts as they were finishing their ministrations. Mezezar took the opportunity to speak to the caravan master about a sibeccai that he was seeking. Although the caravan master was not familiar with the name, he promised that he壇 ask around or find some other way to help. Since they found that their skills complemented each other well, the three decided to find out more about each other with a view to forming a partnership. Ke-Tant and Obur did not have much to say for themselves, except to express and interest for advancement and wealth. They probed Mezezar about his reasons for wanting to find this sibeccai. He told them much about his background. The three decided to call themselves the Mokers from their initials and agreed to share all that they found equally amongst the group. They approached the woman that they had fought with earlier. They discovered that her name was Mera Reerance, a human witch. She accepted their offer of an equal place in the Mokers at least for the time being. Mezezar was especially anxious to ensure that she joined up.
A few days later as the city of Khorl was visible below them on the coast, the caravan master approached the Mokers and explained that he had considered Mezezar痴 request for assistance and thought that the best thing to do was to put the Mojh in touch with a contact that he had in the city. Brother Egil was a disciple of Vekik, The Runegod and could be found or contacted at the temple to Vekik in the city. Since this temple gathered information from all areas of Khorl, Egil might be able to help them on their quest for knowledge of Eritic the Invincible.
The Mokers travelled through Khorl with the caravan and down to the docks. There they stood guard while the wagons were unloaded into warehouses and on to ships. It was only after all the trade goods were accounted for that they were given their final coin and sent on their way. The temple was in a prosperous district abutting the old city and once they entered the vaulted main hall they could see many priests studying and copying from parchments and scrolls, seeking meaning in all the symbols of communication. When they enquired after Brother Egil, the novice immediately set off to find him and left the Mokers to admire the architecture. It wasn稚 long until a modest human arrived to speak to them and to draw them off to his own alcove, which he cordoned off with a plush curtain. Once they had revealed their intent and that the caravan master had sent them, Brother Egil seemed eager to help, although he had no immediate knowledge to share. He did, however, seem to be troubled by another matter, namely the disappearance of a friend of his; a scribe named Lucius. Two days ago he had disappeared, echoing a time six years ago when he had disappeared in bizarre circumstances, only to reappear five years later with no apparent memory of the intervening time, begging to be restored to the temple.
Lucius returned to the temple, and it was just like old times for eight or nine months. Then he started to look haggard, and he told me he wasn稚 sleeping well. Something was disturbing him, but he wouldn稚 say what. He started asking a lot of questions about what he had been like right before his expulsion. The high priest talked to him about it, but Lucius wouldn稚 let it go.
"I grew increasingly worried for my friend. He seemed on the brink of insanity, as if one small thing could push him over the edge. Two days ago, he failed to come to the temple. I went to his home and found it empty. I searched all over but could not find him. The priests of my temple deny it, but I know that something has happened to Lucius. I want you to find out what.�
The Mokers asked about accommodation in the city and Egil recommended the Scholar痴 Quill, an inn between the temple and Lucius痴 house. He accompanied them there and got them a preferential rate. So that he would not miss evening prayers, Brother Egil hurried them out and on to Lucius痴 house to see if they could turn up anything of interest. The house itself was very modest and inside they found a To Do list written by Lucius and hidden in a desk under a false bottom they found a diary. In the basement they found recently constructed shelves on every wall and some that were free standing, but there was no book on any of them. The Mokers retired to the Quill and Lucius to the temple to ponder these things.