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[Phyrra Venorik]

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Phyrra felt like she had been traveling for years, when it had only been months. Her feet were blistered and her sandals were worn. She had traveled before, but it had always been with her father. He was the one who always caught the food, made the fire, and when she got tired, he would carry her. She tried as hard as she could to remain in the shadows so that she would not have any monsters try to eat her alive. She was scared, and it was hard for her to control her breathing sometimes when she could see a troll, or a gargoyle a ways off in the distance. But she knew that if she even once just breathed wrong, or stepped on a twig then it would be over in an instant.

As exhausted and worn as she felt, she knew that she had to keep going. She had been to a few towns already, but none seemed to show her any way of discovering what she needed to find out. Even though she had not found anything to help her, she had enjoyed seeing the few towns she had visited. Although the people seemed to shun her because of her looks. She supposed that she would have done the same. Phyrra knew she must look a mess from traveling for so long.

When she finally reached Britain, she overheard some people talking about a far away land named Malas. She heard them say that the two cities there were so different from each other, that they were surprised there weren't more wars. But that business was thriving in both. When Phyrra heard them mention 'business' she knew that she had to check out this land and the two cities. Perhaps she would be able to finally discover what her father's business was.

Phyrra asked around as to how to get to Malas. A tavernkeeper told her that if she followed the road south west of Britain, and continued south she would come to a moongate a bit off the road in a clearing, and that if she took that moongate it would take her to Malas. He told her to make sure she went to Luna instead of Umbra because it was not as dangerous. Phyrra thanked him and headed on her way to the moongate and to the city of Luna.

Phyrra stepped out from the moongate and looked up in awe at the beautiful walls surrounding her. She marveled at the Paladins that were guarding the city. She had never seen a city like this in her life. She had rarely seen any cities for that matter, but the one's she had could not even compare to the beauty of Luna. She smiled to herself and thought that this would be where she would find out more about her father and his business.

After a good night's sleep, Phyrra set out on her way around the city. She could not believe all the people selling such a wide variety of goods. Some of which she had never seen before in her life. The skills that people had in Luna just stunned her. She only wished that she had more money to buy some of these goods, but she had to save her money to buy food and a bed to sleep in at night. Phyrra stayed in the shadows of the walls so as to not draw attention to herself. She listened to people come and go and talk about their adventures in a dangerous place, where types of monsters Phyrra had never heard of dwelled. She listened to them talk about their shops, and how they were prospering. After a week of being in Luna, she heard a man and a woman talking about a little tavern they had just visited. They said they were surprised at the different people who visited there constantly, ranging from the noble Paladin, to the shady thief. Phyrra followed them out of the southern gate in Luna, and down the road. She stayed far back so they did not see her, and hid behind any tree's or anything else that she could find. Finally the couple arrived at a building right near the road and walked inside. Phyrra read the sign, 'Hanse's Hostel', this was the place.

Phyrra stood off near a house and watched people coming and going from Hanse's. The couple had been right about it being very busy, and they had also been right about the different people there. She watched as an orc walked out of the building, cast a spell and disappeared. Magic, people had magic here too, she thought to herself. She was thankful that her father had taught her a bit of magic while she was growing up, but had thought that she was alone in the knowledge.

After a few hours, Phyrra decided to wander inside of Hanse's and see what she could find out. She slipped quietly in the door and wandered over to a corner. It was not hard to blend in and not be heard. The sound of people laughing and talking was almost deafening. She watched people click their glasses together, and then empty them as quickly as they could.

Phyrra had been standing off in the corner for a while when she noticed a man standing a bit away from her. She caught him giving her a quick glance every now and then. Almost like she was someone he knew from way back. She tried to stand closer to the wall, wishing that she could just melt into it and disappear. She watched a man in green talking to the man besider her and another man with pointed ears. The man in green seemed like he had a bit too much to drink perhaps, but had a kind look to his face. The man with the pointed ears seemed a little strange to her, and he talked in a language that she could not understand. But she quickly shrugged it off and continued to watch the other people in the building. Then suddenly she heard someone say "Are you a drow?" She looked to the man with the pointed ears and he was looking right at her. She did not know what to do or say. Finally she found her voice, and answered that she was.

He then turned to the man a few steps away from her and started talking to him. The man in green also joined in. They kept looking at her like she was some kind of weird monster they had never seen before, and proceeded to try to talk to her. Phyrra wished that she could just disappear at that moment, and thought that she probably looked awful to them. She wished she had taken the time to at least clean up. The dust from the roads was covering her feet, and her black sandals almost looked brown now.

The man with the pointed ears, finally asked her what her name was. "Phyrra." she replied slowly, almost not able to talk.

"Phyrra, the drow lady!" he said to the other two.

The man in green looked at him and spoke, "Now Alexander, I am sure she does not appreciate that."

"Oh... I am sorry." Alex said. "Do you like elves?"

Phyrra looked at him confused. Then she looked at the man in green, who was smiling a bit at her. Quickly she looked over to the other man, and whispered, "Am I supposed to like elves?"

The man looked at her and smiled. He then pointed behind her to a door and motioned for her to follow him. She stood for a minute, then nodded slowly and followed him into the room.

Phyrra stood near the door, as the man walked over to the little table in the room and sat down. She did not want to be stuck, in case this man was of any danger to her. She smiled a little bit as she thought of her father teaching her to always be prepared and ready to run in case of danger.

The man looked up at her from under his hat and asked, "What do you do for a living?"

Phyrra was a little confused as to why this man wanted to know what she did for a living. She told him that she didn't really have a job right now, but that she had taken on odd jobs in her travels to make money. She also told him that she was a fast learner, so it was easy for her to pick up new jobs.

"So, you're not in the 'business' then?"

Phyrra almost wanted to faint. She could not believe that this man might be the answer to all her questions. She shook her head, "No, but my father was in the 'business'. And I have been trying to discover what exactly it was he did because he wanted me to follow in his footsteps."

The man looked at her suspiciously, "You don't work for Murdoc, do you?"

"Murdoc? I don't know anyone named Murdoc. Is he a friend of yours?"

He shook his head that he wasn't. "Murdoc's a fool. Are you sure you don't work for him?"

Phyrra nodded, "I don't know anyone named Murdoc I swear. I've never heard of him before, and I don't work for anyone right now."

He nodded as he put his hands into his pockets. Phyrra watched him carefully and prepared herself to open the door and run.

As he pulled out a deck of cards, Phyrra let out the breath she had been holding. He started to shuffle the cards, and continue to speak to her.

"So your father was in the 'business', but you do not know what it is he did?"

Phyrra shook her head slowly. "All I know is that he told me he hoped one day I would follow in his footsteps, and that when I got older he would teach me about it. But he's gone now."

He nodded and continued to shuffle his cards. He seemed to almost be in a trance while he did it. "I am sorry, I thought that you were into the 'business' by your clothes." Phyrra looked down at the armor she was wearing that her father had given to her what seemed like ages ago. "Your father was an assassin. He killed people."

Phyrra about fainted right there on the spot. She could feel the knot in her stomach tighten and she thought she was going to vomit. She could not believe that the kind and gentle man she knew and loved was a murderer. Phyrra asked if it would be alright if she sat down. She did not know how much longer her legs would hold her up. He nodded to her and then towards the chair.

"I can tell you more I suppose... Although I've already told you too much, but it is too late now." Phyrra gave him a weak smile and nodded that she wanted to know more. "Please don't think that your father was a bad man because of what he did."

"He was my father, I love him no matter what. He was good to my mother and myself. It is just something that is hard to believe I suppose..."

"Well, if you want to follow in his footsteps, you have found the right man. I can help you to do that. My only worry is whether I can trust you or not. For all I know you work for Murdoc." He stopped shuffling his cards for a moment and looked her up and down. Almost like he was trying to see inside of her and know whether she was lying to him or not. "But I suppose if that is the case, then I will find out when I do not wake up in the morning" He smiled faintly to her and continued to shuffle his cards.

Phyrra smiled and watched him shuffle the cards, "I swear I do not work for this, Murdoc. And I would very much appreciate it and be grateful to you if you could teach me. I told my father I would follow in his footsteps, and that is what I will do."

The man put his cards back into his pocket, and stood up. "Well then, Phyrra is it? I am not a teacher, but I can help you out as best as I can." He looked around the room quickly, as if he thought that perhaps someone else was in there watching them and hearing every word he spoke. "Can you gate?" She nodded and he put down his runebook. Phyrra cast gate and followed him through the red portal.

When Phyrra came out of the gate, she was in front of a tiny little house. It looked small, but very quaint. "This is my home. Come inside and we will talk more."

Once inside he sat down in a chair behind a table, and motioned for Phyrra to sit in another chair across from him. He then proceeded to tell her about the 'business', and how she would come to get into it. He explained to her about how they managed it, and got their contracts.

After some time, he asked her if she was sure that this was what she wanted to do. Phyrra nodded and he motioned for her to follow through the teleporter in his house. Once at the top, he took out a peice of paper, sat down on the railing and began to write some things down on it. "What is your full name?"

"Phyrra Venorik."

He nodded and began to write some more. "Alright, I like to keep track of the people I work with so that I know who is available for jobs. Perhaps tomorrow I can teach you a game of cards. It is sort of a way for us to communicate in public without anyone ever knowing what we are really doing, or who we are. But for now, it is late and I should head to sleep. If you need a place to stay or anything, let me know."

Phyrra nodded to him, "I think I will head back to that little tavern for a bit. There were some interesting people there."

He nodded and started to walk away, "Oh, forgive me. My name is Dymm Crowley."

Phyrra smiled at him, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dymm."

He gave her a faint smile, "We will see, whether I live through the night or not." Phyrra nodded and smiled, "I suppose the same goes for me also."

They both said their goodnights, and Phyrra open her runebook and cast recall. She wanted to know more about Hanse's and the people who visited it. She was too excited, and yet scared to even try to sleep. Phyrra had finally found out the mystery behind her father, and she now understood why he had disappeared. Something must have gone wrong. She vowed to find out more about her father's death, and vowed also to be the best she could for her father. She only hoped that she would live through the night to fulfill these vows. Dymm seemed nice enough, but if he was what he truely said he was, then there was no telling what could happen...