The air in the dimly lit tavern was thick with smoke and the scent of stale ale. It was hardly a place for the prim Zeroi, who sat on a worn wooden stool at the far corner, attempting to blend into the boisterous crowd. His hand absentmindedly played with the edge of his cloak, feeling the soft fabric between his fingers as he tried to focus on his task. Kalykus had told him that a woman of great repute -- a royal daughter of the sand kingdom in Acadia -- could give him the information he needed, but the more he sat in the bar the more he began to worry that he had come to the wrong place to find her.
"An Acadian princess in a place like this," Zeroi muttered to himself, scanning the patrons for any sign of royalty. "Why would she even..."
His thoughts were cut short when he spotted her. There, leaning against the bar with an air of nonchalance, stood the only Acadian in the entire tavern. Her vibrant red hair cascaded down her back, contrasting sharply with the dull atmosphere of the tavern. She was dressed in leather armor rather than the flowing gowns one would expect from a princess, and a mischievous glint danced in her green eyes.
"Hardly princess-like attire," Zeroi thought, slightly amused by her defiance of expectations. He approached her cautiously, trying to summon his limited people skills for the encounter.
"Excuse me... Princess Alatricia?" he said, bowing awkwardly in a manner unbefitting of his stature, nor the locale. The princess raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down before breaking into a grin.
"Ah, you must be the one they told me about. You certainly don't hide your patronage, do you?"
Zeroi blushed with embarrassment. "I heard you might have some information on the strange events occurring in Nathari."
Alatricia did not immediately answer, rather looking at the young elf as if trying to understand his motive. She held a steak knife in one hand which she twirled across a now empty ceramic plate.
After a few more moments, she nodded. "Aye, at least a friend of mine does. If you have the trust of the High Society I assume you can't have too many misaligned intentions."
The low elf nodded. "Just want information. If my hunch is correct, all the Region of Spring could be at stake."
Alatricia took a few steps away from the counter she was leaning at. "Very well, I'll take you to him. We can leave now, if you want."
"He's in town?"
"No, in the Red Forest."
Zeroi was a little shocked. "All the way... out there?"
Alatricia put a hand on her hip. "Oh, sorry, that's right. You're High Society. Maybe then I'll give you 30 days to gather your beauty sleep, get 5 months of rations, hire a mercenary brigade, a suite of servants..."
The young mage shook his head. "No, no. I can make the trek. But last I heard that area was infested by bandits."
The young Acadian princess smiled. "Then be grateful you have me."