@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Interlude: Chambers on the Way to Canalave

As an elegant airship soared through the skies leading to Canalave City, the group and Danielle got together in the common room. "Now THIS is way better than trying to walk to Canalave!" Danielle smiled.

"I'll say..." Ash agreed as he smiled at Tarina watching the clouds passing by the window.

[Just how long would it take to get to Canalave City on foot?] Tarina wondered.

"A little more than two weeks, sweetie." Brock replied as he reached for his guidebook. "This is assuming weather conditions are good and you don't run into any major delays."

Tarina shuddered at the thought of the travel time rain would add on to their trip. [Maybe it's a good thing we're flying there.]

"It's still a long way there..." Danielle reminded Tarina. "So I hope you guys packed something to do for the trip."

"That, I did." Ash smiled, triumphantly holding up his Chambers and Charizards set for the others to see.

Danielle's eyes lit up. "Oh, sweet--I've always wanted to try out a tabletop RPG!"

"Well, come join us over here, and we'll get started." Ash motioned for Danielle to join the others at a table near the right side of the room.

"Brock is a very good dungeon master." Dawn agreed. "No question is too stupid--he'll answer it for you all the same. "Have a question about a class build? He'll answer it. "Confused about what just happened in the adventure? He'll tell you. Want to know why he gave a character the voice he did? He'll even answer that."

"Nice, an immersive dungeon master." Danielle smiled as Ash passed her a character sheet. "Let's see here...what are you guys playing?"

"I'm using my go-to battlemage wizard." Ash replied. "They are basically Final Fantasy red mages, often wielding magical swords called mageblades, or magical bows called magebows."

"The mageblade battlemage shares a lot of skills with the various magic knight builds." Brock explained as he unpacked some adventure books. "If you have a question about which class to pick, or what role they play in the party, just ask."

"I'm playing a lightgiver cleric." Dawn explained. "They are mainly healers and supporters, but they have some offensive skills too."

"Okay..." Danielle looked over the various classes detailed in the Player's Guide.

"Which classes are standing out for you right now?" Brock asked. "I can help narrow down which class and build would work for you."

"Ash has the archery and offensive magic covered...Dawn's got the defense and healing covered..." Danielle mused. "So I'm thinking of a quick physical class with maybe a little magic."

"All right...an arcane rogue would work." Brock suggested. "As would a swordsong minstrel and a earthblade ranger. A runeblade would also work if you want a more agile magic knight.

"What do those do?" Danielle was curious.

"The swordsong minstrel is your more offense based minstrel." Brock explained. "The spellsong build--what I prefer to play when I get a chance to play a character--is a bit more balanced. The earthblade ranger is a sword based ranger that only uses a bow when melee weapons are not feasible or possible. An arcane rogue is exactly what it says on the box--a rogue with magical ability. While not as powerful as a pure magic class, they have some spells unique to them. A runeblade draws out the power of magical rapiers to attack, so a lot of the skills and runeblade NPCs have Kalosian names as a nod to their fencing background."

Danielle thought for a moment. "I'll go with the swordsong minstrel--I like the idea of fighting with music."

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Brock cued some introductory music from his PokeNav. "The town of Kingsburg lies at the base of a series of rolling hills." he begins. "No one knows for sure how long the town has existed; although most agree it has stood in some form for more than three hundred years."

He acknowledged Tarina with a nod as he continued reading the adventure's introduction. "Kingsburg appears like any other town in the land, with one notable exception—its graveyard."

Kori and Rio shuddered at the thought of zombies and skeletons as Brock continued. "Built on and in the nearby hills, the graveyard has existed for centuries. Some of the townsfolk believe the graveyard predates the community, and nearly all the people living in Kingsburg take a particular pride in that fact..."

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"...No one in the town knows who he was or why the statue was erected here, but the townsfolk live in awe of the monument." Brock concluded the introduction some time later. "While the common folk have no fear of their maintained graveyard, few venture up to visit the forgotten king."

"Spooky..." Danielle mused as the intro music ended. "So, what do we, the heroes, know?"

"You know that two days ago, a family of mourners ventured into the graveyard, and never returned." Brock explained. "A pair of guards investigated, but they vanished as well. The townsfolk are in a panic. They've always heard rumors of disturbances in graveyards and tombs, but never has such misfortune struck in their town. They look to heroes--you guys--for aid."

He looks over at Danielle and Rio. "As a minstrel, Irina has often heard the legend of the forgotten king. She knows that somewhere near Kingsburg lies an ancient overlord resting with his servants and all their treasure."

"I wonder if the disturbance in the graveyard has anything to do with the legend?" Danielle muses in character.

"Let's go find out!" Ash suggests in character. Dawn nods in agreement.

Tarina smiled as Brock cued some ambience of a fantasy inn, complete with a singing minstrel. [Danielle's got this role playing thing down!] she smiled as she watched Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Danielle role play an urgent conversation in the tavern.

[Well, she is a performer by trade, so it makes sense she knows how to play a character.] Tintri mused.

[Maybe if the singin' and storytellin' doesn't work out, Coach would make an excellent actor...] Kage agreed. [Stage or screen!]

[Who needs TV when we have our own little show right here?] Erin smiled as she nimbly leaped on the windowsill to watch the unfolding game...

To Be Continued...