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Adustes noticed the woman behind him. But it was nothing unusual, as the street was fairly crowded at this hour, so he paid her no mind. Besides, he had just found the perfect healer's kit. It contained a bundle of bandages, herbs, salves, and other such things which he didn't really care about; but it included a well-polished scalpel, and a number of other surgical instruments that would make fine additions to his black pouch.
Just as he was about to call the merchant's attention, he noted a release of pressure at his side, where his coin purse had been. He had tucked the small bag on the inside of his belt, so that it pressed tightly against the still-sore area where his tattoo had needed retouching. It applied enough pressure to the raw, sensitive skin that it would be easily felt if the pouch were removed. It was a simple trick he'd learned long ago to foil pickpockets, but it had yet to fail him. Without it, he surely wouldn't have noticed the theft.
He turned immediately, at once taking notice of an odd looking woman -mostly because of the slim tail she sported- walking briskly away, just as she happened to tuck something into her own pouch. He cast a brief glance around, making certain no one else looked as suspicious. None did. He let out an annoyed sigh, and returned the healer's kit he'd chosen to its place on the counter, hoping nobody else would purchase it before he could return.
He took off after the woman, weaving through the crowd and using these living obstacles to aid his innate ability to avoid notice. As he followed her, he idly wondered what race she was that she would have a tail, eying it whenever he could catch a glimpse through the crowd. A tiefling, perhaps? He noted with surprise that its tip had wrapped itself around a small dagger, and he marveled at he dexterity she must possess to have gotten his pouch away from him through such means.
He noticed an alley just ahead, with few people milling about, and decided it was as good a place as any to confront the woman. He increased his pace and raised a hand to the unholy symbol beneath his robes, muttering a prayer under his breath as he closed the distance, holding the last syllable in reserve. He caught up to her, walking just out of reach of the swishing tail as she came to the mouth of the alley.
He uttered the final syllable, and his spell took effect. A barely visible gray cloud appeared around the woman, sapping her strength and rendering her unable to move. Adustes grabbed a handful of her tunic and dragged her into the back of the alley, just slow enough that she could keep her footing. He awkwardly shoved her back to one of the walls, then kicked at the end of her tail, applying enough force to barely knock the blade from her grasp and to the ground. Next, he opened her pouch and uncovered his coin purse. He released her tunic and took a step back, taking a moment to inspect the pouch, confirming that it was indeed his, and that he did not just steal from an innocent woman; as he did so whispering another short prayer, thanking his deity for the insight to have prepared that spell this day. He was not a strong man, and without the aid of magic would likely have failed to force the thief from the street they'd been on.
He knew she would still be unable to move or speak for a few more seconds, but she could still hear. "In the future, it would be wise to avoid clerics dressed as I," he said. He forced a pleasant smile to his lips and continued. "But today you are fortunate. Your skills impress me, and I am looking for capable men and women to aid me in a short journey. In my experience, I have found that many mature pickpockets acquaint themselves with the inner working of traps: learning to sniff them out, disable them, and whatnot. Tell me, when you're able to move again, is that a skill you possess?"
A couple seconds went by before his his spell ended. The dark cloud that had encompassed her dissipated, and her mobility returned to her.

(Spot 24, Knowledge [the Planes] 11)

"Gold, for starters," he said dipping a hand into his pouch and pulling out a handful of golden coins, easily more than a commoner could make in a year, and let it fall in a glittering cascade back into the small bag. "Enough treasure to make this look like a broken copper," he said with a grin.
"Tomorrow night, I and a few others are departing into the northlands. I would like for you to accompany us, and once we reach our destination, to search our path for traps and disable any you uncover. In exchange, you will be entitled an equal share of the treasure we find. Are you interested?"

"Excellent," Adustes said. He returned Kal'ara's smile and wiped most of the blood from his hand with his coin pouch before likewise extending it and shaking hers. "My name is Adustes Céasadh. And you are...?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kal'ara," Adustes said. He retrieved his hand and tucked the remains of his coin purse into a belt pouch.
"Oh, it's nothing to be worried about," he said in response to her concerns. He held his arm out and pulled back the sleeve of his robe, displaying an armband of cold-forged iron, appearing much like a hinged iron tube held together with leather straps. The distinguishing feature, however, was the number of thin bloodstained iron spikes on the inside of the band, protruding through small holes in the metal. "The gal-ralan can be a tad messy, but it's nothing unusual for these devices. As long as they remain in place, the wounds cannot be healed. But I am versed in curative magic, and tend to the wounds well enough."

Adustes pulled his sleeve back down, making sure the fabric didn't catch on the gal-ralan's spikes. "I am staying in the 'Balmy Bard Inn' while I remain here. I will meet you in the tavern within the inn, along with the rest of the group, tomorrow at dusk. We will be departing shortly after all arrive. I anticipate we will likely be on the road for a few weeks, likely four. We aren't likely to come across any more towns along the way, so be sure you have everything you will need before coming to meet us.
"Oh, and if you happen across a half-dragon, or a human woman with red hair before then, I advise keeping your hands away from their purses. They will be accompanying us, and the trip will not be a pleasant one if you're caught stealing from them."

"Farewell," Adustes said as she disappeared. His adventuring party was beginning to come together. He now had two spellcasters (including himself), arcane and divine; a trapfinder; and one warrior. He just needed another warrior or two before he would feel confident taking them into the wilderness. As long as his luck held, his work should be done this night.
He checked his belt pouch as he left the alley. He was fairly certain the tiefling hadn't attempted to steal his money again after he'd retrieved it, but one could never be too certain. It was still there. He found his way back to the stall he'd been perusing and purchased the healer's kit he had earlier inspected, and returned to his innroom to deposit it while he was out. He then went back to the streets, wandering until he found another suitable tavern in which to continue recruiting.

Vellek grumbled to himself as he walked the streets, glaring at the common folk as he passed them by. Few of them were as imposing as the large, scarred mercenary, so they averted their gazes and took pains to get out of his path.
Earlier that morning, one of his principle employers had sent a messenger to deliver news of a new job. Apparently, some dark-robed stranger had arrived in town and was frequenting the local taverns looking for people to accompany him on some expedition into the north.
Vellek still had plenty of gold left over from the last job; all he wanted was to sit on his hands for a while and drink away the coin, but damned Bulmon wanted him on that expedition. Apparently there was some item the wretch wanted that'd been lost in some forgotten dungeon, and he was convinced this stranger was headed the same way. He would have loved to tell Bulmon to shove the job up his arse, but was sure if he did that he'd wind up a bloody and unrecognizable mess in an alley by the next morning. It'd happened to some of his associates, and he held no illusions that he was above such a fate.
So he was stuck searching the taverns for the dark-robed man. He wouldn't have been nearly as irritated as he currently was, but he'd already searched every tavern in the city, with no success. Now he had to start over, and keep on it until he found the man. What a pain....

Several hours into the evening, it seemed that Adustes' luck had run thin. He couldn't believe how few mercenaries there were to be had here. He should have attached himself to a caravan with a more direct route to the town; he could have arrived before the mercenaries whose contracts had run out moved on.
He raised his drink to finish it off, intending to move on to the next tavern afterward, when a man pulled out a chair opposite him and seated himself. "Evenin' pal. You don't mind, do ya'?"
"Not at all. Please, do have a seat," Adustes said a bit disdainfully, in spite of the fact that the man had already done so. He took the opportunity to study the man as he flagged down a bar wench and ordered a couple of drinks. The man was tall, and muscular with a lean build. His sandy-brown hair was cut short, he had a strong jaw, and a nose that looked as though it'd been broken several times. His torso was covered by a suit of dented scale armor that, judging from the smell, had recently been polished. Bare arms poked out on either side, each virtually covered with an assortment of jagged, crisscrossing scars.
"Mercenary?" Adustes asked when the man turned his attention back to him and set a pair of steins on the table.
"Yup. And you are a tough man to track down, my friend. Been looking for you all day," the man said before taking a long drought of his ale.
That caught Adustes off guard. He eyed the newcomer suspiciously, wondering how he could come to be sought out. He had left his people to seek his answers among the humanoids, who they despised above all else; hardly an offense that warranted death... perhaps exile at worst. He had stolen his master's gal-ralans; while their function was important, they were relatively minor magic items, and had never seemed of much consequence to the master. Surely this wouldn't be about them. In either case, he would be confronted by other shadar-kai, not a lone human.
Adustes ran through the spells he had prepared, mentally checking off which could be used and which could be converted into damaging spells if a fight broke out. He noticed then that the man didn't seem prepared for any sort of confrontation.... He could be a decoy. Adustes knew it wasn't an uncommon tactic to present a decoy while the true threat remained hidden in the crowd. "So I've been told," Adustes said slowly as he briefly scanned the crowd, doing his best to appear unperturbed. He found that nobody seemed overly interested in him. Just the odd stares from humans disturbed by his choice of dress. He turned his attention back to the mercenary. "Why exactly have you been searching for me?"
The man drained his vessel, then waved the wench back for a refill. "Word is yer headed north and lookin' fer some muscle. I got plenty, and need a job."
That made much more sense than somebody trying to kill him. Adustes relaxed a bit, though he refused to let his guard down completely. He shouldn't have been surprised word got out. He hadn't been at all secretive with the fact that he was traveling north, or looking for companions. There was good money to be had listening in to tavern conversations and selling useful information. He had made such a living himself on several occasions. It was fortunate he'd had the insight not to reveal his objective, or any specific details of his destination.
Adustes placed his elbows on the table, putting his hands together before his chin and tapped his lip with one finger. "You're volunteering for a place in my expedition?"
"Sure am. S'long as yer still lookin."
"What do you already know of it?"
The barmaid arrived with the man's drink. "Keep'em comin," he told her as she started away. He took a pull from the new stein, then turned his attention back to Adustes. "I know yer headed to some ol' keep or sumthin' in tha Cold Wood."
"Is that all?"
"Yup. You gonna drink that or what?"
Adustes slowly moved to pick up the stein in front of him, and simply looked down at it for a moment before asking, "Why should I hire you? Do you have any proof of your martial prowess?"
"Do I have proof..." the man said in a conceited manner. He slapped his arms, drawing attention to the myriad scars there. "See these ones here? Gnoll teeth," he said, indicating a few crescent-shaped patterns on his right arm and shoulder. He placed his fingers over four long lines sunken into his left bicep. "Troll claws. I've been sellswordin' for the better part of two decades. Spent a time as town guard, fought many an orc, goblin, and gnoll doin' that. Hired on in the war while it was here. Must'a bashed in a hunnerd barbarian skulls afore' the fights went east. Survived it all so far. That proof enough?"
Adustes considered the man's words. The wounds seemed consistent with his knowledge of the creatures mentioned. He knew that trolls were dreadful creatures with a horrible reputation, feared anywhere they were to be found. Over the course of his life, Adustes had heard of several border-towns that had been overrun by the monsters. To have survived combat with one was an impressive feat. "Yes, I suppose so. Welcome aboard."
He extended his hand, and the mercenary shook it. "I am Adustes Céasadh. And you are?"
"Name's Vellek," the mercenary said. He retrieved his hand and raised his drink. "To new ventures," he said with a grin. Adustes raised his stein as well, and Vellek knocked his into it. "Hail!"

Adustes woke late the next afternoon with the glaring sunlight shining into his face. He groaned as he sat up, putting his hand up as much to block the light from his face as in response to his pounding headache. He slowly and unsteadily stood, one hand on a nearby chair for support, and picked up a crumpled sheet of cloth that sat on the tabletop, draping it over the window to block out the light. He immediately found that much of the throbbing of his head subsided. But he now realized he was slightly dizzy and felt nauseous. He sat in the chair and held his head in his hands until the room stopped spinning, then looked around, finding that he was in his innroom.
He reviewed the events of the past night in his head. He remembered speaking to the scarred mercenary... what was his name..... Vellek; that was it. He'd accepted the man along on the journey, and the wretch had spent the night pushing one cheap ale after another on him. He couldn't remember much beyond that, just snippets of conversation with the man.
Having no desire to move just yet, Adustes remained in the chair as he prayed for his spells this day. When his prayers where finished he immediately cast one spell, removing the alcohol that remained in his system and abating his hangover.
Once capable of thinking clearly again, he recalled that he had yet to prepare his provisions for the journey; and now that he had assembled a suitable group, he would be leaving that night. With a sigh he yanked his cloak down from the window, squinting as light flooded into the room again. He donned the cloak, pulling up the hood and making certain his holy symbol was tucked out of sight, then shouldered his pack and departed for the market. There, he purchased enough food to last him for five weeks, then returned to the inn.
He gathered the rest of his gear, put on his breastplate, belted his weapons, and made sure nothing remained in the room that hadn't been there when he arrived. Then he descended to the lobby and turned in the key and paid for his stay. He walked into the common room and scanned over the few patrons within. None of those he hired had arrived yet. He wasn't surprised; it was still somewhat early in the evening. There was still an hour or two until they would meet. He took a seat at a table large enough for the entire group, when it arrived, and settled in for the wait.

Oh, how Eliae enjoyed her lack of need for sleep. Indeed, though she knew where both Adustes and Matasoga would be staying the night, she spent the better portion of it at a couple of taverns around town. Feigning drunkenness, it wasn't difficult for her to take advantage of a few people- and a couple of opportunities to make for an unhappy couple that had gone out together for the evening.

By the time the morning came around, she had decided to wander the town a bit more. Naturally, she never left anywhere without all of her stuff (though it was barely anything at all compared to the amount of gear that she was sure the rest would be bringing with). Even though she had her dagger, she had put on the appearance of being more of a warrior; as such, she felt she should probably make herself seem more like one.

The first thing that she would be needing, naturally, would be a more... intimidating weapon. It didn't take long for her to locate the shop she was looking for, and even less for her to begin trying to haggle the price of a particular masterwork morningstar she had taken an eye to. After a quick use of her suggestion ability, Eliae was working quickly towards getting the price lowered however she could, seeming to not notice the views that she was giving him.

(Diplomacy check, +17 modifier)

It was but a short while later that Eliae was walking out of the shop after reaching an agreement with him that was incredibly favorable for her, costing her a relatively meager sum of 108 gold pieces. A smirk found its way on her face as she walked back out, the weapon solidly strapped to her waist. It wasn't much longer before she was off to deal with the few supplies that she would need for the trip; namely, trail rations to keep up the appearance of her 'humanity' to the group she would be with.

After entertaining herself for a while longer, she made her way back to the inn where they had agreed to meet. She showed up about a half-hour prior to the appointed time, quickly scanning the crowd to see if any of the others had shown up. Sure enough, it didn't take her long to spot Adustes, to whom she gave a curt nod and approached the table to take her seat as they waited for the others.

"I guess it shouldn't surprise me too terribly much that you're the first one here," she said relatively quietly as she sat back in the seat, "considering that you hired us." The woman offered him a bit of a grin before scanning the crowd. He definitely had an odd sort of appeal to her, though she couldn't quite tell what it was- and she hid it with graceful ease.

It was too early for the evening rush, but Vhael'iss was there in the tavern just the same. Having woken only an hour ago, she had descended the stairs from her small inn room for a plate of fruits and cheeses for her 'morning' meal. All that was left of this was an empty plate now, and she sat lazily with her back supported against the wall and one foot up on the bench upon which she rested. This had been her habit for the past few weeks that she had spent here in this town, never having much to do in the time between waking and the time to begin her performance. If any eyes did actually rest upon her (and did not recognize her already from a previous night's song) it would be obvious that she was a musician, as what appeared to be a overlarge violin case rested on the table.
It was unlikely that anyone would bother to spare her a thought though, as her dreary clothes and downcast face would cut a very unremarkable figure. Even in the dim light, her hair would appear a dull flat brown. Nothing more than an average, if not a bit withdrawn, elf- at least at first glance and who would bother with a second?
As she nursed a small mug of ale, her dark eyes drifted from one patron to the next, taking in the small crowd from behind a veil of dark hair that had fallen over her eyes. It was all utterly usual tonight, each patron as normal and uninteresting as the next... That is, until Adustes walked in. She kept her eyes on him as she recognized the man instantly as the one who was gathering a group of adventurers to accompany him on some errand. It had to be him- there could not possibly be two beings with such a description in this dwindling town at the same time. Her gaze wandered over what tattoos and jewelry she could see, taking in his striking countenance before drifting down to his arm. She could not see it at first for the sleeve but when he sat, she saw what she had heard tell of, the strange device that seemed to leave the man perpetually bleeding.
The woman had not moved an inch, nor made any indication that she was watching him so closly, but her insides were already feeling a rush of anticipation. Who knew what dark feelings that such a man was harboring... Already her senses were intrigued in the hopes of a potential feast. Perhaps she would start her performance early tonight.
She set her ale aside and pulled the case towards her, extracting her viola which shone a deep cherry wood hue and set to tuning it.