MERC XVII: You Can't Take the Pay From Me

[Morty]

MERCENARY ESPIONAGE AND RECONNAISSANCE CORPORATION

The Mercenary Espionage and Reconnaissance Corporation is the most prominent faction of mercenaries and adventurers in this world. Their skills are offered for hire to anyone who can pay. More than that, the Corporation exerts considerable control over the teeming masses of the freelance mercenaries, adventurers, hired weapons and troubleshooters of the chaotic land of the Nexus. They offer licenses that entitle one to discounts, legal protection and job offers... in exchange for a cut of the profits. To that effect, MERC has offices in Inside, Riverside and Skyside. MERC does not appreciate competition, so unlicensed mercenaries operating in these cities are subject to a negative marketing campaign. If one proves troublesome, harsher steps may be taken.

Hiring MERC:

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Hiring MERC is as simple as providing any information needed and negotiating appropriate payment. Contracts must gain the approval of a MERC member. If the member thinks the job is too risky, doesn't pay well enough or is otherwise troublesome, they may contact Dipsnig or one of his lieutenants for special approval.

There are two categories of official MERC contracts. MERC Member Contracts, jobs to be carried out exclusively by MERC members, and MERC Licensed Contracts, jobs to be posted publicly for any MERC license holders to complete.

The following for must be filled out. MERC Member Contracts are posted in an area exclusively viewable by MERC members, while MERC Licensed Contracts are posted in all MERC locations and are viewable by all license holders.

Job Description: Brief description of the job to be performed.
Contract Type: MERC Member Contract or MERC Licensed Contract.
Hired by: Character or group name (Player name).
Target: Character or group name (Player name).
Payment: Approximate or specific where applicable.
Notes: Any additional information.

Note that MERC refuses to deal with slavers, and will not accept contracts that involve returning slaves to their former owners, or sending them to be enslaved.

Current Contracts:

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MERC Member Contracts:
Available exclusively to MERC members.

Every MERC member and license holder will get a commission for protecting Trog's Tavern and Black Dragon's Den from attacks, attempted robberies, random encounters and other events.

Completed contracts can be found here.

Licenses:

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Those unwilling or unable to join MERC full-time can apply for their licenses. Obtaining one is relatively simple, requiring only coming to their main base or one of the offices and filing in their name. A license comes with the following benefits:

• Discounts in Trog's Tavern, Black Dragon's Den, Erin's Emporium and Azik's Enchantments
• Protection from dishonest employers.
• Access to MERC Licensed Constracts.
• Free medical care by MERC's lieutenant and medical robot, CB.

In exchange for the license, its holder is obliged to pay MERC a cut of their profits.

However, the license may be revoked if the holder breaks MERC's restrictions on jobs or glaringly breaches the organization's professional standards. The first time it happens, the license can be returned for a fee. The second time the fee is higher and the third time, the license is revoked permanently.

Membership Information:

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In order to be hired as a full-time member of MERC, one needs to prove their worth either to their leader or one of his lieutenants. Usually, it involves being a mercenary of some skill and professional standards, but the organization is also open to those with other valuable skills, provided they can prove that they'd be useful to the group. Full-time MERC members enjoy the access to MERC-exclusive jobs, and a cut of the profits and influence their control over the mercenary business brings.

Membership Application:

Name:
Race:
Profession:

Name	Player	Role
Dipsnig Razortooth	Morty	Chief Executive
Dena Xifhara	Shadowcaller	Senior Officer
Kirk Locke	Gulaghar	Senior Officer
Astrana	Shadowcaller	In-House Magic Specialist
Cassandra	Ashen Lilies
Cassidy	Devixer
Electra	Nova Eclipse
Fade	Zefir
Jazirian	Ashen Lilies
Krayger	LordDeathKeeper
Rilla	Halae	Magic Engineer

If you were on the list before and dropped for inactivity, you can be re-added at any time by request.

Locations:
This thread not only serves to contain the MERC base, but also all other MERC associated locations. These locations are separate from each other and events in one location will not affect the others. Because of this, please label posts appropriately for any scene's location.

MERC Base:

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The base consists of several buildings located in the cold regions of the Nexus. It tends to snow a lot. It resembles an arctic base somewhat, but is much more friendly and hospitable.

Layout:

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One central building, containing the common room, the kitchen, the infirmary, the armoury and the tunnel entrance. Four smaller buildings connected to the main one by roofed corridors: One for sleeping quarters, one for the laboratories, one for the training area and one for storage. Also, there are considerably large beast pens also connected with the main building.

Main Room:
In need of description.

Room Descriptions:
In need of description.

Infirmary:

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This room has come a long way from where it was. The circular room has been fitted with a number of high-tech hospital beds, and some healing tanks. The walls are lined with supplies, tools, medical apparatus, and many things that look very, very advanced. Everything short of surgery can be done in here. The tanks are on the far side of the circle from the door, five of them, currently empty. A sign is posted next to the tanks:

WARNING: HEALING TANKS ARE ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES. ONLY USE TANKS WITH DOCTOR RECOMMENDATION. ACTIVE TANKS MUST BE MONITORED BY A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL AT ALL TIMES.

Against the wall near the entrance are a number of stretchers. One spot in the right wall is a marked out section of blank wall. A note is attached:

“See about having a door put in here, for emergencies.” Oddly, on the other side of that wall is the armoury.

Almost missable in the calculated medical clutter are white curtains, which can be pulled upon tracks in the ceiling to give bedridden patients some peace. Sanitation stations (like modern hospital sinks, but even cleaner) are at the front and back of the room. Each station has spots for hand washing, instrument washing, general trash throw-out, and hazardous trash throw-out.

Yeah, the MERC infirmary is now prepared for anything short of surgery.

The surgery is done in the member’s quarters.

CB-484, not seeing the point in a large room for himself, has converted the bulk of his room into a fully-equipped futuristic emergency room and surgery centre. It has lots of adjustable lights, emergency supplies, pointy objects, things with large warning signs on them, and a sanitation station. One door off to the side is marked “CB-484 Only.” What was once the closet of the room has been deemed suitable to be CB’s living quarters, and he has no intention to expand.

Kitchen:
In need of description.

Labs:
In need of description.

There's an extensive cave and tunnel network is located under the base and the mountain behind it and some tunnels go forth to key Nexus locations. Both are accessed through the main building. There's a separate door for the complex and the tunnels.

Defences:

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• Secure walls and windows that can be locked if needed.
• Six Aperture Science laser-targeting chain-gun turrets placed on the exterior of the base.
• Two Asuran golems programmed to obey MERC members and defend both the personnel and the base.
• Clockwork penguins, armed with light machine guns. Crude and ineffective, but numerous.
• Dimensional lock placed on the entire base.

Offices:

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MERC has offices in Riverside, and Skyside, where mercenaries can come to receive licenses, inquire about job opportunities, make complaints about dishonest employers, and conduct other administrative business. Their offices in Inside were closed due to a conflict with the government. Their operations there are now underground, literally and figuratively.

Common Building:

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MERC has a building located in Inside to serve as a place for MERC members and MERC license holders alike to gather. Here they can plan and discuss jobs, network with fellow mercenaries, or simply socialize.

Description:
The common building is a large building in the suburbs of Inside, with two floors. The inside of the building is rather plain and simple, but solid. Not luxurious, but enough for a hard-working mercenary to rest. The rooms inside are as follows:

• The job room - it contains a list of all available jobs, and this is also where potential employees can come looking for someone to solve their problems.
• The bar - here, the mercenaries can eat and drink. It has a wide menu for a variety of species and tastes. Nexus being what it is, it makes no assumptions about 'standard adventurer fare'
• Recreation area - a large room with card tables, a pool table and some couches, for the mercenaries to relax.
• Pool - a bit more extravagant. One of the rooms opens up on the outside, and contains a swimming pool.
• Training Area - a simple room for the mercenaries to train and spar.
• Sleeping Rooms - upstairs, there's a number of rooms for the mercenaries to rest. They're small and rudimentary, only meant for those who for some reasons can't or won't rent rooms in Trog's.

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OoC Rules:

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• No godmodding.
• No destroying the whole place. No, not even then. This applies to all locations.
• Keep the curtains to a reasonable amount.
• Label posts for appropriate location. It's especially important here, seeing as there are multiple buildings in this thread.

Spoiler: NO/MERC Thread Archive

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MERC XVI: Morality is Relative, Professional Standards Aren't!
MERC XV: All In One Package
NO XIV: Running with the Wolf Pack
NO XIII: Do Clockwork Penguins Dream of Mechanical Fish?
NO XII: Frostburns Are For Free
NO 11: This is NOT what I was hired to do
NO X: Mind the Half-Dragon Dire Rancor
NO IX: We Don't Accept Seashells As Payment
NO VIII: The season of what was to be
NO VII: Beware the Penguins
NO VI: Disconnect Imminent
NO V: Ember
NO IV: Not too good to be bad
NO III: New. And Improved
NO II:II ON
NO

- - - Updated - - -

[Dipsnig's Office]

Jazirian will be called there. It's apparently quite urgent.

[Lex-Kat]

{Infirmary}

Caroline nods her head in agreement. "Should we sell the detective items, now that the mission is over?" Caroline asks, as she (and perhaps he) head toward the sleeping quarters.

She's a little apprehensive, as the last time the did this, she didn't wake up for a long time.

[Reinholdt]

[Infirmary -> Private Quarters]

"No. Then how would we be able to backtrack to all the places and find hidden treasure caches? Besides, I doubt they're even sellable." Probably stuck owning them forever and ever.

They arrive! Vincent flicks off the light, hops in bed and waits for Caroline to hop in the same bed if there's only one or the other bed if there's another. Once that's done he can immediately hop back out of bed and turn the lights back on.

How restful.

[Lex-Kat]

{Private Quarters}

Caroline watches as Vincent hops into bed, then shakes her head sadly. She walks over, slips into a sleep shirt (using the 'equipment' menu, of course), and climbs into bed beside him.

When Vincent wakes up all spry and ready to depart, Caroline doesn't. Instead, "Vincent, Turn the light off, please." she groans.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Jazirian knocks and enters barefoot, his casual black t-shirt and jeans contrasting with his pale skin and the careless mop of silvery-blonde hair that tumbles about his shoulders and over his mismatched eyes.

"Hi boss." He says, glancing initially at Dipsnig before his eyes wander distractedly to any new additions Dipsnig might have made to his office since Jazirian was in here last.

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

If anything changed about Dipsnig's office, it's probably an increasing amount of magitech knick-knacks. Otherwise, it's as it's always been. Goblin-sized and filled with papers, ledgers and files.

"Hello, Jazirian. We just received a job from a regular client of ours, that has been repeatedly described to me as urgent. And it seems to fall within your expertise, since we need to retrieve an object from a secure location."

[Reinholdt]

{Private Quarters}

Caroline watches as Vincent hops into bed, then shakes her head sadly. She walks over, slips into a sleep shirt (using the 'equipment' menu, of course), and climbs into bed beside him.

When Vincent wakes up all spry and ready to depart, Caroline doesn't. Instead, "Vincent, Turn the light off, please." she groans.

[Private Quarters]

"But..." Vincent hesitates for a moment. "Umm. Ok." He'll turn the lights back off. He considers turning them back on a few seconds later but hesitates then too. Finally he decides to just step out of the room. He thinks Caroline might be sick. Why she didn't just use an antidote though is troublesome.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Dipsnig's Office]

If anything changed about Dipsnig's office, it's probably an increasing amount of magitech knick-knacks. Otherwise, it's as it's always been. Goblin-sized and filled with papers, ledgers and files.

"Hello, Jazirian. We just received a job from a regular client of ours, that has been repeatedly described to me as urgent. And it seems to fall within your expertise, since we need to retrieve an object from a secure location."

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Sounds interesting." Says Jazirian, sitting down. He pulls his legs up, tucking his knees under his chin. "How secure are we talking?"

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Dipsnig shows Jazirian the map mentioned in the post below:

[Dipsnig's Office]

The illusionary image of lady Celestel appears, now dressed in a pink dress with the images of green snakes embroidered into it. "Mister Dipsnig, I'm afraid I have to be sparse on the pleasantries this time as we have something of an emergency. I need the pieces of a staff kept in a ancient temple in Seaside. I have the exact location on a map which you will be able to view and copy on this communicator. Now, the pieces are kept by a group calling themselves "the reclamation league" who collects rare artifacts which they then adapt to their purposes. They should be considered very dangerous so you need to take precautions. I can't even tell you what might await you at that temple."

"So we need to retrieve pieces of this staff. Sounds like a job for someone who can slip in, get them and get out. Storming the place really isn't our style."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra finally stops pacing after a number of minutes, and looks to Dena, her expression a neutral mask.

"He's in. Tomorrow evening at 7 at the Black Dragon's Den. How much do you think it will take to bribe the waiter?"

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

Dena puts away her book as Electra finishes the call. "Let me worry about that. I'm a regular there so they'll know its just MERC-business. Not like we're going to kill or enslave the poor sod. Just meet him there, keep a conversation going, and let me handle the rest." She explains. "Now, I would have preferred if you had used false names. I know it's a good stance to keep the lies as close to the truth as possible, but he might mention those to his wife or friends, which is bad for us. Not to mention that I don't actually know him that well so using me as a recommendation might have been a mistake." She explains casually, her tone completely at ease "Don't blame yourself too much though, I should have told you that before you initiated the call so we both made mistakes there." She taps the edge of the desk thoughtfully. "We will need some way to patch this up somehow. Worst case scenario we will have to knock him our forcibly him at the bar, but I'd rather avoid that. Best case scenario we can avoid the kidnapping altogether if we just play our cards right. See, the drug I got will make him reveal, and do, whatever you tell him to, and as a bonus, it will knock him out and make him remember little, if anything, about what happened during the trip. So that way we could just ask him what he knows about his friend, our real target, maybe even make him call him down to BDD so we can ambush him. So what you need to do is think up good answers to questions he might have, like why I recommended him for instance. I haven't actually worked with the sod after all." She pulls out a communication device out of one of her pockets.

"Now, I'm going to be at Black dragons den a hour early, around half past five or six, you're going to arrive exactly on time though. That way we won't be associated with one another, I go there regularly after all, and then I will be there to aid you if you need help. I'll even bring in some other people just in case. Can't take any risks with these sort of things."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra's neutral expression doesn't waver as Dena explains what she thinks Electra should have done differently. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the counter, considering for a moment, before speaking in a flat tone of voice, devoid of emotion.

"He already has an answer to that question, if he bothers to think about it. It wasn't so much your recommendation, it was me taking pity on him for being in a hard spot. It's all in the phrasing. I did my best to give you as much plausible deniability as possible, but I needed a name he might have been familiar with, because it sounded like he wouldn't have gone for it otherwise. And the best lies don't just come close to the truth; they're built on it. Now if he checks with someone who doesn't know what we're planning, they still tell him something that confirms where I might've gotten the information from, and that we're both real people with an actual connection through MERC." She shrugs slightly, her tone becoming slightly more engaged. "I'm sure he'll have other questions, though. I need to figure out what this mystery employer has sent us to hunt, and where it might live so I can get the right maps. Enough to engage him until the drug kicks in, at least."

She eyes the communications device.
"You know, if you wanted to, you could feed me lines in realtime via secure comm, and listen in on the conversation from my vantage point at the same time. I do have that capability built in, and I've done operations with a team doing just that before." No sense in holding back that capability, since it might be helpful in planning.

[Zefir]

[MERC Base - Main Room]

Fade is here. He would be quiet bored, if he knew what the feeling of bordem is. So he walks around the place without any location as a target.

[Lex-Kat]

[Private Quarters]

"But..." Vincent hesitates for a moment. "Umm. Ok." He'll turn the lights back off. He considers turning them back on a few seconds later but hesitates then too. Finally he decides to just step out of the room. He thinks Caroline might be sick. Why she didn't just use an antidote though is troublesome.

After six hours-ish, Caroline wakes up with a yawn and a stretch. She looks around to see if Vincent is anywhere nearby.

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

Dena nods as she fiddles with the device. "Yeah, I totally get why you did what you did, but I'm just considering the fallout here. We don't know what is going to happen to the guy once we hand him over to our employers, but he will likely at least get roughened up, possibly even killed or imprisoned. So if our names are linked to that, it's a big hit to our public image. Remember that he has personal connections to both VIGIL's leaders, so if he disappears and they connect it to us, they're gonna come knocking, and we really don't want that right now." She explains, only to shrug. "I mean, we could always claim it was a frame job but there are gonna be a lot of loose ends after the meeting so that's not really ideal either." Lots of witnesses.

"But what you suggest sound useful. Then I don't have to sit that close to your table to listen in." She nods, absentmindedly letting one of the snakes that make up her hair curl around her raised index finger. The creature seemingly enjoying the attention. "Of course, we need to consider the worst case scenario, he simply declines the drink and leaves. What do we do then? Apprehending him is going to end in violence unless we do it quickly. Think you can take him down without collateral damage if it's called for? He might be armed with one of those guns, it's his weapon of choice."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra frowns for a moment in concentration. Something in Dena's explanation is bothering her.

"A...frame job?" She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. "I think I'm missing something here. Just how bad are relations between MERC and VIGIL? Would they really start beating down our door if this was linked to us?"

[Reinholdt]

[Private Quarters]


After six hours-ish, Caroline wakes up with a yawn and a stretch. She looks around to see if Vincent is anywhere nearby.

Vincent is not there. After five minutes he left the area.

Currently Vincent is roaming the base, checking for NPCs to get their dialogue. Maybe see if he can't walk into a few other rooms and take their potions or money that he might have missed earlier.

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

"Just an excuse at the top of my head." Dena admits as she pulls her finger free from the snakes grasp. "But it's less about MERC's and VIGIL's relationship than who Adir is to them." She points at Electra. "Get this, besides being a former member, he's also a good friend with Wenomir, one of their leaders. Then his wife is best friend with the other leader, Cessie. But most of all, they got a personal connection to his kids. Ever seen a parent trying to protect their kid? Not even barbarians can match that. They just abandon all reason, suddenly perfectly okay with killing anyone and anything to defend the product of their loins." The gorgon explains. "Combine that with the fact VIGIL's methods mostly involve applying various levels of blunt force to an issue until it goes away and that they recently suffered a humiliating defeat against a bunch of demons and you got the reason why I don't want to mess with them right now. There is really no reason to make them our enemy now if we can avoid it."

[Zefir]

Vincent is not there. After five minutes he left the area.

Currently Vincent is roaming the base, checking for NPCs to get their dialogue. Maybe see if he can't walk into a few other rooms and take their potions or money that he might have missed earlier.

[The Dark Room]

As he goes, he might come across a strange room. The door isn't locked, but as he opens the door the whole room remains in darkness. Not even a light seems to pass through the darkness. Maybe it's one of those special rooms where you need to unlock a special light to get hatever is inside.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra frowns again, resisting the urge to smack her head on the wall in frustration with herself. Instead, she watches Dena for a moment in silence, before voicing her thoughts.

"Wonderful. Unfortunately, I think the ship on getting on their bad side over this has already sailed. It stopped being a matter of 'if they find out' we're the ones responsible the moment the job was posted. It's now just a matter of time before they find out it's a job through MERC. There may have been attempts on Adir already. Even if not, the fact that the job was posted for license members won't be hard to find out, given a bit of time." She rubs her temples with her index fingers for a moment, closing her eyes. "The implications are more serious than I thought. Much more so. It could even be a set-up to get MERC and VIGIL at each others' throats. The second target could be a decoy, something to make the job seem legit." She pauses for a moment at that, and looks back to Dena. "Am I being overly paranoid now, in thinking that? Or does it seem awfully convenient to you, too, that a job that will disrupt the upper ranks of VIGIL's leadership and distract them for awhile just happens to show up shortly after they've been handed a defeat at the hands of a powerful foe?"

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

Dena strokes her chin. "Now you're thinking like a rogue. It's certainly possible, they would have known we wouldn't go after the leadership itself, so they get the second best thing." She pauses, considering. "Actually, we could use this to our advantage. If we simply tell him about the job and our suspicions, he might be interested to work with us if the demons are actually involved. They burned down his house after all and have threatened all his friends, so he got a very good reason to work with us. He just need to share whatever information he has about his friend in case the demons are after him, or something like that. That way we can both do the job, avoid a conflict with VIGIL, and find out if it's really all a ploy."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Dipsnig shows Jazirian the map mentioned in the post below:



"So we need to retrieve pieces of this staff. Sounds like a job for someone who can slip in, get them and get out. Storming the place really isn't our style."

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Cool!" Says Jazirian, maybe seeming a little too excited to throw himself into a potentially deadly situation for the sake of a challenge.
"Is this going to be a solo mission, or...?

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra nods, her frown fading back into a more neutral expression.

"That's probably the best plan, but how long should I keep up the charade about there being a hunting job, then? I'm assuming drugging him is now off the table, correct?"

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

"Yeah, just try to tell him it as soon as you get to BDD. You seem to be pretty capable at talking though, and considering you now know Adir pretty well, I don't think you'd have that much trouble with it. I trust that you'll handle yourself perfectly." Dena replies. "If there is any trouble, I will still be there to provide back-up so there is nothing to worry about."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra nods again.

"All right, then. I guess, one last thing, off topic: do you know anything about these smiths and craftsmen that were supposedly hired recently? I was hoping I could get them to take a look at this damaged piece of my armor."

She gestures to the piece she's laid on the counter while she's been planning with Dena.

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

"They're dwarves." Dena says flatly. "Short, beard-y, people. Think they're into magical smiting, swords, golems, shields and that sort of stuff. But they might be able to fix you up to, you have to ask them yourself."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

"Do you happen to have some sort of contact info, or a location where I could go to ask them? What I was told was rather vague." Electra admits a bit sheepishly.

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Cool!" Says Jazirian, maybe seeming a little too excited to throw himself into a potentially deadly situation for the sake of a challenge.
"Is this going to be a solo mission, or...?

"That's up to you. Do you think you can handle it on your own? Bringing in backup on infiltration missions is a double-edged sword," Dipsnig says.

[Shadowcaller]

Riverside Office

"Right." Dena grabs pen and paper and makes a quick note of the dwarves contact information which she then hands over to Electra. "That should suffice." With that she can call them or visit them.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Riverside Office

Electra takes the note, studies it for a moment, then nods, slipping it into her left gauntlet.

"Thanks, Dena. See you tomorrow night."

She picks up the damaged bit of her armor, and saunters out, disappearing in a blue beam of light once she's outside the door.

Dwarves?

A blue beam of light seems to drop down out of the sky at the location provided on Dena's note, spreading and fading with a crackle of electricity, revealing a blonde woman in high-tech armor, though a piece of it is being carried in her right arm, instead of worn. As the last of the light fades, she looks around, hoping to find some indication of where to find the dwarves she was told about.