Talia wakes up with a start, unsure of where she is. Then she remembers, she was traveling in search of wealth. But wealth could wait, she was dying for some breakfast. She stood up and brushed herself off, surveying the area. She picked a random direction and began walking, hoping to find a town.

Talia stumbles across a beautiful lake, surrounded by trees. She removes her boots and dips her feet into the crystal clear water, relishing the sensation of the cool liquid.

"A little handful of leaves to make the ferns grow, stalks and stems for brambles and thorns. Blooms for incense and garlands in hair, roots from the earth for ladies fair…" A voice sang as a woman in a wine-red dress carefully uprooted a few wild roots and brushed the soil clinging onto the edges. Jasumin was beautiful as ever, as it never changed. The lake was still and calm while the Baltil mountains loomed overhead. She had planted a few seeds hidden in secret a while back, and with the power of both moons in full, it was time to see the results. Magical plants were tricky to cultivate, as they were sensitive to changes in the flow of magic. Thus the sudden influx of magic's strength on the continent in general prompted her to check on their progress.

"Ah what did I plant here again? It better not be mandrakes, I've forgotten the beeswax." She muttered to herself while gently digging with a spade. As the plant was uprooted she held her breath and covered her ears. Silence. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods, now let's see…"

Talia looked up as she heard a beautiful voice singing. She closed her eyes and swayed to the tune. When it stopped, she stood up and put her boots back on. "Hello? Who's there?" She asked, as she searched for the source of the melody.

Liselotte heard someone reply, and she straightened herself. With her staff in hand she looked about the area. "It seems I'm not alone today. I'll come back for the rest of you when you're ready." She said to the plants. Next time she should try experimenting with growing them close to Feeorin. To the person who called out to her, she raised her voice. "I'm here. By the trees, away from the lake's side. Can you see me?" Her clothes should make it easy for them to spot her. And if the person in question had less than amicable intentions, she had no worry about protecting herself. The lady alchemist had a pleasant smile, and some freshly picked echinacea roots in hand. Beside her was a cluster of angelica and hemlock poking out of her basket of herbs.  

Talia's eyes darted over to the person who was singing. She gave a friendly smile and walked over. "Greetings, I'm Talia." She said. "You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest town is, would you?" Talia noticed the woman's rich clothing and wondered what a noble would be doing in the woods. "I appear tto be lost."

The person in question was a woman, about her age. "The nearest town…that depends on where you're headed. The largest settlement to the north is high up in the mountains, where the dwarves reside. To the west is a floating city called Karith. To the south the possibility of villages rises, however be prepared to long stretches of savanna and strong sun." Looking at the woman she added reassuringly. "The locals are friendly, don't worry. They'll gladly allow you to stay for an evening and are quite hospitable. They are called the Haza, and are a well-developed society of small communes led by four elders per settlement. I do apologize, but I don't have a map on my person at the moment." 

Curious she asked the other: "Which direction did you come in from? If you don't mind me asking, of course. I'm Liselotte by the way. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She gave a smile, courteous as ever. She herself was far from home, but that wasn't a concern as she planned to return the next time she was in a city with airships.

A pleasure to meet you as well, mid liselotte." Talia replied, just as courteously "I came from that way." She said, pointing behind her. "Do you know of any inns in karith? I am in need of a place to stay For a short while."

"There are plenty of inns in Karith, though I hope you don't have a fear of heights. The entire city itself and the rock it was founded on is suspended high in the sky. It's an interesting place if you fancy yourself a dabbler in the arcane arts. Though try not to get on the bad side of the local law enforcement. They've been known for being hanging judges, and executions are much kinder than what they do to criminals." This was partially why even though she as an alchemist, she wasn't very interested in visiting there often. It was somewhat worse than Egjora in that regard, though Karith had it worse in how they abused the convicted. If you died in Egjora all you needed was a deal with a cleric beforehand if they didn't bury you or were careless with your body. Karith essentially made convicts slaves. And no one would bother to help you as there was that legal justification for it.

Talia winced "that sounds unpleasant." She said, mostly to herself. "And what are the dwarves like?" She had heard tales of the legendary smithing skill of dwarves, and was quite eager to see it firsthand. "Are they really as great smiths as I have heard of them to be?"