"It could have been worse...", Asal told himself as he climbed down the steep cliff ignoring the pain in his limbs. The weight of his heavy backpack was pulling him down as he searched for another spot to put his foot on. "Only if they wouldn't be so defensive about their young, but well that's nature for you. Argh, that was close." Asal cursed as the slipped and cought back on again. He would be rewarded well for this. Harpy eggs are as precious as they are dangerous to obtain. After weeks of scouting in secret Asal found this breeding place in the mourning cliffs. And he would proove to Ragnar that he has been right from the start. His mentor's chiding still ringing in his ears right before he departed from Locke... "What are you doing in here?! You have been told to practise before we go to the beastiary auctions!" a sharp voice shouted at Asal from the door into the archive. Asal was sitting at a small study, parchments littered all around the desk. Once more he did not know what time it was. "But Ragnar, I now know where they might life... It's all been discovered before, look...", Asal replied holding up an old parchment. "No, I won't! You have been straining my patience! I want to see all of the trainig objectives collected by noon or there will be no leave for the auctions for you!" the old hunter shouted. "But when I hunt the Harpies down and find an egg or two we could afford to hire more hunters and get better d..." "Enough of this nonsense! You should spend more time on the practising out there delving into the training course than delving into all these books!" Ragnar shouted, "Now get out and practise!". Asal shuffled the parchments into a stack. sighed and got up. He went outside packed up his gear and trodded towards the training range. He could feel the disapproving stares from Ragnar on his back. Asal was a decent fighter for a beginner and as much as he loved exploring new sites, he was fond of the lore and work of the hunters before him. The archive held hundreds of reports of animal and monster sightings, classifications and strategy. With this knowledge Asal hoped to learn to be more than a slayer or 'harvester' of monsters that they would auction off later in town. Unfortunately Ragnar, his mentor, was a more practical woman. But this time he wanted to proof to her, that his hunch was right. So he moved past the training grounds und out of Locke towards the eastern marches... Down the cliff he attended to his wounds, then checked on his cargo. Two eggs, both still hale. They will hatch soon. He would need to hurry... As he passed the old watchtower that has been towering over Locke's valley for ages, he was stuck downhil by a huge push behind and a roaring thunder. Trees splintered and crumbled, Asal was thrown off the hill clining to his backpack. Asal hit the ground hard, managed to roll of the force. After catching his breath he heard terrifying screetching noises that came from the top of the hill. The top of the old tower has been sheered off. He has heard something sniffing and moving. Something heavy. Asal got up and ran for Locke, hoping that at least one of the eggs would reach the village intact. With him. [This is an inquisitive monster hunter who hunts with a combat flavor. I use the same mail in the MTG character creator, so Brian, you could use that for an invite. While I have been typing this I have seen Nia as a similar character, if that's too close, I can come up with another more distinct flavour. A natural character arc for Asal would be Explore, as he wants to add to the archive with his own findings, treading the footsteps of the other great hunters.] -- May you be peaceful, may you live in safety, may you be free from suffering, and may you live with ease.