The Medallion of Asgar

7.

Reise

The first thing Reise noticed when he moved through the doors into the tavern was the unpleasant stench of alcohol; of course the scent went hand-in-hand with a place such as this, though, and being that he was not much of a drinker himself he ignored it. It was dimly lit, casting shadows over the faces of those who turned to look at him as he entered. Of the expressions he could see, many were shocked, awed, or feared looks. Though some of the people in the tavern sent him looks of utter hatred and scrutiny, creating an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. He took a deep breath, skimming over those who glared at him so, remaining focused on the task. Not everyone loved the King, and under the influence of liquor those who harbor negative feelings against the court might dare to let it show; Reise however was not about to wind up in a petty tavern fight against drunks. He had a quest to complete, and was determined to see it through without interruption.

The knight's expression once again went blank as he dared not show emotion among such potentially-hostile people. He moved slowly through the tavern, passing tables of people who either avoided eye contact with him, stared intensely at him in the hopes that he would look at them the wrong way, or simply glanced and nodded in respect before going about their own business. Those who avoided eye contact did attract his attention for the briefest of moments, but it would be foolish to stop and question every single person who did so. He would only be asking for trouble if he did that. Reise needed to at least find a lead to go on before he went about accusing people of being the culprit. His gaze skimmed casually about the tavern, over tables as he passed them towards the bar in the back, knowing the thief wouldn't be foolish enough to leave the medallion in plain sight but checking for it anyway. He had not received a description from the King, but he had seen it a few times when he'd gone to the treasure keep before it was stolen and knew he would be able to recognize it through familiarity if he saw it.

Reise took an empty seat at the counter, and furrowed his brow for an instant as the two on either side of him got up. The tavern keeper was hasty to finish serving a customer before he came over to the knight warily. His expression clearly indicated he did not want trouble in his tavern, and a member of the Royal Guard stepping foot into a place full of travelers, cutpurses, and guild members from all over was ominous. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and so the keeper wished to serve the knight as quickly as possible to send him on his way.

"Ev'nin. What can I do fer yah? A drink, perhaps?" He asked in a lightly accented voice. Reise gave a small shake of his head. "Evening, good sir. Thank you for the offer, however I must pass. I am simply hoping you might spare a few moments to heed an inquiry or two?" The tavern keeper glanced up at those who were waiting for him to come over, and with a sigh he nodded. "What dya need?" The knight glanced about at those in the tavern, eying each person and considering the possibility of the culprit being one of them, right here in this room.

"Have you seen or at least heard talk of a medallion?" Reise spoke in a low, hushed voice, keeping his description of the object intentionally vague since he was not sure how much King Jerid was planning to reveal to the general public. It would indeed be cause for doubt of the castle's invulnerability as well as the royals' power were it to get out that an invaluable item had been stolen from right under their noses. Emerald-green orbs were trained on the man as he watched his expression closely for any hint of a lie. He could not afford to follow a lead based off of false information, for that would only give the culprit time to escape; however, if the man did lie and he managed to catch him, it would be a lead all its own. For that would mean the tavern keeper was somehow involved in all of this.