15th of Searing, Year 120
Taelian and Eleanor had decided to remain in Loras for the coming few days. Not that either of them was particularly happy about it -- but Taelian was good about optimizing his time. He didn't like to lounge around, wait and waste.
"I'm going beyond the walls. Don't really feel like cooping up in an inn all day. See you in a bit." The mage rose from his bed, supporting himself on his palms before he swung his feet over the edge and stepped towards his dresser. Throwing a few simple articles of clothing on -- most of them form-fitting and black -- he headed out of his Duedrop room, and quickly descended the wooden stairwell onto the common floor. Taelian didn't have a weapon with him or anything of that nature. Not even a pouch of farthings. He didn't have any official business, he just... wanted to enjoy himself a bit. And he would.
Stepping past the gate guard, who was likely suspicious of him considering the prior night's events, the mage began to venture east towards the valleys of Grimholdt. The coast of Chillwind Basin was fairly uninspiring and grey, so as typical as it was, he preferred the forests and hills. In this case, east of Loregard was largely flat farm-appropriate lands until it began to ascend near the mountain range that cut off Grimholdt from the rest of the Kingdom. That was where he wanted to go -- to practice in the mountains, to get a bird's eye view, and to give himself the time and solace to think to himself.
The day was nice, at least. It was still early summer, so while it was fairly warm it wasn't overbearingly hot. It was moderately sunny, but with enough clouds passing by to make the glare manageable. People were out in their fields, occasionally he often received a smile or a friendly face. He didn't go far, though. Taelian ended up in a small, seemingly abandoned part of the agrarian village he was passing through. All of the homes were beaten and unoccupied, and evidently nothing had really been touched for quite a while. Surrounding him was little but farms, fields and the beginning of a treeline to the immediate south, as a forest approached his steps.
But Taelian decided to stay in the abandoned village and investigate it. He was cementing himself as more than just a warrior following directives given to him -- but a hunter, a tracker. Someone who could acquire knowledge on their own and grant it to others. An investigator of sorts. The mage decided to challenge himself with an arbitrary and thoughtless idea: to uncover why the small hamlet he walked through had become abandoned, especially given that it was so close to the rest of the community.
He began to examine the shabby walls of one of the hay-roofed buildings before he heard a slight thudding in the distance. With the sun peeking out from behind a passing cloud, he stood and glanced, and immediately winced as the light struck his eye. Then, what he was seeing became more clear.
"Patrick?" he asked, holding his palm above his brows like a visor.
