The capital

Ciara’s carriage was minutes away from the capital when her detection spells warned her that an enemy was getting close. A quick investigation revealed that it was a group of ten trolls. Before the foolish creatures knew what was going on black flames consumed them all…

‘Trolls this close to the capital? Seems like things are as bad as I heard.’

When the carriage reached the city’s gate it was stopped by the guards there. One of them, a middle-aged man wearing dirty chainmail armor, approached the window of the carriage and inquired about Ciara’s name and her reasons for visiting the city.

“My name is lady Ciara. I’m here because of your king’s call for help with the trolls.” The fairy answered with a bored expression on her face. “Was that all? This whole trip has been dreadfully boring and I would like it to end as soon as possible.”

“Ah, so someone decided to come and help us after all. You are the first, milady. Or at least the first to reach the capital. Please, go right in. Just go straight and you’ll reach the palace. I’m sure the king will grant you an audience right away.”

“Yes, I’m sure he will.” ‘He better.’ Ciara added in her mind.

After a couple of shouts the gate was opened and Ciara’s carriage entered Asteral’s capital. Again she started looking out the window, this time examining what she could see from the city and its inhabitants. The first thing she noticed was that the townspeople seemed to go about their business without any worry. The second thing to catch her attention was the most likely reason why people were so calm - there were frequent armed patrols. Most of the patrolling groups consisted of armed men and women that were not soldiers - that much was obvious. Ciara noticed a few that gave the impression of trained soldiers, but most seemed to be newly mobilized militia equipped with whatever weapons and armor they could find. The third thing Ciara noticed were the many different shops offering a large selection of goods. This made her wonder if perhaps she should explore the city for a bit before going to see the king? A little delay surely wouldn’t make much difference…