In the end, Leon chose to sit in silence and eavesdrop on the conversations around him. With all the chatter inside of the tavern there must be at least one glint of useful information that could be of use. However, all that Leon could hear was just the banter between friends and story tellings of adventurers who stopped by. Telling stories of how they felled an encampment of orcish soldiers or daring escapes from the armies of the Undead King. But none of the stories mentioned any type of relic that Leon was searching for. 

As Leon sighed in resignment and took a swig of his rum, a young woman was seated at his table. Thinking nothing of it, Leon stared at his pitcher lost in thought. 

"Small world we live in. To think we would meet again after you said you were leaving."

Leon looked up and in front of him was a dark, red haired woman. Pale skinned and dressed in leather armor. This was the same woman he had met in the forest and in the alley.

"So it would seem."

With a sigh, Leon looked at his pitcher of rum and looks back at the woman. Pausing for a moment, as if consulting with himself before opening his lips to speak.

"It would look like fate keeps drawing us together whether we like it or not. Might as well introduce ourselves. I am Leon of Borr. You?"

"Aria, daughter of Parne and Mary."

"So you're from the north. Explains some things about you."

Leon takes anothing swig of his rum as he asks another question. All the while Aria is observing Leon with scrutiny.

"What brings you to the Newlands? Life in the north boring you so much you would risk your life here?"

"Something like that" Aria lowered her gaze and replied reluctantly. "Just some issues that couldn't be solved at home so I came here."

With a sympathizing gaze Leon paused to ponder Aria's situation.

"Hmm. None of my business I suppose. Some things are better left unsaid."

At those words, Aria quietly observed Leon as if trying to gain insight into his words.

"You aren't curious why I left?"

"I am. But even I can tell that it would be a loaded question. If you want to spill your guts then go ahead. If not..."

Leon's gaze drifted off to the side as he spotted a person of interest. Leon dumbly stared at the patron who had just entered the tavern. Looking closely the patron wore a white face mask with a small tear streaking from the top right of the mask down beneath the left eye socket. For whatever reason, Leon seemed paralyzed from the sight of the stranger as he shifted his head from side to side. The stanger semmed to be looking for something.

Perhaps noticing Leon's glazed look in his eyes, Aria turned to follow his eyes. She was then met with a blaring white mask with dark amber like eyes staring into her. A drop of sweat began to trickle down as she felt his presence bearing down on her.

The masked stranger gazed upon the two who had been frozen in a daze. The stranger pulled out a piece of parchment, placed it on the table between Leon and Aria, then spoke two words.

"Remember Her."

With nothing else to say the stranger left and the two regained their senses as they each took sharp, shaky breaths of air. 

Leon was the first to break the silence.

"That person was powerful. Monstrously so."

Aria simply nodded, unable to shake off the feeling of terror that lingered in the air. However, to the rest of the patrons of the tarven, all seemed to be in order.

Unable to say a word, the two sat in silence as they both eye the parchment that was left behind from the stranger. With shaky hands Aria unfurled the parchment and layed it out across the table revealing a map. 

"It's a map of the north? Why would they leave this with us? And what are these weird markings?"

Upon hearing Aria's remark, Leon took a look at the unfurled map. Upon closer inspection the map was yellowing and outdated as there were rivers that no longer existed and terrain that has drastically changed due to the Bloody War. The outer edges of map were decorated with strange markings that seemed to glow a faint red. However it seems as if Aria was unaware to its nature.

"These aren't markings at all. They're runes." Leon murmured.

"Runes?"

Leon nodded in response.

"Runes are an ancient language that was used among the Sylken people. Each character has it's own meaning and when put together can create devastating magic."

As Leon racked his brain for a translation Aria looked at Leon with a quizzical look.

"Let's see here. 'Drought', 'People', 'Ground', 'Life', 'Death', 'Curse' and 'Cycle'?"

Seven runes displayed in a repeating pattern as Leon and Aria try to make sense of the meanings that the combination could have. 

Time seems to pass quickly as Leon and Aria bounce interpretations of the meaning of the words at each other. As the two try and find meaning in the runes, the runes begin to shine and to Leon, they almost seemed to vibrate. 

"Do you see that? The runes are glowing and moving!"

Blind to the actions of the runes Aria couldn't help but reject his view.

"Stop lying. Nothing is moving besides a few splotches here and there."

Aria pointed to, at least to Leon's knowledge, three empty spaces where only mountains were. 

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, There's nothing moving beside these splotches of ink here."

Leon tries to see where Aria is pointing but can't see anything besides crude pictures of mountainous regions.

"What does this mean?" 

"?"

Aria tilts her head in confusion as Leon becomes lost in thought and begins to murmur.

"We see different things on this map? But why? And how? That masked man said to remember Her but who? Someone important? Only I can see the runes glowing but she can't. Why?" 

Then as if pieces of a puzzle slowly comes together, Leon comes to an answer. 

"The Undead King."