Dragon's Egg - Act III

[Legendary Sidekick]

Alin and Bressel are worried. "Oh! I have some good news about that…"

I look to make sure customers aren't listening. No, they're too curious, I better not whisper, but say something that Alin will figure out, I think.

"They live here in this town. Gisla, the tavern owner, will talk to them. Mauve mentioned something upsetting happened, but Gisla knows it's nothing to be concerned of, and she'll pass on the message. She also knows I sleep with the window open. We sure talked a lot. Not like I had anyone else to talk to while you were catching up. I rode like the wind! As much as I love the salty air of the sea… I really need to get me a horse someday. I'm no knight, but I can ride!"

I gesture toward Gisla.

"She's wonderful," I tell the guys. "I won't let anything happen to her or this place."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

Baldhart's comments about riding Llucheden carry easily to my ears, and I turn to her, speaking up in answer. "Now you know why her name is the elvish word for 'Lightning'!"

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel:
"Baldhart, You probably would fight better on a horse, I have seen followers of Brynhild do amazing attacks from horseback."

Aliron: searches the people in the bar, looking for anyone showing signs too much interest in Elves or the group.
"Bressel, Anyone in here stand out? Looks aggressive or dangerous?"
His bow leans against the table, his free hand rests on his scimitar.
"Bressel, you know but Baldhart probably doesn't know. I don't partake in bar fights. If it happens, you two can enjoy yourself, I will stay out of it unless it becomes more serious. When I fight, people die. I don't play games." I raise my mug and take a drink.

"Where do we go from here?" Aliron asks without looking at either barbarian.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"No… I wouldn't dream of making trouble in here of all places. Gisla went through some hard times before she built this place.

"If trouble comes and we can meet it outdoors, perhaps you will see what I can do on a horse. Cadell permitting, of course. I do have the funds, but… maybe I should save up for a heavy war horse. A war pony might not care for my weight. There must be a horse expert that can tell me what I'd need, though. If the beast hide is protective without being heavy like steel, would that make a difference?"


On me it might, Baldy, but you're well over two hundred pounds.

Don't remind me, Nissa.

What? It's all muscle. You—you're taller than HIM!

Who? Bressel?

Any 'him' we've met since leaving the mountain.


Alin asks where we go next. "I don't want to go anywhere without a good meal. And a bath. Aga? Is the hot bath ready yet?" I don't wanna tell the guys I can't stand the way I smell!

 

[Steerpike]

Mauve

Masama rises with Mauve, and when she says she will keep the fish demon knife, the large man shrugs. "Then that is the path Asra has set for you, and the path you must walk."

When Mauve asks her questions, he says: "My land is not like this." He waves a hand at the general surroundings. "It is hot. Much of where I lived as a boy is also dry, though there are wetter regions on the other side of the kingdom. My people build wondrous temples to Asra. We till the earth, fish the sea. we have altered the very course of rivers to provide water for our crops and our people. It is truly something to behold.

"I did not pass near Blackshard Mountain, though it is known to us in our legends and history. We call it the Gebaleusi. Ancestors of mine fought there, at the fall of Aeron. When the magic was broken, many in my kingdom died.

"We do not share the superstitions about magic that you find here in the north, or on the mainland. We are respectful of it, to be sure, and we understand the corruption that can come with it. We understand, too, the risk to life and limb posed by the practice of it. But we do not see the magic itself as evil. When Asra created the world, she gave us magic, along with everything else you see around you. When the mortal races fought at Blackshard mountain, something was done to the magic. We corrupted the energy and made it dangerous. But it is only a tool, and cannot be evil by itself. At least, that is how we view it. There is great disagreement on that point here in the north, or even on the streets of Mittelstadt, for that matter."

The Maiden's Spear

The crowd in the tavern remains relatively light, the people of Arendal preferring to work until the last light of the sun leaves the sky. Baldhart is able to find some privacy to discuss Father Harald's fate with Burnbright. Before Baldhart's tale is complete, Burnbright's eyes brim with tears. She takes the symbol of Tyr gingerly, folding her fingers over it. Then she blinks away her tears and looks Baldhart in the face. "That's another one dead, because of me. How many people would be alive if it weren't for me? Father Harald. Darin. All those people in Srilkind."

Burnbright sniffs and looks down at the symbol in her hands. "Thanks for telling me, Baldhart. I'm going up to the room now. I'd rather be by myself for a little while." Head bowed, she stumbles somberly up the steps.

Gisla is out of earshot, but watches the exchange with a concerned look. Then Cadell and Liadan enter, and Cadell introduces the two of them. Gisla notices Cadell's artificial hand right away, and holds up her own left arm, which has been severed at the elbow. "I don't suppose an orc hacked your hand off," she says. "That's what happened here."

Gisla smiles ruefully and uses her good hand to shakes those of Liadan and Cadell. "Well met, both of you. Baldhart has told me something of what brought you here. It is a pleasure to have you in my tavern, humble though it is. Croeso i Arendal" she says, with a bow.

Meanwhile, others of the party signal for more ale, and Aga scrambles to meet their needs, a good-natured smile on her face. There is no one suspicious in the tavern - just common folk, all of whom seem astounded by the presence of so many elves, but most of whom are doing their best to gawk only when they think no one is looking.

While the inside of the tavern remains relatively quiet, there is a growing commotion of townsfolk outside. Though the noise of it can be heard from within the tavern, Mauve and Masama can see the source of the tension - Batos. So far, none of the townsfolk have seen fit to approach Batos or Keitsumah, but the fear on the faces of the villagers is unmistakable.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I shake my head when Gisla wonders about my missing hand. "No, mine was bitten off by a warg. Not long after we first arrived in the north, in fact. I only acquired this more recently." I tap the gauntlet with a finger of my right hand. "Our dwarven friend Darin, may he rest in peace, made some adjustments to it so I could use it in battle. He promised to have a better substitute made for me if we went to the halls of his kin. Now I think we have more need of that than ever." My voice grows solemn. "His kin will no doubt be wondering where he is, and we should give them the news that he has fallen."

I smile as I shake her hand, and it turns to a grin when she uses my tongue. "Diolch yn fawr! I think we will be quite comfortable here. Whom would I speak to about purchasing a room for two?"

 

[Steerpike]

Gisla nods soberly when Cadell mentions Darin. "Where are his people? the closest dwarven hold is the Drimmen Delve, though even that is some distance."

"As for a room, please see Aga. She handles those things for, and has a better head for coin than I." She purses her lips a moment, as though trying to recall something, then stumbles over the pronunciation of "Mae'n dda gen i gwrdd â chi," though not so badly as to render herself unintelligible."Both of you," she adds, smiling at Liadan.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I nod. "That is where Darin hailed from. He assured me that I and any with me would be welcome there, and named me Dwarf-friend after the battle when we met -- the same one I lost my hand in."

She speaks elvish again, and I smile. "Felly hefyd! Diolch yn fawr."

Líadan

I smile and echo Cadell's thanks, then pose a question. "Where did you learn to speak elvish? Cadell says that our kind are not very common to see around here."

 

[Nihal]

Outside

Images of sunny, windy lands fill my mind. The tales I've heard as a child spoke of places with little rain and no snow, a vastness of sand—probably resembling sand found in some river banks—where the air was so hot it gets distorted like the hot air over a campfire. I have some trouble imaginating rivers courses being altered to water crops. It would be a surreal sight!

When the talk turns to magic I try to keep my composure and give no hints of how enthusiastic I am...



...I bite my lips to keep from smiling and I'm sure I did a good job!

The noise makes me turn my head, looking for the reason, and I see the elf and her wolf. "Wolf girl, come with us!"

I have no idea of what are we going to do with the wolf, but it's clear it must disappear from these people's sight now. When, if they join us I resume my walk to out of the town.

Oh, why do I need to solve all the problems there while the others are probably drinking until they pass out, eating fresh food and... taking awesomely hot baths?! ARGH!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Excuse me," I say to Alin and Bressel, adding, "Thanks for the drink" as I rise.

I follow Burnbright. "If you wish to be alone, I respect that, but don't blame yourself. Blame your mother who sent an army of monsters. I'm sorry she is your mother, Burnbright, but if she loved you she wouldn't send deadly creatures to force you to her. She would have sent a letter. The letter would have started with an apology for not being there for you. She'd have thanked Father Harald for taking you in, as opposed to having him killed.

"I know what a good mother is like, and I took mine for granted, but…" Not now. "I'll be good to you, Burnbright, and if I die protecting you, you're worth losing my life over. I'm sure Father Harald felt the same way."

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron
they think no one is looking.

While the inside of the tavern remains relatively quiet, there is a growing commotion of townsfolk outside. Though the noise of it can be heard from within the tavern,

"I think a room might be premature." Aliron says looking towards the door. "I hear trouble brewing outside. I think Gisla might need to see what the problem is. We might need some intimidating warriors, if she fails."
I say quietly and move quickly to the door to see.

Brussel
Brussel looks at Baldhart, then back at Aliron as he moves to the door.
Then slowly follows Aliron trying not to arise suspicion.

 

[Ireth]

Líadan

I tilt my head at the growing commotion from outside, and half-smile at Gisla. "On second thought, we can talk later. I think we have more pressing things to worry about now." I look toward the window, unnerved at the thought of what I might see.

Cadell

I follow Líadan's gaze with a sigh. Are we to have not even an hour of relative peace? I step toward the window, hoping this can be solved quickly and without bloodshed. There has been far too much of that.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I give Burnbright a half hug, then ask if she wants me to come with her in a minute or get her when it's time to eat. "In either case," I remind her, "I don't want you to suffer alone."

I follow the others outside, but I can see Mauve is handling it. I expect Keit and Batos will follow her and the big guy whose name I still don't know.

I say to onlookers close to me, "The wolf saved her life, and she tamed him. But not to worry. She'll keep the animal far away from town. She was part of the rescue team that saved eight from Srilkind, so please bear in mind that without that dog, Barki and Dufgal wouldn't have made it back here alive. Nothing evil about taming an animal. I rode a horse here. How is that different?"

I turn to go back in the tavern. As I pass by Cadell, I say, "Lightning. Not thunder. I can't believe I was able to sneak away on horseback. She's great! I hope to ride her again sometime, if you'll permit me."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I smile and nod when Baldhart addresses me. "Of course. I do still owe you that riding lesson. Perhaps we'll get the chance while we're here... hopefully before anything happens." Surely the gnolls will notice soon that Burnbright is not there to take back to Aslaug, and then what will they do? Can they track us here? Baldhart arrived by land... I hope they don't find her scent, or Llucheden's. She may be swift and silent, but a scent trail is nigh inevitable.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I keep my voice low.

"We'll need to take turns on watch. Perhaps they will come at night, so I may need to share my watch duty with someone with sharper eyes. I think elves' eyes are better than humans'. I'm grateful for that, too. If Alin didn't tell me where the sentries were posted, there's no way I could have gone to Tyr temple without being spotted.

"About that. My scent stretches from Tyr temple to over a cliff. Normally, cliff walls aren't an easy way to travel, but…" I can't talk about magic. "…I managed to take the wall all the way to Llucheden. East from there in case I made a noise, then a wide berth north of Srilkind.

"No alerts went off wen I was close enough to tell. Having remained unseen and having left a strange trail, I don't think the wargs and gnolls will know what to make of it. I doubt the whole army will follow the hoofbeats east if they heard them. More likely, they have no idea where we are, and they'll split up. I predict we'll face a third of their number. This being the nearest town makes it the most obvious direction, so maybe the leader is with this group.

"One thing I do know. It wasn't magic that gave away Burnbright's location. Tommen, the man I killed, is from here. He wrote letters to a girl named Dalla… who I will meet later. Believe me, I don't want to, but she seems like a nice girl from what Gisla told me. Tommen used those letters as an excuse to talk to the runner from Srilkind—that's where he sent the letters—Srilkind, not here directly. He no doubt got info from the runner, who had no idea what it meant to give away Burnbright's location to such a man."

 

[SomethingToPonder]

"Il take the first watch if you want, I doubt I'll be able to sleep tonight anyway."
I start fiddling with a piece of wood that was sitting about, rubbing it into a point against the wall.Chuckling to myself quietly as i do so.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Uh…" What the—! "Yes. I think there should always be two watchers."



One to watch him, Nissa.

Yes. There's something disturbing about making a small stabbing weapon and laughing.

Was he in prison once?


I whisper, "Aldar… the locals are watching you closely because of your 'joke.' Perhaps this isn't the best place to make your own toothpick."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

When Aldar chuckles, I eye him warily. It seems he has changed since last we met. "I will take first watch as well." Someone needs to keep an eye on him.

Líadan

"I will take second watch," I offer, looking at Baldhart. "If you'd like to share..."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Sure," I tell Liadan.

I look back at the entrance.

"Would you excuse me for a moment? I don't know if you overheard, but I found Father Harald dead in Srilkind… that's why I went to temple Tyr before getting Llucheden. I kept quiet about it because… I was afraid no one in the group would let me take such a risk. Stealth isn't my specialty, after all. But with Alin's scouting, I was able to figure out a safe path, and I removed my armor so the scales wouldn't jingle.

"Father Harald was her main caretaker since… she had a lousy mother. Burnbright blames herself for his death and—I respect her wish to be alone, but still… I'm worried about her. I'm going to check on her." I point to a window. "That's my room, and she's there now. Could you—or anyone who happens to be outside—just keep your eye on it while I go up?"

Do you think she'd sneak out and surrender to the enemy?

One more death because of me, she said. Yeah… that's one of many things I'm worried about, Nissa. The sooner she sees you, the better.

Well, just take a peek, then let her be if she's not up to something.

I go up to the room, intent on tucking her in. If she's dressed down to rest, I won't be worried about her sneaking off. Then I'll finally have that hot bath. I wonder if it's one of those places where there's an attendant, or if I'll have complete privacy.

Stop being modest.

I'm not. I'm not worried about me​ being seen.

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron
Aliron listens to Baldhart as he stands at the door watching for the crowd to disperse, looking at the sky to judge how long until nightfall.
~~With Baldhart upstairs, we could get Branwen inside as soon as its dark enough. A stone through the open window to get her attention and I think she has a rope.~~

Bressel
Bressel sits down checks Baldharts mug, glancing at Aliron checks his mug. If either is not empty he pours it into his mug.
(If anyone notices he will say: "No since letting it go to waste.")
"Aldar, has you been thumped in the head too many times? Might ya be a little touched? Does the changing of the moon bring out a different you? Might ya be crazy?"


"Its too quiet in this place, might I sing a lovely song from me home land:
[he begins to sing]
" Gather around ye lads and lasses, set ye fer a while,
and harken to me me mournful tale about emerald Isle
Lets raise our glasses high to friends and family gone,
and lift our voices in another Irosh drinking song.
Consumption took me mother and me father got the pox
Me brother drank the whiskey til he wound up in a box.
Me other brother in the troubles met with his demise,
me sister has forever closed her smiling Irosh eyes.
Now everybody's died so until our tears ared dried,
We'll drink and drink, and drink, and drink
and then we'll drink some more.
We'll dance and sing and fight
until the early morning light,
then we'll puke, pass out and wake up ad then we'll drink once more."

Aliron:
"You can't sing when your drunk."

Bressel
"I can't sing when I'm sobber, either."

Aliron
"Yet you never quit."

Bressel
"It helps me get in the spirit to drink."

Aliron
I thought being awake did that?

Bressel
that too.



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