Balir's face contorts into something of a confused look.  "I...recognize one of ze voices...?"

He starts racking his brain to see if he can remember where he has heard that voice before.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 137):

It is the voice of the cat creature you spoke to previously.


The voices are a little indistinct, but you can hear the timbre and cadence of their speech. It seems casual, and not guarded.

"I think one of the voices is the cat person I spoke to last night while fishing.  Maybe he can tell us more about our travel."

OOC Probably could have assumed that, but best not to.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 139):

"I have a feeling that cat is a type of faerie, as my people are considered to be as well."

In reply to Dionysus Dispatha (msg # 140):

"Yes, but of the malevolent or mischievous kind? You are welcome to try to talk to him, but I am keeping my guard up!"

By now Balir has his shield strapped on, so he is limited to gesturing with his free hand.  "He did not seem evil ven I spoke vith him.  Ve should vatch him, but I am not vorried."

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 142):

[Private to Narrator:also Jelak, Hussadir, and Leandru]
 Bursting through the undergrowth in a twitchy kind of dance, dooting away on a hautbois is a strange,short, ugly creature with the face of a bat, wearing a patchwork tunic.
https://drive.google.com/file/...AX/view?usp=drivesdk

Balir remains quiet, waiting off to the side with the group, hand on his axe.  He doesn't know the world of humans yet, so he waits on the more seasoned in the party to react to the creature playing the music.

'Tis a woodgrue ... a fairy folk who are competent musicians, but quixotic and given to mischief at times.

In reply to Aethul (msg # 145):

Kirpich smiles.

"It is not the evil I worry about with them...it is the mischief!"

He stays on guard, keeping one eye on the creature and another behind them, in case the creature is a distraction, and ensuring Chunky and the horse are in front of him so he can watch them as well.

Since the others are more concerned with mischief than they are evil behaviors, Balir will pay close attention to the woodgrue as they pass.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 147):

A moment later, three others step through the brush.
The first is an elf, with an unearthly pale beauty, wearing brassy mail and carrying a bow.
The second is a sort of dwarf you have occasionally heard of but rarely seen, a moss dwarf. Known as brewers and forresters, they are often found in woids and peat bogs, and do not delve for minersks. This particular one has lichens growing on his hands, and algae in his beard, and smells strongly of yeast.

The third, entering your clearing last, is the grimalkin you met last night.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 148):

"Well met, I trust. What brings you four to these parts?"

Kirpich tries to keep his distance and keep a watch on all four, though the beautiful one is, well, distracting.

Balir also finds the elf distracting, although she is...an elf.  His aversion to the race does help him focus more intently on the rest of the group.  In particular, he finds the dwarf very interesting.  There were always rumors about such dwarves in the forest, but he had never heard of anyone who had actually seen or met one.  The world outside his home was fascinating!  Balir remains quiet, following Kirpich's lead, and watching the group as intently as he can despite the distractions.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 150):

The frost elf looks with a hint of disdain at your group, and raises an eyebrow at Syvanus.
"We are passing through, from the West, travelling East. From whence come you, and under which banner?"

In reply to Leandru (msg # 151):

The moss dwarf gives Balir the nod, and looks quizzically at Chunky the elemental with his deep black eyes.

In reply to Hussdor (msg # 152):

The booted cat smiles broadly, and taps the woodgrue on the shoulder.
" Let us greet these folk before you begin playing for them. I am called Jelak, although I have other names The one who thinks he is a musician is Fisbie. The others are Leandru and Hussador."

We head west to resolve some issues for a guild in Northport. It's a rather cosmopolitan organization.

While Balir does not make it obvious, he ignores the elf.  Instead, he takes a step off to the side to speak with the moss dwarf in Dwarvish.  "Greetings Hussdor.  Ve have heard much about moss dwarves, but not ever met one.  I am Balir, descendant of Federjung, and come in peace (unlike my ancestor).  My home is Dvergholt, to the north.  Vell met."

In reply to Syvanus (msg # 154):

Kirpich notes others have spoken, and so he will not add for risk of creating confusion. He smiles at the dwarf looking at Chunky.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 155):

The moss dwarf replies to Balir in their shared language, although with a slight accent.
"Hail and well met, cousin. I am Hussador of the Wold. I travel with these fey creatures as their company is not unpleasant. I see you have an elf also. Which court do they serve?"

Balir nods as the moss dwarf speaks in their shared tongue.  He is glad to know there were dwarves outside of his home, even if they were more distant relatives.  He responds in kind to his cousin:

"I only joined this party recently, so I cannot speak about our elf.  I find him aloof or even arrogant, but the rest of the group trusts his counsel, and he has been professional.  At this point I have no reason to mistrust him beyond the fact that he is an elf, and I find that to be a poor judgement of character.  He can handle himself just fine, or he would not be here.  What of your elf?  And, what can you tell us of the travel ahead?  Is there gold to be found?"

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 158):

"Less gold than I would like, and more silver than my companions can tolerate. I am forced to change our coin for copper farthings to accommodate their revulsion. The way west leads only to small hamlets and the foothills of the mountains where the wildmen dwell. There are faiey creatures throughout the woods, and hags and witches as well."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:50, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

OOC Balir is quite chatty, so he'll talk for as long as the moss dwarf wants to.  Instead of bogging the thread down so everyone has to wait, I'll fast-forward to the end by listing off the questions he'll most likely ask along the way.

* Balir will ask about their group, where they came from, where they are going, and ask follow up questions if it seems appropriate.

* There are tons of questions to be asked about moss dwarves in general, like where they live, and what connection they have back to the subterranean dwarves.  Balir will also ask about magic, and what the differences are between them.

* As they seem to be traveling in the opposite direction, are there specific friendly people or dangerous situations that Hussdor can share with them?

I can think of many more questions, but that seems like it will cover what they'll likely have time to discuss.  I imagine the group at large will want to get moving.

Balir will not share anything too personal, and he will not mention their mission.  Otherwise, he's open to sharing information to whatever point seems appropriate.

He'll keep his eyes open for mischief as the rest of the group mentioned it might be an issue.  If alcohol is offered, Balir will trust the moss dwarf and have some.  He did not bring any of is own, not knowing if it would be acceptable on his first guild trip.

EDIT - oh, and he'll sharpen his axe if he gets comfortable nough that it would be safe to do so.

[Private to GM: The only character detail here would be the Compulsive Carousing.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:22, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

[private to Balir Ironhide: compulsive carousing is not chattiness, that is Chummy. Never refusing a drink or an occasion to party is cc]
"I don't know about you, but I am parched. This is a brew I made last week, using morels and wild hops. Do you care to partake?"
He unslings a wineskin and extends it to you.