The elven woman perks up. "Zhorr, you said? A practitioner of the Art, is he?"

Dakash sits up a bit straighter in his seat, clearing his throat and bringing his mug up to his lips. "My apologies" he mumbles a bit sheepishly. "I must have been thinking of two similar events."

He sits back and awaits the response to his friend's comment.

Tessa considered Leonia for a moment: "So you heard of him? We have the occasional historian come looking for him, find out the facts behind the stories, I just didn't figure you for one. Although, our bard originally came looking for some good tales, so I guess everybody has their reasons. And then she decided to stay for good, bless her, though I suppose meeting Lia may have..."

She stopped herself, then restarted: "Sorry, I am rambling. Yes, he is indeed an arcane spellcaster. Now, I am already going to have my husband organize a meeting with him for this charming young man: I'm sure he would be happy to see you all. It's not often that we have this many visitors all at once, after all."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:19, Sun 11 Dec 2016.

Leonia smiles briefly. More researcher than historian,  actually. I believe Zhorr penned the treatise entitled 'Excercises and Experimentations in Abjuration and Conjuration'. He hints at something I myself wish to research. Thus am I drawn here" she admits.

"Love of my life, light of my eyes, my golden sun, your beloved husband is-" The newcomer, who was evidently another vanara, and presumably Tessa's husband, froze in his track after opening the door and seeing the visitors.

"We have guests." He noticed somewhat lamely.

Tessa regarded her husband with the mixture of affection and exasperation only a wife can properly deliver: "Yes, dear. We have guests."

Putting on her best smile, she continued: "Honored guests, please meet my husband Uldus. My love, these visitors from a far land... And our visitor from a not so far one... Would like to meet Master Zhorr. I promised you would talk to him to arrange a meting."

As the conversation within continues, a stocky and muscular Dwarf treads heavily over the lintel, dressed in dark brown and gray studded leathers.  A heavy mattock and large wooden shield across his back, and large knife and short sword on his waist.  He pauses briefly once through the door and to the side, observing those gathered and waiting for the innkeeper.

"A beautiful story!"

Aran smiled and focused his attention throughout the entire affair. Upon her husbands arrival, he excitedly made his way over to greet the other Vanara.

"Aran Kalisar, at your service!"

"Master Uldus, a pleasure to meet you. I am Leonia, a humble researcher and initiate of the Art" the elf introduced herself.

Slightly embarrassed, Uldus raised a hand to scratch his balding head: "Ah... The pleasure is all mine, but please, do not call me master. You never know when a hellknight might be around to take objection."

Looking nervously over his shoulder, he spotted Gron and jumped away with a squeal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:13, Sun 18 Dec 2016.

Leonia's gaze narrows as she asks "what, pray tell, is a 'hell knight'? They sound terrifying. And why would they object to a stranger being polite to the Master of an Inn?"

Uldus relaxed fractionally when he realized that the newcomer was also a non-human, and took his silence as an invitation to answer the wizard's question: "Hell Knights are... I guess you could call them the Paladins of Asmodean, the elite guard of Chelian. They enforce the law. All the laws. Even those that contradict one another."

He sighed: "They would take objection on legal grounds: the title of master implies ownership. I do not own the inn, or any other property, so they would fine me for false information. You are not a Chelian official, of course, but they would find a way to sustain the charge anyway, and Master Zhorr would probably have to pay it in my stead: those fines can be very harsh."
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:53, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

The stout Dwarf voice rumbles force, the slight hint of a hoarse rasp, which echoed that his son would have severely after his death, a terrible wound in service to a dead king.  "I seek a room and stabling for my mule."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

Dakash pondered the conversation going on around him. "An appropriate name for ones who serve the fell lords of the lower planes. I wonder what rewards they expect to receive in the afterlife once their service here ends. Or if they've even thought that far ahead." He shook his head ruefully, thinking of how young the Hell Knights must begin their training, or how easily they are swayed by positions of authority and greed.

Responding to Uldan, Leonia asks "who owns this Inn, then, if I may ask. And is Asmodeus the chief deity worshipped in these Lands?" Like most outsiders, she was trying to understand the mindset of the natives. Diplomacy was always a consideration when seeking information.

Uldus nodded to Leonia: "The Lord Asmodean is indeed the god revered above all in Chelian." 'If you know what's good for you' went unsaid. "The inn is technically the property of the Crown, I believe... I know that Master Zhorr arranged for my wife to be its caretaker, but the exact details are not known to me."

He turned to Dakash and said: "Many believe that all hellknights must be evil, but that is not the case. I have met more than one hellknight who could just as easily have been a Paladin, had their Lord been another. Even those, however, will honor Law above everything else, and regret the outcome if they must. They may call you 'mysir' instead of 'monkey', but they will lead you to the Market just as swiftly, if given reason to."

He shook his head ruefully: "Not that Asmodean cares for humans any more than he does for the other mortal races. He only cares for those like him. Those... I forget the word... Foreigners? Strangers?"

As Uldus chattered with his guests, Tessa moved to welcome the newcomer.

"Welcome to the Carp's Nest. Our rooms are upstairs. The stables are in the back. And the mead is cold and packs a punch. How may I be of service first?" She asked with a smile.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:18, Tue 20 Dec 2016.

Aran carefully considered Uldus' words as he spoke of Hellknights. "Enslaving and mistreating others because they are different is evil. If they were truly good, they would reject their lords and take up arms against them."


"I think think the word you are looking for is outsiders, though I'm not sure Lord Asmodeus is fond of ALL outsiders. Just... devils."

Aran then shook his head and claps his hands together, before putting on a bright smile. "At any rate, I didn't come here to chat about such dreadful things! I would love to meet this 'Master Zhorr'. He sounds like a completely not-dreadful fellow.

Uldus nodded: "Yes, yes, outsiders... That is what Master Zhorr and Mis... Miss Lia call them. I am sure they will enjoy talking to people who know about those things... We are just simple folks. Will you be staying for the night? It would be easier to arrange a meeting for tomorrow."

"Law and goodness need not be mutually exclusive" Dakash said with a shifting of his seated position. "A different lord or liege should not be the catalyst for changing their entire moral compass. Either they are good people doing good things, or they are not. Their decision to remain here and exercise the will of a dark power is their own, and reflects...poorly...on their choice of ethics." He frowned, clearly upset about the idea of 'would-be paladins' running amok in the countryside he was passing through.

"What are your prices for a nights stay?"  The Dwarf rumbled.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:56, Fri 30 Dec 2016.

Tessa rattled off the prices with ease: "Single room is three gold pieces per night, including stabling for your horse and breakfast. Meals are five silver pieces each, including one ale. The good mead is two gold pieces. The fourth mead of the day is on the house."

She eyed Gron speculatively: "I'd warn you that it's been a long time since we last had to make good on that promise, but then again, that customer was a dwarf too."

Uldus could only shrug at Dakash's words: "I can only tell you what I was told: more than one Paladin lamented the loss of potential recruits to the hellknights. For whatever reason, Asmodean gives Iomedea's followers more freedom than most others, but even so you will not find many Paladins in Chelian."

"Gives them more freedom...?" Dakash was obviously confused by this statement and made no attempt to hide it. "I've always thought the rigid militaristic system of most paladins of law was what helped them keep their oaths intact. Giving anyone with divine power coupled with the might of their swordarm 'more freedom' is akin to letting bandits have the key to the storehouse, isn't it? Without rules they must rely on self regulation and their own consciences. It seems we have a good idea how well that has worked out for all concerned."

While it was true he was no great fan of societal laws or those who made them, he understood their need to protect against anarchy and the destructive, selfish tendencies of powerful people.

He chose to wait until the dwarf had made a selection before choosing something himself.

Leonia pays for a room for the night. She partakes of a single cup of wine with her meal, and goes up to her room to study for a few hours. Scholarship always took up more hours of the day..........

"I'll take a room for the night."

Aran happily imbibes about 3 meads before he starts to become somewhat intoxicated. He then makes his way to bed, having enjoyed enough merriment for the night.

As the young man stood up to make his way to his room, Uldus stood by, and promptly caught him as the inn suddenly started spinning.

Uldus mumbled something reassuring to Aran, as protested that he'd only had three drinks.

Tessa's ice mead had caught yet another victim unaware.