In reply to Ingrith (msg # 12):

"No no no. Lady Ingrith you need to put a little more love into your presentation."

  You are not just a mere simple resident priestess of Ehlonna.
  be instead

  The Resident Priestess of Ehlonna or something like that.

  Put a little heart into it.  After all She has chosen YOU to do
  HER work and has blessed YOU with the task. You represent Her just as I represent The Nature
  of Good.  Be both Humbled and Honored by your calling.  If you get my meaning."

Kat can't help but smile at Gora's correction of the woman. "Nice. What them am i...Chosen seductress of ass kickery?" the woman grabbed a piece of cheese and popped it in her mouth. She looked at the ranger with a smile.

"She's a little exciteable. My name is Katala, but call me Kat...." She looked at Gora. "...if only she would!. Our excited friend here is Gora."

In reply to Katala Windstrom (msg # 14):

"Oh Lady Kat that is obvious to me.  You Noble lady are The Honored Agent of Counter Espionage.  Foiling the Nefarious Spies in our very midst from stealing delicate State or Pious Secrets.

 Do you have a more perplexing conundrum I could try to ease your delicate nature on?"

"I'm afraid you've misunderstood me, Gora," Ingrith replies. "It is Jennarith that is the servant of Ehlonna. I am but a humble ranger."

Ingrith reaches into a pouch at her belt and pulls out something small and black, and sets it on the table near the two women.

It appears to be a mushroom, black in color, and about 2" long.

"After a conversation with Furnok, who had collected this little item from the old moathouse where he and some companions defeated the bandits who had encamped there, Jennarith developed some concerns."

"She thinks it marks the return of something wicked out at the roadhouse, more than can be accounted for by the presence of the bandits. I, on the other hand and being a bit more suspicious, think that this may have something to do with why the bandits were there in the first place."

"So, might you be interested in investigating the moathouse for her? I'm sure you've heard the tales of the evil that once took up residence in this area. She and I are concerned that it may be returning... or may have already returned."

The door of the welcome wench opens, despite its early time, an an unusual sight comes in....a dwarf unlike you have ever seen.

The dwarf stood average height, but where most of his kin were solid and muscular, this one was leaner of frame and unusually for a dwarf, his frame hinted more at skill and speed rather than strength (for a dwarf anyway). Where as his kind favored metal armor....plate mail, or at the very least, chain, he wore a dark grey suit of studded leather, the studs a black color in contrast to the grey of the leather. He wore a hooded cloak of black, and at his hips he wore a hand axe on each side. Also unusual, where the dwarves favored big full beards, this one's black hair and was neatly trimmed, and his hair short.

The dwarf sighed as he looked around and approached the table. "Be Ye ingrith lass? I was sent by a friend of Jennarith to help Ye." The dwarf dropped his pack and looked at the barkeeper. "Ye have somethin warm te warm me bones?"

He then looked at Gora and Katala and nodded. "Me name be Brankx Thundershield."

Kat listened to the tale and looked a little sheepishly at the woman and Gora, and was about to speak when the dwarf entered. When he introduced himself, the woman sighed. "I would love to help you, but something has come up....an old friend of mine needs help so I must go."

Reading horas thoughts of her offering to help, the woman holds her hand up. "...and before you offer, this is something I must do, and two of us is overkill. You help the ranger....maybe the dwarf can help where my absence is lost. Granted he is shorter and not as pretty as me." The woman smiled, clearly making fun, as is her style, but her smile fades. "Help her if you can. Our paths may cross again."

The woman rose, and went upstairs, turning once to smile at Gora.

Brankx looked at the woman as she left, a little confusion on his face, then to Gora.

"Did that lass just call me short!" His serious face split into a grin a second later.

....this was going to be fun.

He looked at ingrith with his smile fading a little. "Sorry I missed th start of Ye speech lass, but me friend said somethin about checking a place out and knockin' some sense into a few bandits."

Augustae had been close enough to overhear Ingrith's tale. It had only mildly piqued his interest--who was he to be seeking out some reborn ancient evil!?

When Katala bowed out, he was a bit surprised. Not that he knew her, but it didn't seem to fit with his perception of her.

Then, too, he found her a bit intimidating... not like Gora, mind you, but in an odder way.

The Dwarf was a new factor as well.

It was starting to look like this little adventuring could turn out interesting after all!

He stood up just enough to flit his chair around from the table he was at and place it at Gora's table.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Augustae Cawliga," he introduced himself. "If you are looking for an additional member for your little group, I'd be interested."

In reply to Brankx (msg # 19):

"Narp Sir, she merely called you shorter.  Different connotation in terms as I understand it.

In any case there is no group yet, we are still waiting for the Big Boss to decide who is in and who is not.  Even so I still intend to go chastise some outlaws in any case.  So my intent is to travel along with whoever is chosen to go."

readjusting a buckle on her armour as she replies.

Brankx watched as the innkeeper brought a plate of bread, cheese and fruit. The dwarf nodded and took up the bread, tearing a chunk out of it. He looked at Gora with a smile. "Fancy words girl...should've just said yer going to kick their asses. Either way girlie, I'm in."

He takes up the cheese and bites it

Not able to hide her pain deep inside for long.  It almost seems like a pale silver glow shimmers around the saddened Half Orc, could that be a tear in the corner of her eye? NO Not possible. Everyone knows Half Orcs do not feel things like normal people do.

  "May the Gods watch over and bless your en-devours Lady Kat" she prays
This message was last edited by the player at 09:46, Tue 01 Oct 2019.

Kat turned on the stair, seeing the saddened half orc. The woman herself had a tear, but she smiled none the less. "You know me Gora.....I don't need the gods to get me into trouble"

She winked at the half orc, then turned and went upstairs

"It is not my adventure, should it turn out to be such," Ingrith corrects the others. "Therefore, it is not my place to lead or to say who goes and who doesn't. My path leads elsewhere."

"If any of you choose to investigate the moathouse further, that will be a good thing. If you do not, who knows? That may also turn out to be a good thing."

A slim figure walked through the doors of the Inn of the Welcome Wench.  She was an elven woman in a rough but well made homespun tunic and leggings, with a leather rucksack on her back.  Her long blondish hair was tangled, and crudely braided, but still reached her waist, and had bits of twigs and leaves randomly interweaved in it throughout its length.

She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the relative darkness, and wrinkled her nose at the aroma of stale beer and pipe smoke about the place, but then stopped, as if realizing that such an action might be considered rude.   She walked up to the bar, smiling brightly at the bartender and taking a coin from a side pouch and putting it on the bar.
"Hello there, Barkeeper!  I would like to purchase One Adult Alcoholic Beverage, please!  And, on a related note,  I am looking for Thrilling Adventure and Excitement while I'm in town.  Do you know to whom I should speak about such an engagement?"

She smiled tentatively, as if not sure she was doing this correctly.

The dwarf looked at ingrith with a smile. "As sorely missed as Ye will be lass, I fer one would like to take a look at this place....curious to see what heads I can bash and what I can find."

He watches the wood elf enter the room, her words more aquard than anything, and the dwarf chuckled, shaking his head and leaning closer to Gora.  "I bet Ye a flagon of ale that elf has never ventured outside her home forest....dang fool girl likely get herself robbed."

The dwarf put two fingers in his mouth and let off a sharp whistle, getting the elf's attention. "If Ye looking fer adventure lass, come sit here....unless Ye scared th nasty dwarf may offend Ye." He chuckled and winked, pushing out a seat for the elf. "Bring th lass an ale...see how she handles that."

The blonde elven lass looked around in abject confusion at the whistle, the expression on her face clearly saying "Is that a bird!?! The poor thing must be in agony!!  Where is it!?!?  I must help it at once!!!"
When she saw that the horribly injured, tall and hairy bird was a relatively healthy dwarf, she smiled, both in relief and genuine pleasure
She called back, in a voice perhaps a touch too loud for an indoor environment
"Not at all, sir!!  Talking to a Nasty Dwarf sounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon! "
She said "nasty dwarf" completely unironically, as if she was presuming that was how the man preferred to be known
Taking her drink from the bartender in both hands, she walked carefully to the dwarfs table and sat in the offered seat.
Setting her drink down carefully, as if it were filled something more precious than warm ale, Lowrra held up a somewhat rough and somewhat clean hand for the dwarf to shake
"Greetings, Salutations, and other Assorted Pleasantries, Good Sir!!   My name is Lowrra.  How are you on this fine day?"
The "rr" in Lowrra had a bit of a trill on it, though very subtle.

The dwarf looked at the wood elf with a straight face, then broke into laughter' slapping his hand on the table.

"Damn me lass, but my day just got better! Ye can call me Brankx girlie, and I'm having a fine day. This lovely lass here has a job that may sate Ye thirst fer adventure"

"Taking into account her method of speach patterns I would have to agree.  So sorry Master Brankx, no free ale for you this time.
In any case are not all Alcoholic Beverages classified as Adult in most civilized societies?"

Miss Lowrra if you classify communication with a Dwarf as Nasty, I do hope you are not if fact calling the Dwarf Nasty? I shudder to think on how you will construe any communication with one of Half Orc Heritage?  In any case I will risk your ire by also addressing you with greetings and salutations.  I am known as Gora."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Wed 02 Oct 2019.

The elven maid blinked a couple of times at the half orc, as she seemed to try to translate what was just said, then she shrugged and smiled brightly.
"But it was He was the one who said he was Nasty, Miss Gora, and it just seemed impolite to disagree with him.  I just presumed it was a dwarven thing."
He held out a mostly clean hand to the other woman to shake.
"I'm happy to communicate with anyone.  I've never met a half orc, but I have no problem talking to that half of you.  Or to whatever the other half is.  I like them both just the same, ma'am."

The dwarf looked at Gora and lowrra with eyes wide open and a huge grin. "By moradins left cheek...two of em!" The dwarf laughed, a tear running down one cheek. "This is gonna be soo much fun!"

He turned to Lowrra and smiled. "Th nasty dwarf was meant as a joke....forgive me lass."

He then looked at Gora. "And a half orc who doesn't drink where an elf will. Damn me, what's next....a goblin who follows the following of sune!"

He chuckled, then looked at the two, totally serious, and he stopped laughing, looking around seriously for a goblin.

He shook his head. "Movin' on. Tell us about this moathouse"

Lowrra nodded at the dwarf and smiled.  She didn't get the joke, but presumed it was a good one, as dwarves were known for their sense of humor.
Or was that their Sense of Direction?   Either way, it was probably a funny joke.

Then she frowned as she looked around.
"Moathouse?  What's a Moathouse?  That sounds fun"

She took a sip of the ale in her hand, and, as nonchalantly as possible, and without missing a beat, let it pour back out of her mouth and back into the mug.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:44, Wed 02 Oct 2019.

"The moathouse lies approximately ten miles east of Hommlet, on the road toward the deserted town of Nulb," Ingrith explains. "There is an overgrown and rugged path two miles long leading off the main road to the moathouse itself."

"No one was ever quite sure why this little keep was built in such an out of the way place, but it was. It even has a moat around it; thus the name."

"It's in ruins mostly now, but there's enough of it still standing that some bandits were using it as a lair. The bandits were encountered on the trail and defeated just two days ago."

"There was also a small dragon lairing there or nearby. Details were scarce. It was driven off. That's when the mushroom was found. Some say that this particular mushroom only grows in the presence of evil. Sounds like an old wives' tale to me."

"But, since it was the site of some ancient evil, we need to know if that evil has returned... so we can stop it before it grows too powerful."

"Are you still interested?"

Lowrra nodded enthusiastically
"Yes, definitely!  Sounds like a thrilling adventure!

Bandits, abandoned towns, dragons, and even mushrooms!  It's got everything!"

Brankx, taking a bite of bread, nods. "Took th words outa me mouth lass...sounds like fun. Bashing a few bandits heads, explorin' places not seen in a while. Ancient evil to spit upon. I'm in!"

In reply to Ingrith (msg # 34):
"My Dear Ingrith do you really need to ask?

still it behooves me to address a slight miss-assumption.  A keep is not a Town... unless it is bigger on the inside than the out, like some demented kind of bag of carrying?

The Bandit Keep of Township Downs.  What a thrilling concept... not!"