Furnok has a very confused look on his face wondering what the heck this women was talking about, so many riddles. "Three Dragon ante, its been around forever. Rumor has it the game originated on another plane, and brought here for us to entertain ourselves." he says with a laugh. Furnok deals the cards, each of them getting six cards to start with. "The game is played in a series of gambits. The game ends when you have no gold at the end of a gambit. First you are gonna look at what dragons you got, and one of them is gonna be your ante." he says as he flips through his cards and lays down a black dragon. I'm not going to go through all the rules for Three Dragon Ante, since its hard to describe it over text without the actual card images. But the basis of the game is dragons and heroes fighting one another, if you want to learn it, here ya go https://tesera.ru/images/items...sGambit_Rulebook.pdf

Furnok ends up loosing the first gambit, but it seems like he did it on purpose, to allow the newcomer to win. "See, Your Green Dragon, won that gambit." Just as Furnok says this, he knocks over his ale and it spills over some of the cards, and pools unto the green dragon card, the color of the card shifts in color and the green dragon now appears on a yellow background. "Oh No!" cries the halfling as he quickly rushes to the bar to ask Ostler for a rag to try and save his cards. "This is not good, not good at all, these are expensive." he goes and tries to clean the cards, all but the green dragon card is saved from any damage, but the green dragon card is now stained. Furnok shakes his head. "I'm going to bed." he says.

Korkas had sat down next to the Junior Ranger Hollen hoping to spark up some conversation but he has proven quiet, too quiet for Korkas's taste and he nods to the young ranger "Mourning your friend and mentor. I will leave you in peace."

Korkas rose and walked over to and pulled up a seat next to Zert and waved his hand at Ostler for another drink as he turned to look to Zert "Heard you might be having an Ogre problem did I? Nasty buggers. Momma always said you gotta stick close to their legs and they can't hurt you much." Korkas smiles as the drink is brought over and he takes a drink "Perhaps I can help when it comes time. I can escort you south to seek out this caravan that is missing or perhaps head south for you. Might even convince my new friends to go along if their is some coin in it for them?"

Zert feeling like he is popular looks to the dwarf and listens. "I don't know much about Ogres, other than the horseflesh comment, and that was just what the caravan's leader said after we lost them. I'm gonna go out tomorrow and check for them along the road, but could use some help if your free, I overheard that you and a few others are going north to Deklo Grove tomorrow and seeking out these goblins that stole the wizards book, I can't say that I'd do the same, but then again I try not to worry much about those that I have no knowledge of." he says.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 214):

"Yeah can't travel tomorrow, maybe the day after. Though could be a couple days. But it's safer to travel with others. Trust me." Korkas remarks over a sip of his ale.

The woman looks with wonder at the events that transpired and slowly, like a jagged treacherous crack on a ship's bow, grows a smile. She bids Furnok a farewell "Perhaps we can try this again on another night, the pips seem to be falling on their corners".

With a a graceful litheness to her she stands up and walks over to the two rangers at (^P25,Q25) and lowers her head slightly, seemingly awaiting permission to join them at the table at (^P24)).
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:12, Mon 20 May 2019.

"What time ought we be setting out tomorrow, do you think?"  Virius inquired.  "Goblins aren't terribly fond of sunlight ... perhaps we could use that to our advantage?"

He glanced back at the Olman woman chatting with the rangers.

"She looks like an adventurous sort."  He continued.  "Dangerous in a way that I cannot quite place.  Something of a predatory look to her."

He turned to Althiöf before continuing. "Do your people have much truck with the Olman?  I've never even seen one before."

Robbar and Tomas look up, well they've been watching the strange women the entire time, but they make a point of pretending like they just notice her. The wave her to take a seat. "Have a seat if ya want." says Robbar. Tomas smiles at the newcomer. "Yes please take a seat." he adds. Since your time traveling in most civilized lands, you haven't really been to a place that's been so inviting, the small towns you manage to stay at between here and your home, most were not this pleasant. Robbar takes a drink of his ale. "Don't worry, we're familiar with folk like you, we hang out with the Wood Elves of the Gnarley Forest all the time, you folk would get along well." Robbar says. Tomas looks to his Ranger Friend and lets out an audible sigh and shakes his head. "Really Robbar you are gonna start out like that, telling the women that we're familiar with folk like her, I mean really.."? Tomas says and then looks to Yaotl. "You have to excuse my friend here, sure we've talked to and traded many times with the Sylvan Wood Elves of the Gnarley but I doubt our experience with them, even compares. You will have to excuse us for our lack of knowledge of your heritage and culture." he adds.

The dwarf ordered some dinner.  He was not overly picky, as long as some common meat was involved.

"What...humans?  Sure, we deal with humans."

"If ignorance were something to apologize for then the world would never get on with itself. The birds would fear insulting the fish by not eating them properly. The woods would worry about growing out of shape and not making suitable housing structure. No this thing will come naturally for I plan to be here until called otherwise."
After giving this tirade, nearly to herself, she then remembers to smile and then graciously takes a seat.
"The small man had spoken of you digging recently, I must know if there was anything uncovered. Perhaps of unknown origin. There is something that calls me here.  Oh!", Yaotl remembers with a snap, "pardon me, you must still be in grieving. I haven't given you a gift yet. My eyes are lowered to you."

"Surely we don't all look that similar, master dwarf."  Virius suggested.

"I am Suel."  He says by way of explanation.  "She is Olman.  She's very far from her homeland."

Korkas looked to Zert allowing him to ponder things "As I said, I wouldn't advise travelling alone but you make your own choices. If you need our assistance once we are done. I am sure we can be persuaded. I will leave you be and join my companions again." Korkas nodded, gathered up his mug and headed back towards their crowded table.

He grabbed the bench from the near by table and pulled it closer, the scraping of the wooden bench across the floor breaks up the conversations in the room for a moment. Korkas doesn't notice or doesn't care. Looking to his friends he smiles So about tomorrow, Tesh told me some of the plan. It's not bad. I say we hide our numbers, can hide me in a barrel if you need to. Won't be the first time I will have to hide in a mead barrel..." he shrugs and then continues But anything to give those pesky snot drinking goblins a a target so that we may track em back to where they are hiding."

The Inn

As heard earlier in the evening, The Inn had prepared dinner for the quests. Lamb Mutton with local vegetables and bread. Vesta returned to the kitchen when the dinner orders started rolling in, and prepared plates for those that wanted a hearty dinner. She returned a few minutes later with plates of food, and loaves of bread. Setting them on the tables she makes her way around the room.

The Two Ranger's

The Ranger's look to each other and then to the women before them. "I think you may have us confused, we don't work here, or for Rufus or Burne in the construction of the Keep. We are Rangers of the Gnarley Forest, we are just here to pay our respects for our fallen Lord." Robbar says. Tomas quips in. "She is just confused Robbar, no harm, but my companion is right, we are Rangers, we have nothing to do with the construction of the keep here in Hommlet. You'd have to go ask Rufus and Burne at the Tower." he says.

At the Table

Spugnoir looks to the people at the table and shakes his head. "Look, I appreciate everything that you folks are offering to do for me. Even if my book is lost, this should be a adventure of worth, with Ostler giving a bounty on these goblins. I still feel that I may be a hindrance in my current state without access to my magic, I worry of course for my safety, Should I go with you'all or stay here at the Inn?" asks Spugnoir.

"Choice is yours. Perhaps you want a bit of revenge. Perhaps you just want to see what we can do. And perhaps we may need you for your book. I hear you wizard types keep your books trapped. I don't want no magic trap sprung on me." Korkas remarks as he indicates to Vesta he would like a dinner plate, mutton sounded great after this day. He had a good fight, some good ale and now a good meal.

"You're as close to being brother and sister as Korkas and I are to being brothers.  Neither one of us is from the same part of the world either."

His food having arrived, the dwarf began consuming his dinner.

Spugnoir sighs. "My spellbook was not trapped. That comes later with more power and knowledge, the magics of my Master ended when he passed, and it was his spellbook, I am not of enough power to cast the protection spells on it for myself." he says.

"Of-ofcourse, my apologies. Haste has always been my downfall. Pray tell what happened to your Lord? I've barely been in this town for an hour and I have heard great things about him already." She continues to the Rangers.

Korkas looking to the others as he eats his mutton with one hand, wiping away the grease on his breeches in between bites "So we haven't discussed this. We sat out on the morrow with at ask of hunting goblins. But how good are you at killing if the need arises? Can I count on ye to not run when the trouble starts? Me I've seen plenty of fights. I don't like killing much but we are talking about gobo's here. They soon as kill you if they have had a chance and likely eat ya after. So I'm good with these."

Korkas sets his plate down, wipes his hands clean on his cloak and then pulls out two exquisitely cared for matching daggers with bone handles, a small pommel with a crowned dwarf on each, looking to be razor sharp "Mamma gave em to me. She said they were my grand-fathers."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:10, Tue 21 May 2019.

"I carry a blade,"  The young wizard said indicating the finely crafted weapon — an intricately adorned dagger — on his belt.  "But I fear it has more filigree about it than fillet.  I have never had occasion to draw it from its sheath."

"These ruffians should be no match for my sorcery, though."

Althiöf looked over to Korkas to answer his question.  "I use either daggers or a bow, depending on the situation."

He then returned to eating his dinner.

The Ranger's both nod and Robbar says. "Its understandable. Rufus and Burne have their own Militiamen, so its easy to confuse us." he says. Tomas laughs. "We look nothing like Burne's Badgers!" he says shaking his head. Robbar looks to his companion. "Well, some of them do wear those nice cloaks, similar to ours." he says. Tomas shakes his head. "We are not lucky enough to wear the cloaks that Burnes Badgers wear, not everyone can be gifted Cloaks of Elvenkind." he says.

The Lamb mutton fills your bellies, and from the taste its not half bad. A few of the others in the Inn start departing upstairs to the rooms. Furnok, Turuko & Kobort all head upstairs. Vesta finally gets the nod from Ostler and goes over to Elmo who is passed out near the hearth, and kicks him awake, telling him its time to leave. Elmo staggers to his feet and starts to stumble towards the door. Father Calmert walks over to the groups table. (S24) "Should you leave tomorrow before I wake, May St. Cuthbert bless your journey and ensure a swift victory over these vile creatures." he says, and then gives the group a slight bow and departs the Inn.

"Really? I had no idea that this area was plagued with that much trouble for such garments to be necessary. Has there been stirrings of evil around here? Perhaps I can be of assistance there at least.... until I find my proper callings." She says to Tomas specifically.

Tomas remembers her question from before. "Elkiar Rusman and a group of Ranger's were traveling the roads north of here, near the village of Nulb, when they were attacked. Rusman passed away after he sustained wounds from the fight. Marcan his son in law was there, the two other Ranger's that were with them were killed as well. Marcan says Cultists of Zuggtmoy who wore robes with the symbol is a jawless skull with fungi blooming from within. Its possible that these cultist came from Iuz to the north. Elkiar's wounds festered, at least he died with his family around him. The Church is keeping his body until the funeral." Tomas says.