City of Orussus, The Red Dragon Inn X

[AGFlynn]

Cludge Slatefist

Well then, that's all right, then. I'd never expected the city ta be such a place of quick good companionship. Say, fellers, why'nt we take one o' these here tables and have ourselfs a meal, get all acquainted like.
Cludge motions to an empty table with plenty of seats.
After youse, gentlemen. Now, I like you fellas just fine, I do. I can see you're the right sort, an' I 'preciate ye takin' the time ta talk with the likes o' me. Seems like all we need is someone ta come along an' offer us the right kinda work.
Cludge clumps over to a chair and sits. It creaks ominously.
What kinda work d'ye spose they have around here, anyways? Any orc invasions ya hear tell of? How 'bout bugbears?

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Rasereit Vundinn, Dwarven Barbarian

The tavern door swings open and a large dwarf ambles in. He has long red hair, once braided, now just knotted. On his person, many shiny things glitter magically. His breastplate is etched with a dwarven clan emblem. His hands are protected by gauntlets, both beautiful pieces of work, each with a circular etching on the back depicting a dwarf lifting a mountain. Two finely crafted axes hang from his hips, attached to his belt by leather loops holding the axe heads up. The weapons' edges sparkle keenly.

The blade of the waraxe seems to move against the dwarf's natural motions, as though it thirsts for the blood of the tavern patrons nearby and is only kept at bay by the thick leather strap of its holster. On his back hangs a small, ornate, spiked steel shield. The rim glints with a mystical sparkle, and the helmeted dwarven head behind the vicious spikes of the shield is smiling... and winking?

Around the dwarf's waist is a kilt. Woven into a red and gray plaid pattern, it is clearly very old but also very well kept. A few stitches are evident here and there, probably where an unavoidable dagger made its mark. Rasereit's hairy legs carry a large number of scars, as does his face, small and large and in between. Clearly, he has seen more than his share of conflict.

He bellows loudly, "Me name's Rasereit Vundinn, last o' the Vundinn clan!" he bangs the emblem on his breastplate, "An' Ah'm lookin' fer a halfling to whom Ah owe a few gold. Goes by the name o' 'Ogrin', anybody?" Rasereit looks around expectantly, and then shrugs. His shield frowns. "Looks like Ah'll be stuck 'ere drinkin' fer a while, then!" His shield's expression brightens.

"Who'll be the first to share one o' Joe's Dragonsbreath brews wit' me, eh? Haharr!" Rasereit strides up to the bar and leans over it, holding a very friendly conversation with Joe as the bartender mixes the potent drink.

 

[Rathan]

Rathan would take a seat at the noted table and looked around for a bar maid to place an order to.... he heard the dwarfs questioning about work and turned his head back to speak to him...

" well so far I've only seen one man offering work... and he took five adventurers with him to find a kind of artifact of some sort.... not really my line of work so I stayed here instead... not to mention I'm waiting on a friend of mine from a long while back and I have high hopes he will arrive shortly... he's a friendly fellow but his ways and appearance are.... enuique.." the priest would say and then turn to Gal with a smile.... " Just call me Rathan.. and if you have must priest is fine.... as for work... I know nothing about orcs or the like... though I wouldn't mind ridding this world of a few lesser undead.. I'll tell you that for sure!" and at the mention of undead the priest of Hyrag almost seemed feral.... intent and steadfast as if he hated the beings of undeath with a posessed passion

 

[Rathan]

Rathan would turn his head in the direction of yet another noisey dwarf and half smiled.... Rathan was a kind soul and wondered why the halfling may owe him something.... and speaks his question to the dwarf with no malice intent....

" and how much does this halfling owe you fine dwarf?... if you wish it we have plenty of room here if you wish to join us and keep us entertained with the story of the owed money?" the priest would utter in a soft... calming tone before looking bac to his tablemates with a shrug....

 

[Wik]

Galwynn nods in agreement with cludge at the mention of orcs.

"You know, I can't say I like orcs myself. I know She has a purpose for everything, and all life is sacred... but still..." Galwynn's voice trails off for a moment."I guess I just have a bad history with them."

Sliding into an empty chair, Galwynn motions for Rathan and Rasereit to sit, that melancholic smile again shadowing his face. Softly, almost too softly to be heard, he mutters "A priest, two dwarves, and a fool. I don't care what others say, you do have a sense of humour, don't you, Goddess?"

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

"and how much does this halfling owe you fine dwarf?... if you wish it we have plenty of room here if you wish to join us and keep us entertained with the story of the owed money?"

Rasereit smiles. "Nah, ye got it all backwards, mate. This fine dwarf owes the halfing a few Crowns. D'ye want t'hear the tale?" Razh takes his mug of Dragonsbreath from Joe with a respectful nod. He walks over to the table and clunks down on one of the taller chairs, made for people of shorter stature like himself.

"It all started right 'ere, in this fine establishment. Ogrin an' me were enjoyin' a couple o' pints, not unlike ourselves, when a group o' blokes came in lookin' fer some thugs t'help 'em rescue a damsel in distress. Knowin' there'd be more'n a bit o' coin involved, Ogrin an' meself caught a ride t'Earling. Ye know, the city t'the north, wit' the gladiatorial pits an' all? Wouldn' mind havin' a go in one o' them fights, actually..." Rasereit takes a swig of his drink and the waraxe at his side twitches violently. Ignoring his weapon, Rasereit continues, "Anyway, we got to Earling t'find that the trail 'ad already run cold. Ogrin, me mate, nah he's a master o' the intrigue righ'? So he picked up some rumors an' organized a little ruse to catch the kidnappers at a tavern. We nearly had 'em!" The dwarf swings his mug into the air and little droplets of liquid splash onto the table where they hiss and burn away some of the wood before evaporating into wisps of smoke. "But Zidane, the leader, reco'nized one of us, an' he bolted. We chased 'im on 'orseback a ways, but he got away. Troi Delmontes, 'haps ye've heard o' him? He chased after Zidane while the rest of us followed up a lead we 'ad on the other kidnappers." Rasereit takes another drink.

"We went upstairs an' barged into a private room, not too polite of us, Ah know. Ogrin dove headfirst into an ambush o' five fightin' men. Silly halfling got knocked right out, and then our priest Wil got slashed up bad, too. Ah pushed 'im aside an' took the point." A fierce glint flashes in the dwarf's eyes, and his waraxe begins to quiver. "Ah went in hackin' an' slashing, whirlin' an' twirlin', Ah blocked an' cut an' parried an' fought t'make me way t'me mate, Ogrin. Those men were relentless, Ah got this scar from one wieldin' two swords," he points to a slash on his left collar bone. "Aye, but Ah gave 'im more than just a scar. Ah managed t'get three of 'em, but then one got me right 'ere," he points again, this time lifting his shirt and parting his armor to show his side, where a hideous wound is still healing. "In an' out, floored me, mates." His waraxe goes limp. "'Twasn't pretty, Ah almost didn't get up. But the guards came an' finished off one bloke, an' our companion used some kind o' mind trick to stop the other. Creepy stuff, that is." Rasereit finishes his drink.

"S' anyway, Ogrin an' me made it out o' there, thanks to Wil and some potions, thank the gods for that stuff," he nods to Rathan and Galwynn, "An' we found the princess right there in the next room. Her husband-to-be was righ' pleased, an' we made quite a few pieces o' gold. But Ogrin had t'leave, some pressin' business to attend to here, in Orussus, so Ah held on to some o' his share. Told 'im Ah'd meet 'im here, an' so Ah am. Aye, Ah'm willin' t'hang around fer a while, Ogrin's saved me life more'n once, Ah kin tell ye that."

"You know, I can't say I like orcs myself. I know She has a purpose for everything, and all life is sacred... but still..." Galwynn's voice trails off for a moment."I guess I just have a bad history with them."

The face on Rasereit's shield gets incredibly sad. A golden tear falls from one of the dwarf's eyes. Rasereit's own face adopts a grave look. "Ah know what ye mean, mate. Ah've had a few run-ins wit' the goblinoids as well. But that's a story fer another time, methinks. Ah'm talkin' too much, tell me about yerselves." Rasereit orders another drink from the bar. "Somethin' lighter, Ah think, eh Joe?" The dwarf coughs and shrugs.

 

[Phoenix8008]

The door the the Inn opens yet again and a newcomer steps inside to blink and adjust his eyes to the dimness of the interior. His short red hair and goatee seem well trimmed but his clothing appears somewhat rumpled. What of it can be seen beneath his cloak with it's hood thrown back upon his shoulders. Slender, but not rail thin, the man of average height seems to stare around the room lost in thought for a moment until the bartender clears his throat loudly and points to a sign near the door. Refocusing and reading the sign, the man takes a few more puffs on his pipe before finishing the reading for what must be the third time. Turning slowly about to face the room he lowers his pipe to chest level and walks slowly to the bar. Inclining his head towards Joe, the man says "Greetings to you sir." Then turning to the room in general while leaning upon his walking staff he speaks in a normal volume that still somehow seems to carry through the din so that he is heard clearly by all, "Saithnar is my name."

With the formalities completed, the man takes another puff of his pipe and walks into the room with his staff in one hand and his other hand reaching towards his belt for a small pouch of pipeleaf. Finding a small table to sit alone at near the wall, he sets his backpack on the floor beside and begins to clean out and refill his pipe with a fresh helping of tobacco. Before long, the gauzy clouds of smoke surround him and the sweet smell of it hangs in the air around him. Finally comfortable, he seems to study those in the room around him. Staring at each in turn with his golden eyes piercing the smoke, he cocks his head from side to side at times as if listening to snatches of barely heard conversations...

 

[Wik]

Galwynn listens intently to Rasereit's tale when he notices the newcomer. His eyes neverleaving Rasereit's face, Galwynn gives the newcomer a nod of his head, and pushes out an empty chair from the table he is sitting at.

He smiles sadly as Rasereit calls for a lighterd drink, nodding his head in approval. "I hope you find your friend soon."

 

[AGFlynn]

Cludge Slatefist

Cludge grins and enviously eyes Rasereit's fine gear.
A grand tale, brother! he says.
HERE'S TA GOODDWARF RASEREIT! he shouts hoisting his pint above his head, predictably spilling a stream over those nearby. I'm sure yer friend will appear but momentarily.
He turns to fix Saithnar with a friendly gaze. GREETINGS TO YOU, MASTER SAFEGUARD! Why'nt ya join us o'er here? Blood o' the gods, I never woulda thought the city such a place fer makin' friends aplenty in a hurry.
He leans conspirationally towards Galwynn, saying in a loud, beery whisper: I'm a little bit hard o' hearin' ya know -- did I get the new bloke's name right?
Turning again to Rasereit, he says:
[SBLOCK=Dwarven] A hearty greeting from my clan, The Slatefist, to your clan and homestead. May your axe arm grow strong as the rivers, your heart as deep as the mountain and your beard ever tangle your knees.[/SBLOCK] He bows deeply.

 

[Rathan]

Rathan would move from his seat and knelt next to the dwarf and inspected the still healing wound..... his face saddened as he noted a slight bit of infection yet all in all it wasn't a bad looking wound for it's size.....

" Mmmmm I see this sword got you pretty good friend dwarf.... it does look like you may need the bandages changed though?.... would you mind if I.... hold that thought..." the priest would say as he turned to the newcommer to the Inn with a huge smile.... " apprently my wait for my friend is over Gal..... Saithnar... is that you my old and dear friend?" he would ask as he rose from the dwarfs side for the moment and offered a hand in friendship to Saithnar... a long time friend from his past...