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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3330772" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. <span style="color: Orange">“I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. <span style="color: Plum">“The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. <span style="color: Plum">“I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus replied quickly. <span style="color: Lightblue">“So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis grinned with excitement. <span style="color: Orange">“And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him.</p><p></p><p>They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block.</p><p></p><p>Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, <em>Shrouded Tenor.</em> Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders.</p><p></p><p>Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the <em>Shrouded Tenor.</em>”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. <span style="color: LightBlue">“By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!”</span> Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment.</p><p></p><p>Rhema looked less than pleased. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Muscular buffoons, both of you!”</span> Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway.</p><p></p><p>Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. <span style="color: Orange">“Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. <span style="color: Plum">“I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. <span style="color: Orange">“Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!”</span> Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look.</p><p></p><p>The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well.</p><p></p><p>Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving.</p><p></p><p>The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. <span style="color: Lime">“The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“What? I thought it was a joke.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. <span style="color: Lime">“A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus shook his head slowly. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. <span style="color: Plum">“And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.”</span></p><p></p><p>The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. <span style="color: Lime">“I got you better than you thought, girl!”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. <span style="color: Lime">“My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.”</span></p><p></p><p>The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. <span style="color: Lime">“And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either.</p><p></p><p>Wolf pointed to an empty table. <span style="color: Lime">“How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. <span style="color: LightBlue">“If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.”</span></p><p></p><p>The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well.</p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!”</p><p></p><p>Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. “The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. “Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. “I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. “The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus replied quickly. “So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.”</p><p></p><p>Charis grinned with excitement. “And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him.</p><p></p><p>They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block.</p><p></p><p>Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, Shrouded Tenor. Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. “This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?”</p><p></p><p>Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders.</p><p></p><p>Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. “Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the Shrouded Tenor.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. “By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!” Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment.</p><p></p><p>Rhema looked less than pleased. “Muscular buffoons, both of you!” Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. “You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway.</p><p></p><p>Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. “Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. “I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.”</p><p></p><p>Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. “Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!” Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look.</p><p></p><p>The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well.</p><p></p><p>Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving.</p><p></p><p>The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. “The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. “What? I thought it was a joke.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. “A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. “Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus shook his head slowly. “Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. “But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. “And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?”</p><p></p><p>Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. “I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.”</p><p></p><p>The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. “I got you better than you thought, girl!”</p><p></p><p>Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. “My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.”</p><p></p><p>The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. “And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either.</p><p></p><p>Wolf pointed to an empty table. “How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. “If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.”</p><p></p><p>The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well.</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3330772, member: 35788"] Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. [Color=Orange]“I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!”[/Color] Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. [Color=Plum]“The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!”[/Color] Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. [Color=LightBlue]“Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.”[/Color] Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. [Color=Plum]“I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.”[/Color] Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. [Color=PaleGreen]“The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.”[/Color] Ischarus replied quickly. [Color=Lightblue]“So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.”[/Color] Charis grinned with excitement. [Color=Orange]“And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.”[/Color] Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him. They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block. Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, [I]Shrouded Tenor.[/I] Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. [Color=PaleGreen]“This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?”[/Color] Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders. Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. [Color=PaleGreen]“Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the [I]Shrouded Tenor.[/I]”[/Color] Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. [Color=LightBlue]“By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!”[/Color] Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment. Rhema looked less than pleased. [Color=PaleGreen]“Muscular buffoons, both of you!”[/Color] Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. [Color=PaleGreen]“You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.”[/Color] Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway. Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. [Color=Orange]“Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.”[/Color] Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. [Color=Plum]“I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.”[/Color] Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. [Color=Orange]“Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!”[/Color] Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look. The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well. Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving. The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end. The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. [Color=Lime]“The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.”[/Color] Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. [Color=PaleGreen]“What? I thought it was a joke.”[/Color] Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. [Color=Lime]“A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.”[/Color] Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. [Color=PaleGreen]“Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.”[/Color] Ischarus shook his head slowly. [Color=LightBlue]“Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.”[/Color] Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. [Color=PaleGreen]“But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.”[/Color] Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. [Color=Plum]“And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?”[/Color] Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. [Color=PaleGreen]“I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.”[/Color] The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. [Color=Lime]“I got you better than you thought, girl!”[/Color] Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. [Color=Lime]“My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.”[/Color] The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. [Color=Lime]“And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.”[/Color] Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either. Wolf pointed to an empty table. [Color=Lime]“How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?”[/Color] Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. [Color=LightBlue]“If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.”[/Color] The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well. [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!” Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. “The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!” Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. “Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.” Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. “I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.” Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. “The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.” Ischarus replied quickly. “So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.” Charis grinned with excitement. “And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.” Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him. They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block. Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, Shrouded Tenor. Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. “This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?” Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders. Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. “Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the Shrouded Tenor.” Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. “By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!” Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment. Rhema looked less than pleased. “Muscular buffoons, both of you!” Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. “You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.” Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway. Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. “Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.” Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. “I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.” Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. “Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!” Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look. The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well. Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving. The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end. The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. “The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.” Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. “What? I thought it was a joke.” Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. “A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.” Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. “Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.” Ischarus shook his head slowly. “Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.” Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. “But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.” Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. “And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?” Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. “I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.” The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. “I got you better than you thought, girl!” Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. “My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.” The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. “And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.” Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either. Wolf pointed to an empty table. “How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?” Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. “If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.” The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well. [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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