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Shadows of Malboria (The Chronicle of Kurgish -updtd 11/09/05)
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<blockquote data-quote="Sir Brennen" data-source="post: 2033598" data-attributes="member: 553"><p><strong>April 16th 998</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Wheat"><span style="font-size: 22px">W</span></span>e'd traveled the last day and a half slightly off the road, avoiding any incident. Barrick seemed to be feeling better. Marcus cobbled together a wood and stone decoy of the clock which he carried somewhat prominently in the original clock’s sack.</p><p></p><p>By mid-afternoon we had reached the outskirts of Stonehearth. It seems to have a fairly sizeable dwarven population along with human, so all of us would probably blend in fairly well. Just in case anyone was looking for a group of our description, we decide to go in somewhat separate, some of us from another gate. We agreed to meet up at the <strong>Dragontooth Armory</strong>, the smithy of Barrick's cousin <strong>Strom</strong>. On the way over, I noticed an inn across from a park, with the name <strong>"Boar's Tusk"</strong> was carved on the shingle. Maybe this was the place where the clock was supposed to be delivered?</p><p></p><p>Cousin Strom was a good host, even with the humans, and offered us a little food and drink. Barrick filled his kin in on why we were currently traveling together, omitting the information about Handel's timepiece. We asked him about places in town with "boar" in the name - inns, jewelers, and even clockmakers. The inn we spied earlier was the only one he could think of. </p><p></p><p>Thanking him, we headed over to the Boar's Tusk to see if we could figure out to whom the clock is to be delivered. Our plan, devised on the way over, was to simply ask at the desk if anyone was expecting a package from points west of Ash Lane, claiming ignorance of recipient and sender. The ruse didn’ go far, as the desk clerk is unaware of anyone looking for such a package. </p><p></p><p>The backup plan of the humans involved chatting to random strangers in the bar area, trying to drop subtle inquiries about the package without tipping our hand regarding its contents or previous owner. Father Al's approach involved joining a table with a card game going. Go figure. We dwarves decided to go back and talk to Strom, taking the clock and filling him in on the whole story this time. </p><p></p><p>On the way there, I asked Barrick if making horseshoes is really what he wants to do with his life. "Watching you jump into those fights with the gray guys and the spider thing, you seem meant more for swinging that axe than a blacksmith's hammer."</p><p></p><p>"I mean, the reason I ask," I explained "I'm looking for others to join up with to do a little more high-risk work, to build up <em>a lot</em> of cash for some things I need to care of back home. Being a fellow dwarf, you're the first person I've made this suggestion to. Originally, my plan was to hook up with a mercenary guild, but that wouldn't pay as well as doing specialty jobs with just a few talented individuals."</p><p></p><p>I paused. "Maybe even a couple of the others that came on the coach might be up for it. Father Al will certainly need some extra cash, if he keeps gambling like that. That Charlotte girl seems a pretty good shot with her crossbow and magic bolts. And Marcus might seem a little shifty, but sometimes you need shifty."</p><p></p><p>"What type of action you talk'n bout Kurgish?" he responded. "Whose head you want to beat in? I mean, my cousin has offered me a job here making some money while being apprenticed to him, but I’m not sure if I’m up for that kinda change... coming from the army and all." He eyes had a far-off look for a moment, as if he were remembering a more gratifying time in his life. My suspicions were correct.</p><p></p><p>"I haven't gotten anything specific in mind yet. I'm hoping this clock thing will lead to a reward to tide me over 'til something big comes along. Maybe the guy it goes to will need bodyguards." I stopped and looked at him. "Right now I'd rather not discuss my long-term plans, but rest-assured, they're in the interest of all dwarves. If we both live that long, I'll let you in on the all details."</p><p></p><p>"It won't take much prodding to get me to join up," he said, eyes focused again and evidently curious, "if there is a living to be had in what you are proposing. I could use a couple more notches in me axe handle ... to take the pain away." Now his gaze turned downward, an expression of shame on his face. What's this? I thought. Best not to pry. "But you let me know if I have a job with you and I will talk with me cousin."</p><p></p><p>"Well, it's good to know you're interested." I clapped him on the back, and we walked on.</p><p></p><p>Explaining the whole story to Strom didn't help much. We admitted we hadn't told him everything before to try and keep him from becoming too involved, for his own safety. Now we had to try every possible lead we could think of.</p><p></p><p>While we were there, Barrick and I again toyed with the idea of winding the clock, to see what would happen. Then I remembered the skull on Handel's ring. Did that mean he was one of those wizards that dealt with the dead? Maybe it was best not to wind it, after all.</p><p></p><p>We headed back over to the Boar's Tusk, where everyone was still carousing, though not having much luck in finding out anything. </p><p></p><p>Charlotte apparently had attempted to use her feminine wiles on a few bar patrons to get them to talk, but I don't think it was conversation they were interested in. Her frustration evident, Marcus said something I missed that pushed her over the edge. She stormed out of the dining area, and checked herself into a room upstairs. I'm not certain what motivated Marcus to tease her so. Brotherly protectiveness? Something else? There's definitely a strange tension in their relationship I haven't figured out yet.</p><p></p><p>Barrick obviously had been to long without good ale, and failing to convince the waitress to bring a keg to the table, settled on downing several pitchers in succession. Father Al, meanwhile, had been playing cards steadily, seeming to win as much as he lost, but not discovering any helpful information.</p><p></p><p>As the evening wound down, we decided to go ahead and get rooms there at the inn, since Charlotte had already checked in. Besides, how else was the shadow elf going to find us?</p><p></p><p>Walking upstairs, someone idly mentioned we wished there were a way to determine who else was sharing the third floor with us, when Barrick stumbled ahead and began banging on a door. He drunkenly apologized to the sleepy man who answered, claiming he wasn't able to find his room. He then stumbled on to the next door.</p><p></p><p>Even though we were thus satisfied that no one on the floor was gray, we gave in to our paranoia and worked out watches. Then, going to our respective rooms, we settled in for the night.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sir Brennen, post: 2033598, member: 553"] [b]April 16th 998[/b] [color=Wheat][size=6]W[/size][/color]e'd traveled the last day and a half slightly off the road, avoiding any incident. Barrick seemed to be feeling better. Marcus cobbled together a wood and stone decoy of the clock which he carried somewhat prominently in the original clock’s sack. By mid-afternoon we had reached the outskirts of Stonehearth. It seems to have a fairly sizeable dwarven population along with human, so all of us would probably blend in fairly well. Just in case anyone was looking for a group of our description, we decide to go in somewhat separate, some of us from another gate. We agreed to meet up at the [b]Dragontooth Armory[/b], the smithy of Barrick's cousin [b]Strom[/b]. On the way over, I noticed an inn across from a park, with the name [b]"Boar's Tusk"[/b] was carved on the shingle. Maybe this was the place where the clock was supposed to be delivered? Cousin Strom was a good host, even with the humans, and offered us a little food and drink. Barrick filled his kin in on why we were currently traveling together, omitting the information about Handel's timepiece. We asked him about places in town with "boar" in the name - inns, jewelers, and even clockmakers. The inn we spied earlier was the only one he could think of. Thanking him, we headed over to the Boar's Tusk to see if we could figure out to whom the clock is to be delivered. Our plan, devised on the way over, was to simply ask at the desk if anyone was expecting a package from points west of Ash Lane, claiming ignorance of recipient and sender. The ruse didn’ go far, as the desk clerk is unaware of anyone looking for such a package. The backup plan of the humans involved chatting to random strangers in the bar area, trying to drop subtle inquiries about the package without tipping our hand regarding its contents or previous owner. Father Al's approach involved joining a table with a card game going. Go figure. We dwarves decided to go back and talk to Strom, taking the clock and filling him in on the whole story this time. On the way there, I asked Barrick if making horseshoes is really what he wants to do with his life. "Watching you jump into those fights with the gray guys and the spider thing, you seem meant more for swinging that axe than a blacksmith's hammer." "I mean, the reason I ask," I explained "I'm looking for others to join up with to do a little more high-risk work, to build up [i]a lot[/i] of cash for some things I need to care of back home. Being a fellow dwarf, you're the first person I've made this suggestion to. Originally, my plan was to hook up with a mercenary guild, but that wouldn't pay as well as doing specialty jobs with just a few talented individuals." I paused. "Maybe even a couple of the others that came on the coach might be up for it. Father Al will certainly need some extra cash, if he keeps gambling like that. That Charlotte girl seems a pretty good shot with her crossbow and magic bolts. And Marcus might seem a little shifty, but sometimes you need shifty." "What type of action you talk'n bout Kurgish?" he responded. "Whose head you want to beat in? I mean, my cousin has offered me a job here making some money while being apprenticed to him, but I’m not sure if I’m up for that kinda change... coming from the army and all." He eyes had a far-off look for a moment, as if he were remembering a more gratifying time in his life. My suspicions were correct. "I haven't gotten anything specific in mind yet. I'm hoping this clock thing will lead to a reward to tide me over 'til something big comes along. Maybe the guy it goes to will need bodyguards." I stopped and looked at him. "Right now I'd rather not discuss my long-term plans, but rest-assured, they're in the interest of all dwarves. If we both live that long, I'll let you in on the all details." "It won't take much prodding to get me to join up," he said, eyes focused again and evidently curious, "if there is a living to be had in what you are proposing. I could use a couple more notches in me axe handle ... to take the pain away." Now his gaze turned downward, an expression of shame on his face. What's this? I thought. Best not to pry. "But you let me know if I have a job with you and I will talk with me cousin." "Well, it's good to know you're interested." I clapped him on the back, and we walked on. Explaining the whole story to Strom didn't help much. We admitted we hadn't told him everything before to try and keep him from becoming too involved, for his own safety. Now we had to try every possible lead we could think of. While we were there, Barrick and I again toyed with the idea of winding the clock, to see what would happen. Then I remembered the skull on Handel's ring. Did that mean he was one of those wizards that dealt with the dead? Maybe it was best not to wind it, after all. We headed back over to the Boar's Tusk, where everyone was still carousing, though not having much luck in finding out anything. Charlotte apparently had attempted to use her feminine wiles on a few bar patrons to get them to talk, but I don't think it was conversation they were interested in. Her frustration evident, Marcus said something I missed that pushed her over the edge. She stormed out of the dining area, and checked herself into a room upstairs. I'm not certain what motivated Marcus to tease her so. Brotherly protectiveness? Something else? There's definitely a strange tension in their relationship I haven't figured out yet. Barrick obviously had been to long without good ale, and failing to convince the waitress to bring a keg to the table, settled on downing several pitchers in succession. Father Al, meanwhile, had been playing cards steadily, seeming to win as much as he lost, but not discovering any helpful information. As the evening wound down, we decided to go ahead and get rooms there at the inn, since Charlotte had already checked in. Besides, how else was the shadow elf going to find us? Walking upstairs, someone idly mentioned we wished there were a way to determine who else was sharing the third floor with us, when Barrick stumbled ahead and began banging on a door. He drunkenly apologized to the sleepy man who answered, claiming he wasn't able to find his room. He then stumbled on to the next door. Even though we were thus satisfied that no one on the floor was gray, we gave in to our paranoia and worked out watches. Then, going to our respective rooms, we settled in for the night. [/QUOTE]
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