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Message: <blockquote data-quote="industrygothica" data-source="post: 5168267" data-attributes="member: 23298">As the night wore on Baern grew restless.  He tried to sleep, but bloody images of friend and foe stole all hope of a peaceful night’s rest.  Soon those thoughts morphed into images from his past, memories he’d tried to put behind him, but still they crept in…and even more frequently, it seemed, as of late.  And suddenly another memory found its way home, and Baern shot upright, snatching his coin purse from a nearby table and stealing out into the darkening night.“Not used to seein’ those of your, uh…station, in an establishment like this, Sir,” the wiry shop owner said.  “What can I offer you?”The dwarf looked about cautiously and came a bit closer. “Meself and your own need be the only ones knowin’ about this, ye hear?” Baern’s eyes bore deep into the man, leaving only the obvious answer.  “Right then,” he continued, and hefted his purse onto the countertop. “Whutcha got?”Baern kept to the shadows on the way back to his house.  His many pockets were each stuffed with individual packages of powder, and he balanced a heavy-looking barrel on his shoulder.  He eyed his surroundings cautiously as he approached his house, and when he was sure no one else was about, quickly keyed the entrance.Moments later Baern was unarmored and shirtless.  And drunk.  The hearth fire was settling, and the various powders were arranged on a low table in neat, divided rows.“’At oughtta do it,” he said aloud to himself.  He checked the curtain again in case a breeze had blown it open since the last time, and finally sat on his knees in front of the table.His hands shook as he took up the first line, and he followed it with splash of mead.  He repeated the process one by one until not a trace of the powder remained.  He wiped away a tear and the sinus draining from his nose as the memories flooded him, taking him back through years long forgotten, stolen by violence and death.Finally the barrel was empty, and Baern slept as the burning embers worked on through the night.</blockquote>

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