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<blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 457768" data-attributes="member: 2292">Monday, August 14th, 518 AF, Continued Durhon walks cloaser to the black-armored human, noting the dwarf-forged longsword resting by the warriors chair.&nbsp; The tall man doesn't look in good shape - his eyes are already red and bleary from ale, and his close-cropped hair is almost as chaotic and random as Durhon's own.&nbsp; The man in black is staring at the exchange between Yip and the gnome, squinting over his mug of all with an expression of intense concentration.&quot;Hey,&quot; Durhon barks.&nbsp; He pulls a chair closer to the table and sits down.&nbsp; The human turns his gaze to him, stares for a few seconds, then returns his attention to Yip.&quot;It's a kobold,&quot; he mumbles under his breath.&nbsp; Durhon looks over his shoulder.&quot;Seems so,&quot; he agrees.The human straightens slightly.&nbsp; His reddened nose twitches slightly as he seems to notice Durhon's odour for the first time, but he manages to hide the expression well.&quot;It's a kobold,&quot; he repeats.&nbsp; &quot;But it's not evil?&quot;&quot;Aye,&quot; Durhon agrees.&nbsp; &quot;Maybe.&nbsp; It's well-trained, at least.&quot;&quot;How?&quot; the human asks.&nbsp; &quot;My vision has been failing me of late, clouding more and more as the days go by, but surely...&quot;his musing is interupted as Durhon spits out a cloud of watery ale, his expression suddenly irate.&quot;Grash!&quot; he curses.&nbsp; &quot;You're a paladin.&quot;The dark-haired man nods.&quot;I am Xoad, Paladin of Heironous,&quot; he says.&nbsp; He offers a hand over the table.&quot;I didn't think you could drink ale,&quot; Durhon accuses.&nbsp; Xoad shrugs.&quot;I've never stopped.&nbsp; Heironous has always seen fit to grant me his powers, no matter how much I drink.&quot;Xoad gives a sudden hiccup.&quot;Although occasionally his faith in me does seem to waver.&quot;Durhon takes a few moments to absorb this information, eventually draining his ale and holding up two fingers to order more.&quot;I'm Durhon,&quot; he says, shaking the paladins hand.&nbsp; &quot;Soldier.&nbsp; Retired.&quot;He finds it hard to avoid spitting out the last word in disgust.&quot;You're a vetran of the Trollmists?&quot; Xoad asks.&quot;Yah.&quot;&quot;An ugly war,&quot; Xoad agrees.&nbsp; &quot;I spent six months there, in the initial campaign, before the Heironous visions called me away and the church excused me from service.&quot;&quot;There were ogres to kill,&quot; Durhon grunts.&nbsp; &quot;It wasn't all bad.&nbsp; It was more interesting than here.&nbsp; You know much about the area?&quot;Xoad shrugs.&nbsp; The barkeep arrives with another two ales, places them in front of the paladin and the dwarf.&quot;You hear anything about this temple?&quot; Durhon asks.&nbsp; &quot;Is it really as empty as everyone says?&nbsp; Nothing nasty lurking in the basement?&quot;&quot;It's empty,&quot; Xoad states simply.&nbsp; &quot;I go out there every now and then, but there's nothing there.&nbsp; Hobgoblins in the upper levels, little more than bandits.&quot;&quot;Hobgoblins are something.&quot;&quot;Not enough,&quot; Xoad grumbles.&nbsp; &quot;Heironous sent me here chasing a vision of fire and blood.&nbsp; The end of the world.&nbsp; There is nothing but hobgob...er, I think your kobold may be in trouble.&quot;Durhon turns around in time to see Yip straighten and agree to the gnomes conditions.&nbsp; &quot;What's the smelly runt up too now?&quot;The robed kobold backs away, standing in the centre of the taproom with a calm expression on his face.&nbsp; At the same time, the gnome plucks a dagger from his belt and starts chanting, pulling a tiny wooden target from a belt-pouch.&nbsp; Within seconds, the dagger is suddenly shimmering with magical energy.&quot;Thrown like any other dagger I'd throw,&quot; the gnome smirks.&nbsp; Yip looks at the amber glow surrounding the dagger's blade and feels a brief moment of panic.&nbsp; The gnomes throw is clumsy, but the magic guides the dagger true.&nbsp; Yip's concentration shatters, sudden images of the dagger point cutting through an eye-ball or chest scale filling his head.&nbsp; He lets out a momentary yelp of fear, his hands moving in a trained reflex.&nbsp; There is a flash of pain, and he looks down to see the dagger sticking through one of his scaly paws.&nbsp; It hurts immensely, but Yip is willing to accept it as the lesser of two evils.&nbsp; He summons as much willpower as he can to avoid grimacing in pain.&quot;My gold coin?&quot; he asks through gritted teeth.&nbsp; The gnome is grinning widely as he pays.&quot;Well worth it,&quot; the gnome tells him.&nbsp; &quot;Come back any time.&quot;Yip accepts his coin and walks over to the table with Durhon and Xoad.&nbsp; His hand is bleeding profusely, and he tries to stem it with the sash from his robe.Durhon looks down at him as he arrives.&quot;Idiot,&quot; he grunts.&nbsp; Yip tries to look unconcerned as he sits.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="arwink, post: 457768, member: 2292"] [I]Monday, August 14th, 518 AF, Continued [/I] Durhon walks cloaser to the black-armored human, noting the dwarf-forged longsword resting by the warriors chair. The tall man doesn't look in good shape - his eyes are already red and bleary from ale, and his close-cropped hair is almost as chaotic and random as Durhon's own. The man in black is staring at the exchange between Yip and the gnome, squinting over his mug of all with an expression of intense concentration. "Hey," Durhon barks. He pulls a chair closer to the table and sits down. The human turns his gaze to him, stares for a few seconds, then returns his attention to Yip. "It's a kobold," he mumbles under his breath. Durhon looks over his shoulder. "Seems so," he agrees. The human straightens slightly. His reddened nose twitches slightly as he seems to notice Durhon's odour for the first time, but he manages to hide the expression well. "It's a kobold," he repeats. "But it's not evil?" "Aye," Durhon agrees. "Maybe. It's well-trained, at least." "How?" the human asks. "My vision has been failing me of late, clouding more and more as the days go by, but surely..." his musing is interupted as Durhon spits out a cloud of watery ale, his expression suddenly irate. "Grash!" he curses. "You're a paladin." The dark-haired man nods. "I am Xoad, Paladin of Heironous," he says. He offers a hand over the table. "I didn't think you could drink ale," Durhon accuses. Xoad shrugs. "I've never stopped. Heironous has always seen fit to grant me his powers, no matter how much I drink." Xoad gives a sudden hiccup. "Although occasionally his faith in me does seem to waver." Durhon takes a few moments to absorb this information, eventually draining his ale and holding up two fingers to order more. "I'm Durhon," he says, shaking the paladins hand. "Soldier. Retired." He finds it hard to avoid spitting out the last word in disgust. "You're a vetran of the Trollmists?" Xoad asks. "Yah." "An ugly war," Xoad agrees. "I spent six months there, in the initial campaign, before the Heironous visions called me away and the church excused me from service." "There were ogres to kill," Durhon grunts. "It wasn't all bad. It was more interesting than here. You know much about the area?" Xoad shrugs. The barkeep arrives with another two ales, places them in front of the paladin and the dwarf. "You hear anything about this temple?" Durhon asks. "Is it really as empty as everyone says? Nothing nasty lurking in the basement?" "It's empty," Xoad states simply. "I go out there every now and then, but there's nothing there. Hobgoblins in the upper levels, little more than bandits." "Hobgoblins are something." "Not enough," Xoad grumbles. "Heironous sent me here chasing a vision of fire and blood. The end of the world. There is nothing but hobgob...er, I think your kobold may be in trouble." Durhon turns around in time to see Yip straighten and agree to the gnomes conditions. "What's the smelly runt up too now?" The robed kobold backs away, standing in the centre of the taproom with a calm expression on his face. At the same time, the gnome plucks a dagger from his belt and starts chanting, pulling a tiny wooden target from a belt-pouch. Within seconds, the dagger is suddenly shimmering with magical energy. "Thrown like any other dagger I'd throw," the gnome smirks. Yip looks at the amber glow surrounding the dagger's blade and feels a brief moment of panic. The gnomes throw is clumsy, but the magic guides the dagger true. Yip's concentration shatters, sudden images of the dagger point cutting through an eye-ball or chest scale filling his head. He lets out a momentary yelp of fear, his hands moving in a trained reflex. There is a flash of pain, and he looks down to see the dagger sticking through one of his scaly paws. It hurts immensely, but Yip is willing to accept it as the lesser of two evils. He summons as much willpower as he can to avoid grimacing in pain. "My gold coin?" he asks through gritted teeth. The gnome is grinning widely as he pays. "Well worth it," the gnome tells him. "Come back any time." Yip accepts his coin and walks over to the table with Durhon and Xoad. His hand is bleeding profusely, and he tries to stem it with the sash from his robe. Durhon looks down at him as he arrives. "Idiot," he grunts. Yip tries to look unconcerned as he sits. [/QUOTE]

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