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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1729998" data-attributes="member: 5203">Trouble at Grog'sThe spring festival came and went all too quickly, and the students found themselves trudging slowly back to the Tower to resume their studies.&nbsp; Shilsen started with another week of book study, and then switched gears unexpectedly.&nbsp; He told the students to come to one of the simulation rooms with all their gear, and for the next week put them through endurance training, having them travel from dawn to dusk in a variety of simulated terrains.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; On the evening of the fifth day, as the group sat around soaking their feet in a small mountain stream, Shilsen suddenly walked out from behind a large elm tree.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m here to inform you that your next exam will be held tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow evening, at the end of your day’s march,” Shilsen paused long enough to let them groan at the thought of another day of hiking, “you will come into a small town.&nbsp; You are to go to the inn there, and your next scenario will begin there.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Excuse me, sir,” asked Tolly, raising his hand, “but what is the purpose of beginning the exam after the endurance training?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shilsen almost smiled.&nbsp; “One of the facts noted during this group’s first exam was that despite the fact that the scenario began at dusk, and it had been implied during the exam that the group had been traveling from a considerable distance, the group immediately launched into activity.&nbsp; While such initiative must be commended, it was felt that fatigue would have to be added in as a factor in order to give the students the opportunity to see how it might affect their decision making.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The next day they group gathered at the simulation chamber, and as it faded into a worn dirt road cutting through a sparse forest, they began walking.&nbsp; They were surprised to see that today Osborn had been allowed to bring his dog, Rupert, which eased the hin’s burden considerably.&nbsp; Arrie was leading a large white horse, which she called ‘Ghost’, and had filled its saddlebags with extra equipment.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As they walked, Tolly kept his eyes open, trying to get a sense of how the party members related.&nbsp; He saw that Autumn and Arrie stuck close together, conversing in low voices.&nbsp; He couldn’t help but admire the workmanship on Autumn’s full plate armor, which had apparently been a reward she’d earned after the first exam.&nbsp; She’d been a bit awkward in it at first, but quickly adapted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; These two, however, seemed to be the only ones that engaged in any consistent conversation.&nbsp; The others milled about, occasionally asking questions or commenting on a bit of passing scenery, but little else.&nbsp; Tolly saw that Arrie would occasionally speak with other group members, but Autumn was less likely to do so.&nbsp; Lanara had developed the habit of playing what she called “traveling music” on her flute, the mellow tones of the simple reed instrument echoing through the hills.&nbsp; While he couldn’t deny that the tunes were pleasant, they also kept the cansin from conversing much.&nbsp; Osborn seemed far more connected to his riding dog than anyone else, but opportunity for conversation was limited in that relationship.&nbsp; Xu was quiet as well, but seemed to be at ease with this, contenting herself with observing the world around her.&nbsp; The elf Kavan was strangely unreadable, making it difficult to tell how he related to the others.&nbsp; Kyle seemed the most uncomfortable at the lack of communication, but also seemed to be at a loss on what to do about it.&nbsp; Tolly assumed that this lack of communication and camaraderie was due to the group’s relatively short time together as well as underlying tension regarding the upcoming exam.&nbsp; Nevertheless, Tolly had trouble relating to this phenomenon.&nbsp; He’d never had difficulty in finding common interest among his brethren at the Church.&nbsp; Perhaps the lack of a common faith was the missing ingredient.&nbsp; Tolly mulled this over as a topic for future discussion.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Just as the afternoon sun touched the tops of the trees, the group came upon a cluster of small buildings on the bank of a small river.&nbsp; A large, dagger-shaped stone outcropping jutted from the center of the river.&nbsp; They guessed that the town was occupied no more than three hundred souls at best.&nbsp; Beyond the town they saw several fields stretching out into the hills, freshly furrowed after the recent spring planting.&nbsp; At the near edge of town, they saw a large, two-storied building whose windows glowed with firelight.&nbsp; The party moved into town, assuming this building was their destination.&nbsp; Just outside of town, a wooden sign read “Welcome to Dagger Rock”.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party proceeded toward the large building.&nbsp; They began to hear the shouts of laughter and merrymaking from several yards away.&nbsp; A wooden sign above the door read “The Happy Half-Ogre” and just below it, the phrase “Touched welcome”.&nbsp; There had been a crude attempt to carve the letters “UN” just before the word ‘welcome’, but it had been mostly obscured.&nbsp; The party looked at one another, then walked in.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They were immediately greeted by the sight of a glowering, eight-foot tall figure at the door.&nbsp; The massive brute had flame-yellow hair, and dark eyes.&nbsp; The brute regarded the group coldly for a minute, then broke into a wide grin, showing teeth as yellow as his hair.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Welcome to the Happy Half-Ogre,” he said.&nbsp; “Name’s Grog, the owner of this fine establishment.&nbsp; Sorry about that bit before, but we needs to keep out the riff-raff, ‘specially those adventurer types.”&nbsp; Grog guffawed loudly, slapping a meaty hand against his thigh.&nbsp; “Ah, I’m just havin’ fun with ye!&nbsp; Everyone’s welcome here.&nbsp; There’s still a table or two at the back, the music’s lively, the food’s hot, and the mugs are as bottomless as yer coin purse.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The group shuffled through the crowded inn, finding a circular table in the far corner.&nbsp; The building looked capable of holding nearly a hundred people at a time, and it seemed as though that many were in here.&nbsp; As they moved past the locals, they saw with some surprise that a table full of orcs sat at another corner, huddled over drinks*.&nbsp; Kavan eyed the group suspiciously, inspecting their gleaming scimitars and wondering what sinister surprises lay within the folds of their white desert robes.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A few minutes after settling in, a tired but still friendly-looking serving girl made her way to the table.&nbsp; “Good evening, my name’s Mary,” said the human woman.&nbsp; “I’ll be happy to take your orders now.&nbsp; Fair warning, we’re fairly busy tonight, so it may take me a while to get back to you.&nbsp; I’d recommend ordering a lot now.”&nbsp; She gave Tolly a sly wink, to which he did not react.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Bring meals for everyone, as well as dwarven ale,” said Autumn unexpectedly, tossing Mary a small sack of coins.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Tea for me,” interrupted Xu, “and no meat, if you please.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ll see what I can do,” Mary said.&nbsp; “Anything else?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn turned to her sister.&nbsp; “Ariadne, do you require anything else?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mary left as soon as Arrie shook her head ‘no’.&nbsp; It took a moment for the rest of them to wrap their heads around the name ‘Ariadne’, as they’d never heard her full name used before.&nbsp; Autumn stood up as soon as Mary left.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I will go see Grog about getting rooms,” she said, walking away.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kavan stood up as well.&nbsp; “I’m going to go see if I can hear what those orcs are discussing.&nbsp; Something about them makes me nervous.” He crossed through the busy room and took up a position near the orc’s table, trying to look as if he were watching the stage.&nbsp; A young, pretty elven woman was singing and dancing up there, accompanied by the shouts of the inn’s patrons.&nbsp; The girl had a fair amount of talent, though much of the crowd’s reaction was probably based on the fact that her dancing could best be described as ‘bouncy’ and her clothing did little to hide that.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn returned to the table and announced that she’d acquired a common room for them to sleep in.&nbsp; “I have also obtained a separate room for you, milady,” she said, nodding to Arrie.&nbsp; Again, the others looked at each other uncertainly.&nbsp; While this would be the first time they had had to make sleeping arrangements as a group, and so really couldn’t say that Arrie having her own separate room was unusual, it didn’t seem to fit the exotic warrior’s demeanor.&nbsp; For her part, Arrie said nothing either way.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Most of the group ended up wandering around in the Happy Half-Ogre while waiting for their food to arrive.&nbsp; Tolly and Osborn went to examine an enormous double-headed battleaxe hanging over the bar, flanked by two equally large shields.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Think they belong to Grog?” Osborn asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly shook his head.&nbsp; “Far too large, even for him.&nbsp; There are runes carved on the weapon, but I don’t recognize them.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn squinted at the faint lines.&nbsp; “I think I’ve seen similar writing before,” the hin said.&nbsp; “Giantish – probably a frost giant dialect.&nbsp; No idea what it says, thought it’s probably just the name of the weapon; ‘Icepick’ or something like that.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kavan spent several minutes trying to eavesdrop on the orcs, but after a few minutes they seemed to quiet down, as if they knew they were being observed.&nbsp; Sullenly, Kavan went back to the table to sit.&nbsp; Lanara, meanwhile, had gone to speak with the elven performer, whose name was Salae, and ask permission to play for a short while.&nbsp; Salae agreed, and Lanara ended up playing twice that evening for the rowdy crowd.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle attempted to engage Autumn in conversation.&nbsp; “So, anyway, thanks for getting the food and rooms.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You’re welcome,” she replied.&nbsp; “It was surprisingly inexpensive, really.&nbsp; Grog’s prices are much lower than most places like this I’ve been to.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I’m sorry you missed us during Earthturning.&nbsp; We had a good time that first night.”&nbsp; Kyle took a long draw from his mug.&nbsp; Mary had brought several tankards over in order to keep the table happy, and with most of their companions wandering about, there were plenty for the taking.&nbsp; “We all had a good talk.”&nbsp; He blinked, then leaned in closer to the sentinel.&nbsp; “So, how come you came to the school?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I follow my lady,” Autumn replied.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, but you’re enrolled in the classes too.&nbsp; So you must have something personal you’re after from the Tower.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; She paused before answering.&nbsp; “I seek… experience.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle blinked again, then shrugged.&nbsp; “Okay, then.&nbsp; So, what exactly is a sentinel?&nbsp; I’ve heard you’re kind of like a paladin, but different.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yes, that is fairly accurate.&nbsp; My order devotes itself to combating outsiders, specifically demons and devils.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I’ve never met a demon or a devil before, but I’m sure they need fighting,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “So, you get much of a chance to smite demons following your sister around?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn smiled slightly.&nbsp; “My sister is very adventurous.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; By this time Tolly and Osborn had returned to the table.&nbsp; Kyle’s attention had been diverted by Lanara’s performance.&nbsp; Tolly looked over at Autumn, and smiled sympathetically.&nbsp; “He did the same thing to all of us the other night,” the priest explained.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The others migrated back to the table as the food finally arrived.&nbsp; Lanara descended from the stage to shouts and applause.&nbsp; Her performance was praised by all her companions.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Ah, it wasn’t my best work,” she said.&nbsp; “Just a little diversion from the local favorite.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Nonsense,” said Kyle loudly.&nbsp; “I thought you were much better than that other woman.&nbsp; You’re dancing was bouncier.”&nbsp; Kyle stopped himself short, looking straight at the cansin bard.&nbsp; He looked down into the mug in his hands, then back at Lanara.&nbsp; “Okay, I think I’ve had enough ale,” he said quietly.&nbsp; Lanara tried to look offended, but cracked a smile when Kyle looked away.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They ate with gusto, not realizing how famished they were after a day’s long journey.&nbsp; The meal was only interrupted once, when a young man who’d snuck in for a few free ales got drunk and nearly fell from the second-story balcony.&nbsp; He was rescued by the bouncer, a Fire-Touched man with wild flame-colored hair and coal-black skin named Fist, who sent the inebriated lad off to wash dishes with Matilda, the cook, who was an orc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ve noticed that a lot of Grog’s help seems to be made up of orcs and Fire-Touched,” commented Osborn.&nbsp; “Except for the serving girls and that bard Salae.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Maybe that explains the presence of those orcs in the corner,” said Arrie.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Or maybe more,” said Lanara.&nbsp; “While I was working the crowd before my first performance, I heard some of the graybeards talking.&nbsp; Apparently there’s been a crime wave in the town – burglaries and muggings, mostly –and it seems some are putting the blame on Grog’s crew.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Odd,” said Autumn, “Grog seems a decent sort, despite his heritage**.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, worst he’s done is sell good ale cheap,” said Kyle.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, that may be the problem,” commented Osborn.&nbsp; “Turns out there are two taverns in this little town.&nbsp; Grog’s only been around for a year or so.&nbsp; Before that some guy named Yuri had the only game in town.&nbsp; Sounds like it was never the best place to begin with – you paid a little too much silver for your ale-flavored water, if you know what I mean – and with Grog selling everything extremely cheap, Yuri’s not doing so well.&nbsp; Sounds like motivation for framing someone with a fake crime spree to me.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Or, Grog’s prices could be low because his criminal activities are profitable enough to make up for the loss,” Tolly added.&nbsp; “We should not jump to conclusions.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, someone should look into it,” said Kyle.&nbsp; “Maybe we could do some checking around while we wait for our exam to begin.”&nbsp; When he noticed the stares, Kyle thought for a moment, then looked back down at his mug, shaking his head as he realized his mistake.&nbsp; “Okay, I really need to stop drinking ale.”---------------------* It should be noted that orcs in this campaign are considered a humanoid race just like elves and dwarves, and not just rampaging monsters to kill.&nbsp; Orcs in Aelfenn have a nomadic desert culture.&nbsp; However, they are still generally evil in nature, as their patron deity is Grabâkh, god of evil and fire (he is also one of The Four).&nbsp; Thus their presence in and of itself in the tavern would not be cause for alarm, though it would usually raise the kind of suspicion that Kavan is experiencing here.** Grog, like a few of his staff, is a Fire-Touched, a being with some trace of ancestry from an elemental outsider.&nbsp; Because the element of fire is associated with Grabâkh, Fire-Touched tend toward evil, and thus generate the same levels of suspicion as orcs.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 1729998, member: 5203"] [b]Trouble at Grog's[/b] The spring festival came and went all too quickly, and the students found themselves trudging slowly back to the Tower to resume their studies. Shilsen started with another week of book study, and then switched gears unexpectedly. He told the students to come to one of the simulation rooms with all their gear, and for the next week put them through endurance training, having them travel from dawn to dusk in a variety of simulated terrains. On the evening of the fifth day, as the group sat around soaking their feet in a small mountain stream, Shilsen suddenly walked out from behind a large elm tree. “I’m here to inform you that your next exam will be held tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow evening, at the end of your day’s march,” Shilsen paused long enough to let them groan at the thought of another day of hiking, “you will come into a small town. You are to go to the inn there, and your next scenario will begin there.” “Excuse me, sir,” asked Tolly, raising his hand, “but what is the purpose of beginning the exam after the endurance training?” Shilsen almost smiled. “One of the facts noted during this group’s first exam was that despite the fact that the scenario began at dusk, and it had been implied during the exam that the group had been traveling from a considerable distance, the group immediately launched into activity. While such initiative must be commended, it was felt that fatigue would have to be added in as a factor in order to give the students the opportunity to see how it might affect their decision making.” The next day they group gathered at the simulation chamber, and as it faded into a worn dirt road cutting through a sparse forest, they began walking. They were surprised to see that today Osborn had been allowed to bring his dog, Rupert, which eased the hin’s burden considerably. Arrie was leading a large white horse, which she called ‘Ghost’, and had filled its saddlebags with extra equipment. As they walked, Tolly kept his eyes open, trying to get a sense of how the party members related. He saw that Autumn and Arrie stuck close together, conversing in low voices. He couldn’t help but admire the workmanship on Autumn’s full plate armor, which had apparently been a reward she’d earned after the first exam. She’d been a bit awkward in it at first, but quickly adapted. These two, however, seemed to be the only ones that engaged in any consistent conversation. The others milled about, occasionally asking questions or commenting on a bit of passing scenery, but little else. Tolly saw that Arrie would occasionally speak with other group members, but Autumn was less likely to do so. Lanara had developed the habit of playing what she called “traveling music” on her flute, the mellow tones of the simple reed instrument echoing through the hills. While he couldn’t deny that the tunes were pleasant, they also kept the cansin from conversing much. Osborn seemed far more connected to his riding dog than anyone else, but opportunity for conversation was limited in that relationship. Xu was quiet as well, but seemed to be at ease with this, contenting herself with observing the world around her. The elf Kavan was strangely unreadable, making it difficult to tell how he related to the others. Kyle seemed the most uncomfortable at the lack of communication, but also seemed to be at a loss on what to do about it. Tolly assumed that this lack of communication and camaraderie was due to the group’s relatively short time together as well as underlying tension regarding the upcoming exam. Nevertheless, Tolly had trouble relating to this phenomenon. He’d never had difficulty in finding common interest among his brethren at the Church. Perhaps the lack of a common faith was the missing ingredient. Tolly mulled this over as a topic for future discussion. Just as the afternoon sun touched the tops of the trees, the group came upon a cluster of small buildings on the bank of a small river. A large, dagger-shaped stone outcropping jutted from the center of the river. They guessed that the town was occupied no more than three hundred souls at best. Beyond the town they saw several fields stretching out into the hills, freshly furrowed after the recent spring planting. At the near edge of town, they saw a large, two-storied building whose windows glowed with firelight. The party moved into town, assuming this building was their destination. Just outside of town, a wooden sign read “Welcome to Dagger Rock”. The party proceeded toward the large building. They began to hear the shouts of laughter and merrymaking from several yards away. A wooden sign above the door read “The Happy Half-Ogre” and just below it, the phrase “Touched welcome”. There had been a crude attempt to carve the letters “UN” just before the word ‘welcome’, but it had been mostly obscured. The party looked at one another, then walked in. They were immediately greeted by the sight of a glowering, eight-foot tall figure at the door. The massive brute had flame-yellow hair, and dark eyes. The brute regarded the group coldly for a minute, then broke into a wide grin, showing teeth as yellow as his hair. “Welcome to the Happy Half-Ogre,” he said. “Name’s Grog, the owner of this fine establishment. Sorry about that bit before, but we needs to keep out the riff-raff, ‘specially those adventurer types.” Grog guffawed loudly, slapping a meaty hand against his thigh. “Ah, I’m just havin’ fun with ye! Everyone’s welcome here. There’s still a table or two at the back, the music’s lively, the food’s hot, and the mugs are as bottomless as yer coin purse.” The group shuffled through the crowded inn, finding a circular table in the far corner. The building looked capable of holding nearly a hundred people at a time, and it seemed as though that many were in here. As they moved past the locals, they saw with some surprise that a table full of orcs sat at another corner, huddled over drinks*. Kavan eyed the group suspiciously, inspecting their gleaming scimitars and wondering what sinister surprises lay within the folds of their white desert robes. A few minutes after settling in, a tired but still friendly-looking serving girl made her way to the table. “Good evening, my name’s Mary,” said the human woman. “I’ll be happy to take your orders now. Fair warning, we’re fairly busy tonight, so it may take me a while to get back to you. I’d recommend ordering a lot now.” She gave Tolly a sly wink, to which he did not react. “Bring meals for everyone, as well as dwarven ale,” said Autumn unexpectedly, tossing Mary a small sack of coins. “Tea for me,” interrupted Xu, “and no meat, if you please.” “I’ll see what I can do,” Mary said. “Anything else?” Autumn turned to her sister. “Ariadne, do you require anything else?” Mary left as soon as Arrie shook her head ‘no’. It took a moment for the rest of them to wrap their heads around the name ‘Ariadne’, as they’d never heard her full name used before. Autumn stood up as soon as Mary left. “I will go see Grog about getting rooms,” she said, walking away. Kavan stood up as well. “I’m going to go see if I can hear what those orcs are discussing. Something about them makes me nervous.” He crossed through the busy room and took up a position near the orc’s table, trying to look as if he were watching the stage. A young, pretty elven woman was singing and dancing up there, accompanied by the shouts of the inn’s patrons. The girl had a fair amount of talent, though much of the crowd’s reaction was probably based on the fact that her dancing could best be described as ‘bouncy’ and her clothing did little to hide that. Autumn returned to the table and announced that she’d acquired a common room for them to sleep in. “I have also obtained a separate room for you, milady,” she said, nodding to Arrie. Again, the others looked at each other uncertainly. While this would be the first time they had had to make sleeping arrangements as a group, and so really couldn’t say that Arrie having her own separate room was unusual, it didn’t seem to fit the exotic warrior’s demeanor. For her part, Arrie said nothing either way. Most of the group ended up wandering around in the Happy Half-Ogre while waiting for their food to arrive. Tolly and Osborn went to examine an enormous double-headed battleaxe hanging over the bar, flanked by two equally large shields. “Think they belong to Grog?” Osborn asked. Tolly shook his head. “Far too large, even for him. There are runes carved on the weapon, but I don’t recognize them.” Osborn squinted at the faint lines. “I think I’ve seen similar writing before,” the hin said. “Giantish – probably a frost giant dialect. No idea what it says, thought it’s probably just the name of the weapon; ‘Icepick’ or something like that.” Kavan spent several minutes trying to eavesdrop on the orcs, but after a few minutes they seemed to quiet down, as if they knew they were being observed. Sullenly, Kavan went back to the table to sit. Lanara, meanwhile, had gone to speak with the elven performer, whose name was Salae, and ask permission to play for a short while. Salae agreed, and Lanara ended up playing twice that evening for the rowdy crowd. Kyle attempted to engage Autumn in conversation. “So, anyway, thanks for getting the food and rooms.” “You’re welcome,” she replied. “It was surprisingly inexpensive, really. Grog’s prices are much lower than most places like this I’ve been to.” “Well, I’m sorry you missed us during Earthturning. We had a good time that first night.” Kyle took a long draw from his mug. Mary had brought several tankards over in order to keep the table happy, and with most of their companions wandering about, there were plenty for the taking. “We all had a good talk.” He blinked, then leaned in closer to the sentinel. “So, how come you came to the school?” “I follow my lady,” Autumn replied. “Yeah, but you’re enrolled in the classes too. So you must have something personal you’re after from the Tower.” She paused before answering. “I seek… experience.” Kyle blinked again, then shrugged. “Okay, then. So, what exactly is a sentinel? I’ve heard you’re kind of like a paladin, but different.” “Yes, that is fairly accurate. My order devotes itself to combating outsiders, specifically demons and devils.” “Well, I’ve never met a demon or a devil before, but I’m sure they need fighting,” Kyle said. “So, you get much of a chance to smite demons following your sister around?” Autumn smiled slightly. “My sister is very adventurous.” By this time Tolly and Osborn had returned to the table. Kyle’s attention had been diverted by Lanara’s performance. Tolly looked over at Autumn, and smiled sympathetically. “He did the same thing to all of us the other night,” the priest explained. The others migrated back to the table as the food finally arrived. Lanara descended from the stage to shouts and applause. Her performance was praised by all her companions. “Ah, it wasn’t my best work,” she said. “Just a little diversion from the local favorite.” “Nonsense,” said Kyle loudly. “I thought you were much better than that other woman. You’re dancing was bouncier.” Kyle stopped himself short, looking straight at the cansin bard. He looked down into the mug in his hands, then back at Lanara. “Okay, I think I’ve had enough ale,” he said quietly. Lanara tried to look offended, but cracked a smile when Kyle looked away. They ate with gusto, not realizing how famished they were after a day’s long journey. The meal was only interrupted once, when a young man who’d snuck in for a few free ales got drunk and nearly fell from the second-story balcony. He was rescued by the bouncer, a Fire-Touched man with wild flame-colored hair and coal-black skin named Fist, who sent the inebriated lad off to wash dishes with Matilda, the cook, who was an orc. “I’ve noticed that a lot of Grog’s help seems to be made up of orcs and Fire-Touched,” commented Osborn. “Except for the serving girls and that bard Salae.” “Maybe that explains the presence of those orcs in the corner,” said Arrie. “Or maybe more,” said Lanara. “While I was working the crowd before my first performance, I heard some of the graybeards talking. Apparently there’s been a crime wave in the town – burglaries and muggings, mostly –and it seems some are putting the blame on Grog’s crew.” “Odd,” said Autumn, “Grog seems a decent sort, despite his heritage**.” “Yeah, worst he’s done is sell good ale cheap,” said Kyle. “Well, that may be the problem,” commented Osborn. “Turns out there are two taverns in this little town. Grog’s only been around for a year or so. Before that some guy named Yuri had the only game in town. Sounds like it was never the best place to begin with – you paid a little too much silver for your ale-flavored water, if you know what I mean – and with Grog selling everything extremely cheap, Yuri’s not doing so well. Sounds like motivation for framing someone with a fake crime spree to me.” “Or, Grog’s prices could be low because his criminal activities are profitable enough to make up for the loss,” Tolly added. “We should not jump to conclusions.” “Well, someone should look into it,” said Kyle. “Maybe we could do some checking around while we wait for our exam to begin.” When he noticed the stares, Kyle thought for a moment, then looked back down at his mug, shaking his head as he realized his mistake. “Okay, I [I]really [/I] need to stop drinking ale.” --------------------- * It should be noted that orcs in this campaign are considered a humanoid race just like elves and dwarves, and not just rampaging monsters to kill. Orcs in Aelfenn have a nomadic desert culture. However, they are still generally evil in nature, as their patron deity is Grabâkh, god of evil and fire (he is also one of The Four). Thus their presence in and of itself in the tavern would not be cause for alarm, though it would usually raise the kind of suspicion that Kavan is experiencing here. ** Grog, like a few of his staff, is a Fire-Touched, a being with some trace of ancestry from an elemental outsider. Because the element of fire is associated with Grabâkh, Fire-Touched tend toward evil, and thus generate the same levels of suspicion as orcs. [/QUOTE]

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