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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 4833921" data-attributes="member: 16069">This one's for Half-Orc Half-Biscuit, and Richard Rawen, wherever you may be, thanks as always for reading.The Friday Knights in Sellswords of FallcrestPart 14: Dog Daze.Irocar is dragged roughly down the stairs, his wounds having been half-heartedly bound by Ignaran. Stripped of his armour and dog-pelt cape, he looks…. smaller, certainly less ferocious. Right now Astaroth's meaty paw clutches a  thick wedge of his hair. Behind come Ignaran and Cathal, much better now, although he still winces at times- dragging the two other Dog Brothers left alive.Behind the counter, back in the Bazaar of the Bizarre, the Friday Knights reconvene for a chat- Irocar is pushed into the midst of the Knights, who take it in turns to yap at his heels.“Who are you then?” Cathal starts.“We're the Dog Brothers.”  Irocar mumbles, trailing off into silence, eyes on the floor, he whimpers a little - he can't help himself.“Nice doggie.” Astaroth admires the houndskin cape, then gets a whiff of it and slings it onto the floor, stamps on the thing a couple of times for good measure.“What are you doing here?” Cathal continues his quest for answers.“Nuffink.” Irocar tries, while trying to summon enough saliva to whistle - his throat is desert-dry.“Now come on... Play the game.” Cathal chides with a grin.Irocar looks up, grins back a little, thinks he's found a friend - his head suddenly, and violently rocks back, his legs go from under him, he collapses. Maybe something to do with Astaroth's straight jab, the big man picks one of Irocar's teeth from his knuckle – it’s a canine.“Pick him up.” Cathal states.Behind the warrior Kullervo looks suddenly very sick- he turns quickly and mooches off back to the chest he found earlier, doesn't want to see any more.Astaroth drags Irocar to his feet, he's woozy.“What are you doing here?” Cathal repeats.“Hired by the Beggar King, said he expected company... You lot.” Irocar whistles through the gap in his teeth.“Friday Knights.” Cathal states.“What?” Irocar staggers a little.“We're the Friday Knights- tell your friends.”“Yeah... Right.” Irocar manages.“Who else did the Beggar King hire?” Cathal enquires.“No-one, that is... No one I know of.”Cathal takes a good hard stare at Irocar, eventually smirks.“Wrong answer.” He nudges Astaroth, who's looking away at the moment, a fly having just buzzed him.“Wot? Oh.” The straight right comes again, Irocar goes down again - mouth bloody, nose broken - concussed by the looks of things, maybe even a fractured skull.Astaroth goes back to looking for the annoying fly, his tongue lolls out- clearly he's concentrating hard.On the floor Irocar swims in a sea of haze.“I want me mum.” He gurgles.Cathal grins, then grabs the nearest Dog Brother- Slaver, as it happens.“Who else got hired?” He simply states.“Mother Zeb.”“Who?”“Fat Tiefling Witch - two guards, big fat nudie fellers.”“Nudie?” Ignaran asks.“They wear nappies.”“He's making it up!” Ignaran sneers.Astaroth turns back around, draws back his arm.“No, he's telling the truth.” Cathal clamps his hand on Astaroth's forearm, disarms him.“Yew-nooks” Slaver declare, “two of 'em, right big fatties.” He nods.Cathal nods back.“Okay, you can clear off now.” Cathal declares.Slaver nods some more, goes to leave sharpish.“Don't forget him.” Cathal toes the fallen Irocar, who momentarily surfaces.“I want me Mum!” [1] he states, and giggles a little, pleased with himself.Moments later the spent Dog Brothers depart, having first surrendered their choice belongings, which turn out to be quite choice, particularly for Cathal, a few coins- some gold, and a Bastard Sword that is clearly of superior quality - marked and notched maybe, but of fine make, beneath the filth and tarnish.That done, the Knights head in to see the chest that Kullervo has been twittering on about - the one he can't open.Cathal sighs, “do I have to do everything myself?” he asks - the empty room.[1] Irocar's Mum, Gwladys Potterton is a cleaner at the Temple of Pelor, a slight woman with a marked limp - all that bending. She won’t be pleased when he gets home, she'd spent hours on his dog cape stitching it all together. Of course she didn't approve of the Dog Brothers Gang, but it seemed to give Irocar, her only son, a purpose in life; and with his father gone. Her only interest, other than her son, is collecting plaster-cast and/or sculpted stone dogs; all shapes and sizes, some even painted - she loves dogs.</blockquote>

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