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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jasper" data-source="post: 307136" data-attributes="member: 277">tucker speaksGreetings fellow tavern members.I have heard rumors for a couple months about a freelancer staying at the Happy Hobbit. A nice looking piece of Halfling flesh called Tickle berry. However due to being in mourning for the head of our home shopping club Harry of Underhill, I did not check it out.  So I ask one of the junior members to drop her an invitation.The situation has been going down hill since the first of August. The town guards have been cashing in and refunding the memberships of some of the junior and younger members of our club. Now my contacts with the town guard lead me to believe this is a high level conspiracy. First let me describe Hartsford. It is a small town with a population of just over 6000. Most of people are humans with us halflings making up about twenty percent of population.  The town has five districts. High town, which is up on hilly side of town. Templeton is the center where most of major temples are. Also it is the only district with walls. It was the original part of town but we out grew it. However it does make a good fall back position during bad times. The west side of town is called dockside. The east side of town is Sunset. This where most people live and it is the most scattered. And the rest of town is called Half Town. Half town covers most of the south side from the river till it merges with Sunset. Just outside of town are the temples of Obad-Hai and Ehlonna.The mayor and nine other council members run the town. I know the mayor is chosen from the council but I don’t follow the coming and goings of the council so how it runs I don’t know.Most of the judging is done by Judge Rory Bean hill. He is not much of problem to our shopping club. But occasionally when Cleo of Beerhouse is sitting in, some of our members have been treated to a vacation. Uppity innkeeper clerics are a bother.I generally meet new prospective members at the Drunken Dwarf. Most of guys know me since I tip generously. And the town guards know it is a rough place so they don’t crash the brawls too frequently.  Most of the regulars keep to the regular punch up but will scream for the guards if swords come out. I arrive on time. Tickle berry and one of her friends are sitting at table. I slide up and start talking about the benefits of joining the home discount shopping club. When one of her bodyguards drops into the conversation and let drops she was the necromancer who cursed that poor teenager Charlie. Turn him into a ghost. Right away I am nervous. I notice the bard she hangs out with is across the way providing entertainment. Also I know he will provide fair witness if a punch starts. Just as I about to continue about the advantages to the shopping club, another minion drops into the conversation. I was forced to break off the meeting and reschedule. Hey being out numbered is not my thing plus the fact she is practicing the dark arts.So I leave and check her out.Since the four or five months of her first arrival in town, a magic sword was chasing her. She and her band were responsible for cleaning out the forge of fury taking out a huge black dragon in the process. A really weird magic rapier with the soul of a person named Darryl has seen with her companion who goes by the name of Floppy. Who heard of an elf with ears whose points are half feet above his head? Must have been one of her early experiments.Her group has killed George of Beer House a cleric who was toasted at the forge. Ralph the Rotten of Beer House a former member of the shopping club according to the rolls. Larry who owns a fighting school took his trainees with her to Briniford. Only Larry returned with her.Now most people would say these were accidents but I don’t know. That ghost had people shook up. And her bard was carrying a moldy thumb around his neck to recently.The Beer House family has been in the inn business for over a hundred years. Steward a retired paladin is the current owner and he married Cleo. Now he owns 3 inns, one in Empty keg, one in Briniford and the one in town. The good thing about Steward is he dislikes tall folk. Only the first four tables in the inn are set up for dwarves, elves and humans. The bad thing is will detect evil on his customers in a heartbeat. When he starts sniffing through that huge nose of his he smelling out evil. Most of time he just asks the patron to leave. However some not so nice folk have been given the long vacation. So I generally stay away.The next morning I send a junior member with invitation to meet for coffee at Macy’s the second most expensive restaurant inn in town. I thought this at least eliminate some of her force. I arrive on time and find a good look out place. She has arrived in rented coach. I nearly missed the dwarf minion but he was slow getting down and opening the door. He drives around back and I wait. After about twenty minutes I present my self to the door and shown the table. She wearing brand new clothes and so is her bodyguard. I glad Macy’s restricts the number of protectors one can bring in. I start discussing the various services and signs of good neighbors. That when I notice the bard and his light finger flutiest.  I know Macy’s hire spot entertainers occasionally but I amazed she was able to move so quickly. I also know the poor smucks are going lose sixty to seventy percent of the tips to house. We talk the buying in options.A ring or two of invisibility.A carpet of flying.Checking out the new mining town for expansion purposes.And finally to see if she reacts, I dropped that Cleo of Beerhouse were to have an accident; the home shopping club would breath a little easier. She agrees to think on. I leave her and retreat. Yes I know I left her to pay the bill but if she can outfit her minions well enough to get into Macy’s in under twenty four hours, she can afford it.</blockquote>

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