Shadows of Keepers Dale

Skidd shrugs. " Agreed. Sorry I couldn't help you, Tuon."

"Scarrd, my guess is that Bri isn't going to tell us. Otherwise she would have done already."

“Zecrets … Everyone has Zecrets,” Scardd says while looking at Tuon. Turning to Bri, the Half-Orc says, “Fine, if our buzzinezz iizz done, zen we zhould get zome rezzzt.” His gaze then turns back to the door he was staring at all night long, “But firzzzt, I muzzt do zomething.” Scardd stands and moves past his companions on route to the back room door. Unless he his stopped, he continues through the door.

Tuon follows, one step behind and to the left.

As Scardd steps through the door in the back with Tuon close behind, you enter a room filled with tables and chairs stacked on top of each other. Two men struggle with the large table saw earlier trying to set it on another table in the back to make more room.

Seeing the men with the table, Scardd approaches. As he does so, he feels a tingle move up his spine and his vision shifts like it did earlier.

At-Will Spell-Like Ability to Detect Magic

"Vould zu like zome help?" Scardd asks, implying that it might be a three man job. "Vy will help zu if zu let me look at ze table and tell me who it belongzzzz to."

"Vould zu like zome help?" Scardd asks, implying that it might be a three man job. "Vy will help zu if zu let me look at ze table and tell me who it belongzzzz to."

for Scardd

One of the men grunts as he tries to lift the table, "Yeah... sure."

After you help them with the table you get a better look at it. The table is really a thin slab of stone and the strange symbols are carved into the top of it.

"Thanks for the help, heavy bastard. Mr. Sallis, the owner, bought it a couple months ago, he thought it looked nice, but he doesn't have to lift the damn thing. Thanks for the help but you shouldn't be back here."

"Thanks for the help, heavy bastard. ... "

Hey, my parents were married. :)

DM Dreamweaver wrote:

"Thanks for the help, heavy bastard. ... "

Hey, my parents were married. :)

So that didn't come out like I had hoped, and besides Scardd doesn't remember his parents anyway.

“Zorry,” Scardd says with a nod when he is told that he is intruding. “Vy zhall leave. Vy juzzzt zaw ze table earlier and it interezted me. Pleazzze though, tell me vhere I can find thiizz Mr. Zalliizz. Vy would like to azzk him about ziiz table. Maybe even I buy it, zen zu don‘t have to lift it anymore,” Scardd finishes with a crooked smile.

"We'll need Creed the Wrestler if we are taking this away," interjects Tuon as sweat pours down from his forehead.

Scardd turns his crooked smile on Tuon and winks.

Tuon follows, one step behind and to the left.

So much for rest. Thinks Creed. He remains silent as Scardd and Tuon interact with the men in the back room.

"We'll need Creed the Wrestler if we are taking this away," interjects Tuon as sweat pours down from his forehead.

"Ahem." Creed clears his throat. "I heard that."

Fair Tuon Clawed wrote:

Tuon follows, one step behind and to the left.

So much for rest. Thinks Creed. He remains silent as Scardd and Tuon interact with the men in the back room.

Fair Tuon Clawed wrote:

"We'll need Creed the Wrestler if we are taking this away," interjects Tuon as sweat pours down from his forehead.

"Ahem." Creed clears his throat. "I heard that."

Skidd laughs, looking smug that he doesn't have to help carry the table. "Creed is certainly strong enough to carry it. Though it is perhaps too big for him..." Skidd adds, smirking. "Perhaps he would need help from Tuon."

So it has come out that we all have Influenza B the strain that they don't vaccinate you for, so we all are now on drugs to try to kick it, the kids are still running high fevers and we all are tired of coughing, runny eyes and noses mostly coming out of the girls. So what I am saying is I will try to keep up the next few days but if you don't hear from me that is why. I am sure Colter will try to keep up at work but I am at home with the girls and computer time has been limited.

"Well while you all do what ever you are up to I am going to get some shut eye, for some reason I think I might have drank a tad to much ale or maybe it was something that I ate, well anyhow have a great rest of the evening. Don't suppose anybody wants to walk me back by chance, I mean not that I wouldn't be fine on my own but rather so that I can keep you company on the way back?"

"Well while you all do what ever you are up to I am going to get some shut eye, for some reason I think I might have drank a tad to much ale or maybe it was something that I ate, well anyhow have a great rest of the evening. Don't suppose anybody wants to walk me back by chance, I mean not that I wouldn't be fine on my own but rather so that I can keep you company on the way back?"

Creed smiles. "I'll go with you, Bri," he says. "It looks like Tuon and Scardd have the table under control."

Despite the obvious height difference, he offers his arm to her with a sincere grin.

"Thanks Creed. Ever the gentleman." murmurs Tuon to the pair of them as they leave.

He points out to the "help", Roderick and Skiddifig. "When you speak to this man, make sure he provides help with the table."

"Got it."

“Zorry,” Scardd says with a nod when he is told that he is intruding. “Vy zhall leave. Vy juzzzt zaw ze table earlier and it interezted me. Pleazzze though, tell me vhere I can find thiizz Mr. Zalliizz. Vy would like to azzk him about ziiz table. Maybe even I buy it, zen zu don‘t have to lift it anymore,” Scardd finishes with a crooked smile.

"He is the flustered looking elf running around, but I doubt he will sell it."

"Got it."

"Good," grins the bent warrior.

"Thank zu," Scardd says with a slight head bow. "I vill leave zu now." He turns and looks for the Elf in question and moves toward him. "Excuzzzze me pleaze, Ze ztone table vith ze runezzz in ze back room, Vhere did zu get it?"

"Thank zu," Scardd says with a slight head bow. "I vill leave zu now." He turns and looks for the Elf in question and moves toward him. "Excuzzzze me pleaze, Ze ztone table vith ze runezzz in ze back room, Vhere did zu get it?"

Murser turns to Scardd, "That stone table? Aaaa.. lets see I got it in the Bizarre from.... a man named Juris I think. If that's all I have some work to do." Without waiting for a reply the elf disappears into a back room yelling at several workers.

"Who did he say?" Tuon stops what he's doing.

Scardd turns to Tuon, "Vy believe zat ve are now looking for ze zame man. Do zu think that ze Bizzarre iizz ztill open, or zhould ve turn in and try tomorrow. Maybe uzzz meeting wazzz no coinzzodenze, eh?"

"Yes - this man does seem to hold the keys to unlock both of us. To use a halfling metaphor."

"And no, the bazaar is probably closed at this late hour. Looks like we'll need to wait until we get back from Talon's job to see Juris."

"I reckon it is time to get back to bed." Tuon is visibly shaking from playing with the table.

"We go zen. If we move fazzzt enough, maybe we catch up to Creed and Bri."

"OK."

Leaving the backroom. Tuon looks at his brother and Skiddifig.

"We're done. You staying or coming back now with Scarrd and me?"

If they come back now, Tuon will explain about Juris and the table from his point of view.

"OK."

Leaving the backroom. Tuon looks at his brother and Skiddifig.

"We're done. You staying or coming back now with Scarrd and me?"

If they come back now, Tuon will explain about Juris and the table from his point of view.

"Now you are both looking for Juris? That is convenient. Perhaps you both will learn the true source of your powers."

Tuon, Roderick, Skidd, and Scardd catch up to Bri and Creed halfway to the Giant's Skull and the whole group walks back to their inn.

As you walk through the front door people are already heading to the door or upstairs. Regdar and the barmaids are cleaning tables and sweeping the floors as people leave.

Regdar limps over, "I trust you found the Dancing Dice without to many problems?" he says as he eyes Bri's bandaged arm.

Scardd avoids eye contact with Regdar. "Yezzz, no problemzzz," he mumbles as he slips past the barkeep and makes his way to the stairs. The Half-Orc looks briefly at Bri, hoping that the Halfling stays quiet about the wolf attack.

Tuon eyes Regdar suspiciously.

"A walk in the park."

He follows the half-orc to bed.

Regdar limps over, "I trust you found the Dancing Dice without to many problems?" he says as he eyes Bri's bandaged arm.

"Oh yes we had no problems at all, other than I need to quit talking and start walking a little bit more so that next time I don't trip over my shadow and end up hurting myself" Bri says as she waves her hurt arm around like nothing is wrong with it. "Well I am calling it a night boys and I will see all of you bright and early in the morning." Bri says as she heads up the stairs and gives the "boys" a wave good night.

We are all sharing a room, right? If so ...

"Bri, Ztop farting. Vy knew zu zhould not have had ze rize and beanzzz. IIIeeeeeee! Little perzon, big ztink."

Bri is in a deep sleep when somewhere in her subconscious she hears Scardd's voice. She merely smiles, rolls over,lets a few more rip, lets out a sigh and goes back to dreaming about a dark haired, tall halfling doing wild things to her!

LOL

Dreamweaver, I'll say it again, You are one lucky man!

The next morning the smell of bread, and eggs fill the rooms driving off most of the used room smell and the stench left by it's occupants. The down stairs tavern is almost completely empty except for an older gentleman sitting in a corner smoking a pipe while he eats a large plate of eggs, potatoes, and toast.

A barmaid walks up to the group table, "Talon left a message that he will be here soon. Would anyone like breakfast?"

"Breakfast would be great! I will take the special whatever that may be." Bri says to the lady before turning to the rest of the group. "For some reason I have a bad taste in my mouth this morning, I must have slept with my mouth open again. Do you think I could get a strong cup of coffee before my breakfast gets here, this taste is really bad."

"Yezzz, vy am ztarving. I vill take vhatever zu got. Pleaze, vy azk one thing, ... do not give ze female Halfling any beanzzz. OK?"

"Yezzz, pleaze get her thiizz coffee."

Creed smiles at the banter going on at the table, but he seems tired and is quieter than normal. He stifles a yawn and orders coffee as well.

Bri smiles very proud of herself for showing the men she can fit right in if she tries. As she is looking at the bunch she notices that Creed seems to be a bit on the quite side. "So Creed, did you sleep ok last night? Is there something bothering you this morning, you seem to be on the quite side."

Creed smiles at Bri. "Nothing is wrong," he says. "Funny. After fours years on the road, you'd think I'd be used to sleeping in strange inns and taverns. I've always had difficulty sleeping the first night in a strange place." He snorts and glances at Roderick. "I'm no Ranger, to be sure, but I've always slept better out-of-doors than in."

Returning his gaze to Bri he adds with a smile, "Your gastric issues didn't help, either."

"What issues?" asks the fresh mercenary. Tuon slept like a baby.

And the window was open by the time he surfaced.

"Get sleep when you can, that's my motto." Then Tuon carries on eating, "...and food."

The room brightens as the sun falls through a large window in the front of the build and tavern gradually starts to fill with people.

The front door opens and Talon walks in and immediately walks over to your table. He pulls up a chair and sits down. "Sorry I was late but another caravan came in early this morning. One of the teamsters foolishly thought that they could ride through the night and make it here early but they were attacked on the road. Two heavily loaded wagons disappeared in the attack, the biggest lost so far."

Talon absently grabs a warm bread roll and starts eating it as he talks, "This last attack was enough to convince the last of the merchants to pitch in for the bounty." Talon tosses a small bag of coins on the table. "Some money to buy what you need to find our goods and eliminate the road bandits. 1000 gold for eliminating the bandits and another 1000 gold for the returned goods. Are you still interested?"

"I'm in", Skidd chuckles, "No way I'm missing out on a chance to get back some of my gold."

"How much is in the bag, Talon?" Tuon hefts the money and tosses it at Creed gently.

"I said I was in last night. Where do we get decent kit from? More to the point, where do we get potions and like quickly before the trail goes cold? A friend at church maybe or a local wizard with a nice line in consumables."

"Plus perhaps a map and some pointers as to where the attacks take place. Also maybe a cheap covered wagon to look the part for a nice reverse ambush. That is an ambush where we ambush the ambushers."

"What about anything we find that the brigands have? How do you want to split that?"

Tuon keeps eating in between making his points.

"How much is in the bag, Talon?" Tuon hefts the money and tosses it at Creed gently.

"You have 25 platinum to get what you need."

"I said I was in last night. Where do we get decent kit from? More to the point, where do we get potions and like quickly before the trail goes cold? A friend at church maybe or a local wizard with a nice line in consumables."

"If you are looking for gear you already know what my shop sells." Talon say looking at Scardd's gear.

"Plus perhaps a map and some pointers as to where the attacks take place. Also maybe a cheap covered wagon to look the part for a nice reverse ambush. That is an ambush where we ambush the ambushers."

"Talk to the Balon Traders, they were the wagon train hit the hardest. They are camped outside the city walls and they should be able to tell you what you might face and how to prepare. They should also be able to tell you where the attack took place."

"What about anything we find that the brigands have? How do you want to split that?"

"Anything that is not our merchandise you can keep, should be easy to separate, most of the missing merchandise is in marked crates and bundles. It is also something you will not be able to sell without one of us knowing."

Creed hefts the bag and hands it back to Tuon. "I'm in of course." He says and finishes his meal. "Let's get our provisions and get going."

Scardd swallows the last of his food and shows his pleasure with a big, open-mouthed belch. Smacking his lips together, he looks to the group, "Zo, vhere to firzt?"

Sorry, busy day. Hopefully I can help with decisions tomorrow.