"Oh my...." Fan slowly lowers his lute.
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Posh:
"Fan...you've been around Restov a bit, right? Do you know anything about the Scarred Shadows? We had a run-in with them and all we know is that they're a dangerous thieves guild. If you don't know anything I don't suggest pursuing the situation, but I'd watch your back. If any of their members were amongst us and they consider us a threat, you may be in danger too." "They've got a new guild master I hear. The old one was allied with one of the Houses or maybe the Lord Mayor, someone big in city politics anyway. But now... I'm not sure anyone besides the guild master knows."
OMG! I'm at the fairgrounds! When did this happen?! I'm just going to roleplay this as him trying to look and listen for something interesting but getting distracted by some fine looking women.
There's a rather shifty looking fellow selling a rolled up scroll to a couple of local men. "Ya see when the Taldon packed up and left they had only started mining the hills for the gol-" The shifty man stops mid-sentence when he Posh. "-DEN bee's wax." "But I thought you said they were mining--OUCH! Sandersen. Why did you kick me?" Sandersen nods almost imperceptibly towards Posh.
A loud, indignant, Fan-sounding "" rises above the fairground clamor, shushing it for a moment. Posh: "Honestly, I don't know what you are on about Posh. I suspect an element of professional jealousy. Again--and for what I hope will be the last time--I am not hiding anything from anyone! I haven't seen B.B. in a while. I am a wandering bard. He is a wandering sword. Occasionally our paths diverge."
After a moment Fan regains his composure and continues. "Perhaps it is your Brevic skeleton bothering you. If so, I would direct you to Shepherd Kavken over there for absolution. As for Renault, the man's a bit of a man's man if you know what I mean. He's all about honor, independence and his right to carry a longbow--if you get my drift. I would recommend playing him straight. If your friends are here under some sort of crown charter from New Stetven he's likely to suspect they are here to interfere with his affairs and establish stewardship over him and the local settlers."
"I shall endeavor to be worthy of it." He says solemnly with his chin raised a bit.
"I can stay if you're not going to be too long."
"Not really. I travel about a good deal you see, and while I like the road the woods are an altogether other thing. Apology accepted." And then in a tone of deep solemnity, Fan adds: "An Auric is ever-magnanimous." The night passes without further incident. Gray spring dawn arrives bathing everyone not in a tent in dew.
Fan looks about in horror between the wizard Tor, Tamris and the party. Sense motive DC 20: You have the feeling that should you try anything hostile in regards to Tamris or Rain that Fan, the spindly Taldan bard, would in all probability draw his knife and defend them to the death from you.
Scarlet takes one more bite of her breadroll and stands up. "We're gonna need some answers here. Fan, you know what's goin' on. You always do." "Actually I'm at a bit of a loss myself. Tamris?"
"What do we tell the people at town? They have a bounty out for poor Rain here. They think he's been attacking townsfolk. I guess we blame the pig?" Scarlet munches on some bread and burps heartily. "We could tell them it was these ne'er–do–wells who where the problem the whole time." Fan says looking crossly at the wizard.
As the fight seems to have moved off, Fan stops shouting in iambic pentameter and turns his attention to Numalar forlorn dog.
"He's a boy." Posh says solemnly. "Oh."
"D-did you hear that? What do we do?" Fan asks Alia.
"Fan, secure the horse- things might get dicey. And uh, if you remember a song or two that could help us out." "Um, Scarlet you do know sound travels right?" He hisses in a loud whisper before Scarlet gets too far away.
"Come here lad." Fan sets his hands on the woozy big wolf and heals hims of (after some time) most of his wounds.
"There. Better but still haggard. How are you all holding up?" He asks.
dice:
"He's a half-elf." Fan says, still sounding irritated. "But we're trying to find a wounded wolf right now and maybe follow it back to its master. I'm not much good at dealing with such animals myself. It would be helpful to be able to communicate with Rain rather than knock him senseless with magic or arrows-" He glances at Alia."-And then expect anything out of him don't you think?" Then he adds to Alia "On that count, maybe you should stay well back and leave your bow on your saddle."
"Careful, I don't know how he might react." Fan turns to the gnomes. "Do either of you know the beast speach?"
This causes a bit of a scene before Renault shoots everyone a glare as terrible as barbed cold iron darts.
Alia looks around, trying to get her bearings: "Fan, is this direction Rain vanished into per chance towards some meeting place you and Tamris used in the past? If Rain was intelligent enough to track you here, he may also be smart enough to lay low at a familiar place where you could find him-" "No. Not that I know of. I don't even think Rain's ever been out of the woods."
Fan turns angrily away from Posh to Zokon in sudden disbelief. "How would I know? I thought you were the ranger!"
"We need to find Rain and fast. Can I hitch a ride with one of you?"
"The wolf was Rain." Fan explains. "He's Tamris is friend. Tamris is my friend too though I don't see much of him. He keeps to himself in the Narlmarches." The revelation draws a few shocked gasps from the crowd. "Rain is no one's pet but would never attack anyone who didn't attack him first." :
You are not sure that he believes that last part with absolute certainty. "I don't think Rain would come out of the forest this far unless something was terribly wrong with Tamris. And I don't think we'll find out what that is without finding him again and getting him to lead us to Tamris." He looks sheepishly about. "I never learned how to speak wolf."
"You've got to run Rain. You've got to get out of here. Get back to Tamris. Please." Fan implores of the wolf. The wolf doesn't look like he recognizes anything that Fan says until he mentions 'Tamris.' At which point he cocks his head at the bard as if remembering something.
"Cads! This is no mad wolf! But a friend!" Fan's anguish is painful to hear. They emerge as terrible sobs making him sound more wounded than wolf.
"YOU CAN'T!"
"That's Rain! He's Tamris's bestfriend!"
"These small festivals," He sighs mightily. "It'll take me all week before I can collect enough to repay you all and outfit myself. Tamris is the sort who could take care of himself but I still fear that by then I might be too late to be of any help to him." "Maybe I should try hunting the wolf." He pulls a lute string as if it were on a bow instead and laughs bitterly. "Or perhaps you could indulge me one more time. I was going to pay you half my take at week's end. But if I could delay that debt...."
Scarlet earns 10 coppers and a silver piece for her tale. "You're a natural!" Fan beams. "I bet you're tough in a fight." One towheaded lad of about eleven says in wide-eyed admiration.
Fan brings the jig was playing to a close and earns a sprinkle of coin in his upturned hat for his troubles. "Not at all. I'm just trying to make enough back to thank you for helping me and to eventually go find Tamris. Here." He reaches down into his hat and from it hands Scarlet 10 silver coins. "A down payment for services rendered." "An Auric is ever faithful." He says with an air of solemnity. "I've heard a bit about the wolf problem. I'm hoping it will be all settled by the time I'm ready to head out."
"Oh they're both fine, though Lord British hits upon them relentlessly." Then after a moment's pause, he asks in a conspiratorial voice. "Your friend Celyne, is she with anyone?"
"Certainly not!" He sounds offended by the idea. "I was minding my own business, hiking, when they fell upon me." Then looking meaningfully at Celyne he amends "--By the dozens! I of course acquitted myself as valiantly as any man bearing the name Auric, as I come from a line of expert duelists, don't you know. With sword and spell I fought them to a standstill and then some." He says waving his hand about like a fencer. "Why if it weren't for the crows we could probably find a high mound of their corpses out there taller than the grasses. But once their numbers grew past count I was forced to see the wisdom in withdrawing. Still I shaved their numbers down to the point that I doubt you will see them attacking this trading post anytime soon." Puffing out his chest he smiles broadly.
"Tamris is a bit of a hermit and a good one too. While I am a fair woodsman I would never be able to find him in his home in the Narlmarches so I thought I might stop in an see a mutual friend--well I suppose he's not really a friend--more an acquaintance the old wizard in the hills who goes by the name Bokkin to see if he had had any word. Tamris you see is never late, and it made me quite worried. I was just on my way there when the kobolds attacked and they chased me for quite a ways." "If we could head back down now? I am quiet hungry from my long jog." He says looking at Celyne eating at the picnic table below. "A year ago, huh?" Scarlet scratches her head as they walk. "Just as I exiled myself. Nonetheless, it's good to see you back Fan. I hope your year has gone well." "You as well! I can't thank you and your friends enough." He says. "The year? Yes, yes, very well indeed!" :
You get the feeling the year has not in fact gone well. Fan looks deep into Celyne's half-elven eyes. "Celyne, you are a rare treasure. To have such beauty that can tame as fierce a feline as you friend there--surely you are blessed by Shelyn."
After eating, though obviously exhausted, Fan entertains the outpost with a mixture of song and lute music, with one romantic ballad directed at Celyne.
"A little rope should do." Fan says sheepishly.
"Thank you." He goes to shake Zokon's hand but uses the hand that is holding up his breeches and ends up turning the shake into a very low and sudden bow. "YES, Well." "In regard to your questions my dear, I'm up from Pitax on my way to a local festival and was waiting for my friend, Tamris, who lives in these parts. We were supposed to meet today at a big stone marker near here, and he's always so very prompt. It is actually a bit infuriating." He says while remembering something. He turns to Zokon (and any other new arrivals) and reintroduces himself. He holds up the remains of his lute looking as though he was about to play it until remembering that it was now held together only by its strings, a javelin-head is embedded in its flank. He sighs. "Anyhow Tamris is always on time, so after an hour or so I started looking for him when I was jumped by those kobolds in the tall grass. I'm not sure why exactly they were after me so I made for the trading post near here, but got all turned around. And that's how you found me. Thanks again for the timely rescue. Um, I seem to have lost my coin pouch in all the haste, but anything I can make while at the fair is yours."
Scarlet keeps Fan pinned to the ground (nominally to avoid small javelins) and then when the coast is clear hoists him up and gives him enough of a hug that Celyne is forced to heal him twice to insure that the man can stand under his own power. "Scarlet! Thank you. Are you healing me? Well then thank you too! Is that your cat? Thank you all for driving them off. Some expert bow work I must say. I thought I was done for." When he finally does stand the contrast is quite striking. Fan is a tall, lean man dressed in once-fine blue entertainers garb topped off with an equally once-fine gold cape. "I am Fan Auric, musician by trade, rogue by nature and herald of heroes." He kisses each lady's hand and generally tries to appear dignified--and it might have worked had his belt and trousers not decided that they needed healing as well. "Pardon!" He says, quickly collecting himself while trying to answer Scarlet's questions. "Well, I was-. Er. The last I-. Right. Um? Oh! About a year ago?" He scrunches up his face hoping that's the right answer. He looks around and spies Naleksa and the rest of your caravan. "Is that the South Rostland Road? I think I've over shot. Do you know where the Renault farm is?" |