Yingzen detects a hint of relief in the old satyr that he would have the company of powerful protectors as he passes through the dangerous borderlands between Alfheim and Fairyland....
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Perceiving a hint of growing interest in his tale about Loki's Hall of Trials, Troper gladly elaborates, absently strumming dramatic chords on his lute to accent his narrative.... Of the nature of the Trials proper, I've heard a thing or three.... It seems the first trial is always the easiest, and a bit of a jest, as I've heard it, a show of Loki's humor.... But don't let it lull ye into a false sense of security.... The Trials following the first are said to grow more arduous! The old satyr strums some dramatic harmonies on his lute.... There be the added trouble of strange and terrible monsters set within the Hall, some by Loki himself to confound those facing the Trials, and some as have come at random to lair within the strange abode.... A crescendo of tension-building dissonance.... And not all of the trials will test one's might at arms, or brawn, or resilience to perils.... Some test one's wits.... One's cunning.... One's lore.... One's sense of humor, if you will.... Loki was a trickster-god before he met his end at Ragnorak....
Troper grins amicably and bows graciously before Marcus.... I am at your service, good sir!
Two days after the double-birthday party, on the evening of May 18th, a strange satyr bard named Troper visits the Castle and entertains with his weird stories, off-colored jokes, and bizarre songs in exchange for a hot meal and shelter for the night.... One of the stranger tales he tells, he swears to be true, and the elves who work in the Castle soberly attest to its veracity.... He tells of a magical hall built by the god Loki on the borderland between Alfheim and Fairyland.... Built to serve as a sort of testing ground for would-be mythic heroes.... It is called the Hall of Trials, and it is said that though many who have thought themselves daring, cunning, or strong in magic or arms have braved the Hall, only a handful have successfully passed all the way through.... Those few heroes that did so were said to receive a divine gift of power by bathing in a spring at the end of the Hall of Trials.... A brawny warrior hero had his strength inherently increased.... A cunning rogue had his dexterity increased.... A great wizard's intellect was magnified.... A priest of the gods was increased in wisdom.... Troper the satyr bard concludes this particularly intriguing tale with a hint that he might be persuaded to serve a band of heroes seeking the Hall of Trials by guiding them there in exchange for daily meals, protection along the way, and a dozen gold coins to weigh down his flappy belt pouch....
Unable to resist joining in the fantastic impromptu he hears from Kailin and Jolly Duff, the Piper lifts his pipe to his lips and begins to play a second countermelody, weaving a wicked counterpoint that transforms Kailin's improvised impromptu into a gorgeous symphony.... Aid another Performance (woodwind) boosts Kailin's Performance check to 30!
The Piper nods and grins at Kailin.... Mayhaps a piping contest is in order, to clear old Duff up about which of us is the finest piper in Fairyland? What say you, dear Kailin? Shall we bedazzle these poor mortals with fairy music?
The Piper shrugs, changes his tune to harmonize with Jolly Duff's, and follows the leprechaun down to the lakeside....
The Piper in the Hills grins as Nymph Nessa begins trying to seduce Derrik, and lifting the fife to his lips, he begins to softly play a sweet, seductive melody....
The high, trilling cries of the fife send thrills through The FOs as they fight the black pudding, in spite of the danger.... Strident, heroic, inspiring.... Could a mortal piper achieve such deft agility and piercingly clear tone? |