Traveller Smurf shivers, holding onto a stray curl of Karrin's hair for balance.
"Well, thank smurf for that. I appreciate it, Karrin."
Joachim has been quiet while the others have been discussing matters beyond his expertise. The small Brinkt brings him out of his turkey-induced somnolence.
"A duende! By Bell, Sand and Hawk I had thought they were just fairy tales!"
Joachim looks around the barroom and its many odd patrons.
"Umm.... I guess I should be surprised duendes exist after all."
Greetings. Can anyone direct me to the door leading to Oerth?
O.L.L.I looks up at the newcomer.
"Greetings. This unit doesn't know the proper door to Oerth, but he has heard that many of the old portals are failing since the Grand Realignment. This unit's friend Karrin here Indicates Karrin Kind has tried to ascertain much the same thing."
Would anyone know if the plane of shadow is still accesible?
I really need to get back. My friends are facing off against Tharizdun and I have the secret mystical pizza that would unravel his evil plot.
O.L.L.I bleeps
"It is interesting, newcomer you should mention Tharizdun. Two of our tablemembers are alienists who specialize in the Far Realm."
"Did you say Oerth?" Karrin asks, suddenly interested in the new arrival, "I'm from Oerth! I'm also looking for a door to get to Oerth! If you find out anything I'd love to hear about it as well!"
Karrin's nose suddenly catches a whiff of the strange circular delight the stranger is holding.
"Say that smells good. what is that? Smells like cheese and tomato and bread. Smells good." Karrin says licking her lips, "smells tasty."
Here have some cheese.
Oh and do you need help with that smnrf?
O.L.L.I bleeps
"It is interesting, newcomer you should mention Tharizdun. Two of our tablemembers are alienists who specialize in the Far Realm."
"Can you introduce me to these friends of yours, OLLI?"
O.L.L.I looks at the newcomer, then gestures at the two Far Realm investigators.
"The female with the serpentine hair is appelated Malfaerr. The female with the insectile antennae is appelated Lolenthiel. This unit has not yet acquired your appelation."
...
Oh and do you need help with that smnrf?
Traveller Smurf peeks out from Karrin's hair.
"And just what the smurf do you smurf by that tall, dark and smurfy?"
The familiar glances up at Karrin with the calculating consideration felines (and otherworldly horrors) like to believe they possess.
At last, she decides the teifling probably won't eat the blue mouthful, or let the goblin.
Good. That's resolved, then.
Her "future dinner" saved, the bug-cat hops off the table and proceeds to set herself to the important task of investigating Maelfar's bag of monkey-head, trying to bat at it insolently with her quasi-locust-like paws.
Lolenthiel drifts out of her tipsy trance, mumbling a word salad in Goblinish. Something about baby toes marinaded in candle-wax winning a contest of wills.
"Did I miss anything?" she says, at last. She looks up at Raizen with unblinking, empty, black eyes, and says, "Oh. Hello."
Here have some cheese.Oh and do you need help with that smnrf?
"The Smurf is my friend. His name is Traveler and yes I would like some cheese," Karrin says in a business like voice, "thank you very much."
"Did I miss anything?" she says, at last. She looks up at Raizen with unblinking, empty, black eyes, and says, "Oh. Hello."
"Not much Lolenthiel my sleeping friend,
this man possesses a pizza that spells Tharizdun's end."Malfaerr says with that hauntingly vacant smile on her lips,
"Also I acquired a goblin for research in my book,
not much to look at, but smarter, I suspect, then she looks."
Lolenthiel gives Malfaer a blank look, "I do not sleep." She's good at blank looks, but there is a touch of embarrassment there, if one knows where to find it.
Very precisely, she picks up the mostly empty cup of cider, and puts it as far away from her as she can reach.
Her feelers drift vaguely, listing toward the newcomer, "That must be a remarkable... pie. And I think most goblins don't look as smart as they are. A survival trait?"
"Yes I know else don't sleep, that's what I thunk,
but it would have been impolite to suggest that you were . . ."
O.L.L.I pipes up to the newcomer.
"Attention newcomer. You have not given us your proper appelation. Are you from Karrin's world of Oerth? She hails from the Duchy of Tenh. This unit comes from the geometral planar bounded space that many creatures label as Nirvana. This unit's connection with the Modron Overmind was accidentaly severed and he now calls kip in the planar crossroad city of Sigil."
Sharinda turns to Raizen.
"While I'm a-waiting on the goblin lady to make her choice would yeh be wanting anything sir?"
"Might as well. Got anything vegetarian? A salad, perhaps."
Sharinda looks at Raizen
"Do we have a salad? 'Course we do! One Mordenkainen Salad with a side of homemade keep dressing coming right up!"
Sharinda looks at Brinkt
"I'll jest get yeh the mushroom ale while yeh're deciding."
Sharinda bustles off.
"Put a rush on the goblin food please Sharinda," Karrin says, "I don't like the way she's looking at my friend here."
Sharinda winks at Karrin
"No worries luv. We got some Rothe meat in the broiler out back"
Sharinda hurries off
A large form appears at one of the hallways leading off the common room.
"All righ' here still. BOX! Fetch me a drink!"
O.L.L.I stands up and greets the new entrant to the WSI.
"Greetings honored co-worker Shactal. Please join our group and this unit will purchase a Bloody Apocalypse for you to imbibe."
Karrin glances over at the strange being joining the table, she hadn't realized that he was addressing Olli, and now that the connection has been made she is unsure of how she feels about someone calling Olli a box. It seems insulting somehow. Thankfully Karrin has no idea Shactal is a devil otherwise she'd really be apprehensive.
The large icy mantis creature sits down at the table, the chair groaning in protest. A wave of frosty air rolls off his pale blue carapace, making everyone's breath smoke. It looks around the table at the large motley collection of drinkers and then to O.L.L.I
"What'cher doin' box? I head out to do some errands, come back an' yer still rattlin' yer bonebox and getting nothing done. Shameful it is ... almost ... chaotic."
O.L.L.I bleeps loudly at Shactal's use of the "C" word.
O.L.L.I bleeps and whirrs at Shactal
"Honored co-worker Shactal. This unit is never chaotic in method. This unit was disseminating information for his frined Karrin and he decided to gather some of the local 'chant' while at the inn."
"Law or Chaos are exactly the same," Malfearr mutters to herself, "the thing that differs is their names, both are controlling terrible beasts,
I have no desire to follow either in the least."
Shactal snorts, a puff of icy air enveloping the table with a subtle note of brimstone
Yeh think Law and Chaos are the same I invite you down to the Grey Fields sometime. There yeh can get to see the fundemental differences 'tween Law and Chaos.
Shactal chuckles, a most distressing sound
Alla yeh mamby-pambys rattlin' on about evil. You berks never give us one lick of thanks fer all the fightin' and dyin' we do trying to keep the Abyss from swallowing your precious Wheel up like a tender bit of beef.
Sharinda reappears with more food. She places a nice broiled piece of Rothe and some mushroom ale in front of Brinkt and a Medium Grade Clockwork Oil in front of O.L.L.I. A pitcher of Mitchifer's homebrew and another assorted platter of fried snack goodies hit the table
"Gor, and this place git quiet alla a sudden." She remarks as she rearrainges the food. She notices Shactal's icy form.
"'Ello Shac. Bloody Apocalypse fer yeh?"
The large icy mantis devil nods his insectile head and Sharinda hurries off again.
Karrin breaths a sigh of relief as the food arrives and is placed in front of the goblin. Karrin turns back to Malfaerr and Shactal.
"Father told me all about good and evil and law and chaos," Karrin says, trying to inject herself into the conversation, "so I totally believe they exist. I mean if they didn't exist why all the fighting? I mean there's this thing called the blood war . . ."
"The extremes are exactly the same,
Fascist, communist, they're just names,
you live, fight, and die, under a banner,
if that banner is law or chaos you think it madders?
Chaos is supposedly defined by a lack of law,
yet demons and devils have little difference that I saw!
Perhaps I'm incorrect,
it's no skin off of my neck,
but opponents in the blood war are more similar then not,
the war is more about what you've been taught."
O.L.L.I bleeps softly at Malfaerr's declaration
"Attention alienist Malfaerr. This unit would respectfully disagree with you. Law is the highest principle, the foundation with which the multiverse is built upon. Without Law you have the swirling chaos of Limbo. There is no structure, the center cannot hold. With chaos there is nothing to rely on, and outcomes cannot be predicted from actions. Chaos is the lowest form of arrangements, the specter of Entropy, the Final Death. Nothing can survive and grow without some form of Law, even the darkest corners of the Abyss must follow some rules to even exist in a semi-stable form."
O.L.L.I sips his Medium Grade Clockwork Oil
Shactal snorts more supercold air over the group
"Yeh. What the box said. We may not always play nice but yeh always know what yer gettin' with our lot."
Shactal chuckles, a sound analogous to two cats fighting to the death.
"The sticky point is that most berks believe what they want to believe. They think they can give us the laugh like we was some wet-behind-the-ears cony catchers. Hell is stocked with berks that didn't bother to read the fine print or thought that it didn't apply to THEM."
Shactal chuckles some more.
"What you are suggesting is that one could exist without the other,
that Chaos could devour law and things could continue without a rudder,
but O.l.l.i., I'm afraid that is just not the case,
like without law there'd only be formless space.
Chaos cannot exist without law,
despite what you've been told or saw,
but this isn't the point that I'm making,
it's issue with these self styled lords that I'm taking.
What is the point to this endless war?
nothing is decided, there is no score.
Recently the prince of demons was killed,
but already that vacancy was filled!"
Malfaerr takes a moment to take a sip of her beer.
"That's the universe in which we exist,
everyone trying to rule through might and fist."
O.L.L.I bleeps
"Attention alienist Malfaerr. While this unit agrees with the premise that neither Law nor Chaos could truly exist without the other in some sort of balance, this unit was trying to specify that they are not the same. Both have similar goals, but that does not make them alike. Chaos seeks maximum freedom and unpredictabilty. This unit finds that distressing. Law seeks to structure and conform. This unit approves of order. Both seek to gain an advantageous position over the other. As long as both exist in the multiverse there will be conflict. The names of the leaders may change, but the conflict will rage on until the crystal spheres shatter into dust. The only true balance of the two can be found here in this very inn."
O.L.L.I waves his skinny clockwork-jointed arm about at the many beings taking their leisure in the inn's common room.
Sharinda returns with Shactal's Bloody Apocalypse. She puts the large mug with the smoking liquid and frozen larva chunk in front of the burly Ice Devil and looks around the table.
"Anyone else need anything while I'm here?"
"No thanks Sharinda," Karrin says patting her tummy, "I think I'm about all filled up. Besides I wouldn't want to spoil my supper. But you might want to come back in a bit, that goblin looks hungry, and I don't want it hungry. She looks kind of nasty."
"What's this?" asks the nasty bug like creature, "a philosophical discussion in the bar? The last group settled their dispute in the pit. A lively discussion it was as well! I'd just like to remind you that the pit is open to settle your disputes. Let me ask you O.l.l.i., do you think that her contention that 'law as a social construct doesn't exist' is foolishness? Show her the error of her ways by smashing her skull into the unpadded stone wall. Hey miss tentacle head why not prove to this lousy box that his notion of 'philosophical, psychological, and physical differences' amount to nothing when someone is stabbing through the brain box! Anyone can discuss their beliefs but it takes a true visionary to beat those beliefs into someone's head and unprotected organs."
"Hey bug guy," Malfaerr snarls, "go fly. I abhor fighting, which some might find enlightening, but just because I'm good at it, doesn't mean that I'll resort to it."
"Did you just rhyme 'it' with 'it'?" the Bearded Reaver laughs, "I'd say someone is starting to run out of rhymes . . ."
Malfaerr turns to the Neogi and glares at him, for a brief moment the tavern seems to shake, a strange inhuman howl echos from the corridors, a sound that is like screeching metal, combined with the thunder of hundreds of crickets chirping, and musical chorus of an entire pod of whales . . .
"Right," The Bearded Reaver mutters, "point made, moving on."
The aged neogi leads his umberhulks away. The ancient creature isn't exactly scared but it certainly knows, with his years of experience, when not to push his luck.
The sound abruptly stops.
"Noooo," comes a cry from Malfaerr's haversack, "I was almost in! Why'd you call me . . ."
Malfaerr kicks the bag.
"Oooff," grunts the bag, "ok, fine. Back to being a head."
"I think with the wealth of knowledge that's in my head,
perhaps we should discuss or debate something else instead." Malfaerr finally says.
O.L.L.I looks askance at the neogi
"I concur alienist Malfaerr. Perhaps the recent resurrection of the demon lord Orcus and what this portends for the demipower Kiaransalee who occupied his fortress plane of Thanatos?"
"I didn't care for the demon Orcus when we met," Malfaerr mutters,
Not dealing with him properly is something I regret,
His hate of the demon prince was something we could trust,
but outside of that alliance he didn't inspire my confidence much."
O.L.L.I clanks and bleeps excitedly
"You have had personal dealings with the deon lord designated Orcus? Fascinating. Can you tell this unit anything about your encounter?"
"I'm afraid there's not much for me to tell,
we visited the demon lord for but a spell,
Orcus was a great horrible, festering, rotting husk,
and I had no interest in staying longer then I must,
we met only long enough to seal the deal,
and then we left his putrid plane with great zeal."
O.L.L.I bleeps
Surely there were some details you can remember about Thanatos and his palace of Everlost? This unit would be most interested for any of observations of your journey there.
Somehow a quill and a piece of foolscap have materialized in O.L.L.I's spindly hands.
