Arragnas: Fires of Niklimashul

[Ryu Kurai]

He had been running like this for about two minutes. He could already feel his body's exhaustion manifesting itself as a pair of invisible claws digging deep into his lungs. He ran hunched over, and he noticed that he was slowing down. He heard some barking mixed with a few growls from a street he had passed several seconds ago. Shit. He thought to himself, redoubling his pace in spite of his lungs, which were screaming for a momentary reprieve. The massive buildings of the city loomed over him as he took a left turn, the waning moon's light shining off of each of the buildings and making them seem wet. Well, this is a port town. he thought to himself sarcastically. He saw what appeared to be a marketplace, completely empty due to the late hour. The buildings surrounded it in a rough circle, and the numerous stands took up the majority of the center. He looked back for an instant, catching sight of a seven foot tall figure with leather and bone armor clutching a massive polearm headed straight for him. His instincts screamed to run and hide, and that he did. He slid underneath one of the marketplace's stands, immediately getting up and running towards the next one. He slid under that one in the same fashion, mentally praising his god for having given him such diminutive size. As he cleared the third stand in this fashion, this praise changed to a curse. To his left stood another of the seven foot tall guards, clad in the same armor and wielding the same weapon. The creature's halbred thrusted down with enough force to take off his leg as he skipped out of the way, quickly bringing himself to a run and scattering a small bag of caltrops on the ground, breaking off to the right. He heard a piercing whine and a growl with various obscenities in the common tongue as he fled. He saw a dog-like creature with dark brown fur and what looked like a sneer on its face come around the corner as he did.

"No, no, no," He said to himself as the canine opened its mouth and issued a laugh-like bark that chilled him to the bone. It rushed at him, and he fled to his left in-between two stands. He broke out into the open part of the market, the dog-like beast laughing unnervingly behind him. He ran to the other side, sliding under four sets of stands this time, glancing back for only a moment to see five of the tall pursuers and three of the canines running after him, one of them lagging back and growling and barking to the others. He ran for a longer ammount of time, his body light and airy but still pounding with pain. He ran past many buildings, finally rounding a corner as his face collided with a bone plate, which was connected to some leather armor, which was worn by a seven foot tall guard. He looked up, his blood running cold. The gnoll looked down at him, the bone helmet not hiding the terrifying gaze he had. Before he could react, the gnoll grabbed him by the head, the bone-plated chain of his gauntlets catching his hair and tugging on it. He drew his dagger, but the gnoll grabbed his hand and twisted it away. It fell two feet to the ground below as he rose upwards, the canine head coming down to face level.

"Where did you hide it, goblin?" He asked in the goblin's own language. The goblin made for his crossbow, but the gnoll's massive hand closed around it and squeezed, nearly snapping the goblin's fingers. He let out a terrified and pained yell, struggling futily for a moment as he heard footsteps behind the gnoll. "Where?" The canine-headed creature asked again, and then his face twisted into an expression of agony, dropping the goblin and letting out a canine whine that hit the goblin's ears like a spear. He was seized by another hand as he hit the ground, this one about as large but without gauntlet, and also without fur. He grinned as the bugbear pulled him past the gnoll, the canine stabbing at them with a sword but missing, and then letting out a couple of high-pitched yips and a short howl as the bugbear started running for the town's exit. The goblin made a rude gesture towards the gnoll, who was kneeling in a pool of his own blood from his pulverized foot. The two cleared the city gates in about a minute.

"You get it?" The bugbear said roughly at him as they ran through the field outside the city.

"Of course I did." The goblin replied, pulling out a small leather-bound tome that read on its cover in Arragnan "Niklimashul's Disciplehood".

* * *

As dawn crept up upon Holdein Outpost, Ragirr woke up in his usual fashion. He let out a massive yawn with a slight canine whine as he sharply realized that he was hungry. He pulled on some clothing and put on some shoes, going downstairs to the dining area, still rubbing his eyes as the first of his stomach's loud growls started.

"Good morning Ragirr. You want something right away?" The ever-perky maid and wench of the Drunken Bull asked as she passed him on the stairs.

"S'whut I'm hoping for." He said groggily, his stomach growling at the thought of food.

"Patricia, get the cook working on Ragirr's usual order." She said to another maid as they pased each other on the stairs.

"Right away. 'Morning Ragirr." The maid said pleasantly to Ragirr, skipping down the stairs and shouting "Hey, Delbren! The fuzzy one's up!"

"Dammit! Tell him to go lay back down for an hour or two! He woke up right at peak!" Came the voice of the tavern's head cook.

"Fine, but you pay for damages if he starts gnawing on a bed leg or something!" The maid said.

"Okay, I get it. One order large enough to feed an entire town, coming up!" He said sarcastically.

Ragirr moved over to a table, falling down into the chair and pulling out his coin purse. The same maid came over and took two gold for his order. "Hey, wait a moment." He said gruffy, a light scratching audible in his speech. "You can keep the change if you tell me about any jobs in town right now that I haven't heard of yet." She opened her mouth as he sighed. "Ones that'd hire me."

She paused for a long moment until Ragirr's stomach broke the silence. "Tell you what. The boss lets us off for a bit for lunch. So, I'll grab my lunch and eat as I walk to the mayors and ask him if he'd accept you for any jobs." Ragirr nodded in approval, putting his head down on the table as she left, trying to fight off the hunger pains. Some time later, amidst all the smells of cooked food, he heard a loud clunk on the table in from of him. His eyes, popped open, and he saw a massive chunk of beef with a quintet of eggs on top, a large loaf of bread with a hard crust on the side and a hunk of cheese, with a huge flagon of ale set next to it with foam dripping down the sides.

He also knew that the next three parts of his order would come soon.

"Enjoy!" Said the wench he had passed on the stairs, getting a good half a second of audible speech before Ragirr had already started devouring the beef, disregarding the spoon and fork that had been set next to the plate.

* * *

The tavern's wench munched on a hunk of bread as she took her break, marvelling at just how much the half-gnoll who had been staying at their tavern could eat. After passing the large path that ran in-between the town's four temples, she noticed a rather large caravan of wagons coming into town, and haflings setting up near the marketplace, along with a few non-halflings that she guessed had come along for the ride. She proceeded past them to the town hall, not expecting them to openly offer a decent paying job but still willing to ask.

[Mintaro]

Lacidar sat easily at his small table across the room. He watched the large half gnoll devouring his massive meal. Shaking his head in light disgust he saw his own order coming over to him.

"There you go sir, not very often we got orders for our preserves." The waitress commented.

Lacidar looked at the spread of various dried fruits and meats. Setting his hand upon his warmed mug of tea he felt the heat coarse through his body. He smiled at the serving lass. "My digestion is rather picky see." He pulled out his coin purse and handed her the payment along with an extra bit. Winking to imply it was for her.

"Thank you mi'lord." She said gratefully as she curtsied and moved off to help other customers.

Lacidar smiled and began picking up strips of fruits and meats. Eating them slowly, savoring the salts, spices and sugars that inevitably accompanied all dried meals. Taking a sparring draw from his cup he let the flavors of the tea dance along his tongue. It was a house blend. Which usually meant that they couldn't pay for enough of one kind of herb to use for there tea's so they had to buy differing kinds and mix them together. Lacidar didn't mind though, he loved variety of flavor. It was one of his few indulgences. Besides, it was usually the cheapest thing they served.

He perked his head slightly to the side as he heard noise coming from outside. It sounded like a caravan. A dark glean went over his eyes, vanishing so fast behind his mask of pleasantness it was doubtful anyone noticed. "It will be good to hear new rumors in town. Plus they will offer a good source of transportation should they be leaving soon."

Lacidar decided to check things out later, It was likely the caravan would be in town for at least the day, selling and buying and resting the animals. He had time. Besides, they had some sort of dried orange fruit he had never seen before. It was best to save for last.

[TheBlindMime]

The crew was hard at work bringing the ship into port, it had been a long eight month journey and they had all grown tired. The entire ship had been on edge ever since the last pirate raid, that was why they had hired him. The creature was no more then 6 feet tall, yet he was a beast. Furthermore his bastardized lineage was obvious to the eye. He had a deep red mane pulled back into a pony-tail and his blond fur, his sharper then average fanged teeth (which he bared at naseaum), and finally with his slightly extended and pointed ears it was evident he was the son of both an elf and a gnoll. Despite humanities usual acceptance of others, they hated him. In fact there was only one person on the crew they hated more.

First-mate Wesley was a man of refinement and culture. He had been raised as an aristocrat yet, he hungered for something more through out his life. Adventure, his urge to go out and find what life had to offer is what led him to this ship, his father owned the shipping company, so Wesley found out it was easy enough to become the first-mate of a ship on his first day. What had surprised him though was being thrown out of the lower cabins onto the deck.

Wesley ran a hand along his lip, it was bleeding. "You ravenous curr, how dare you lay hands upon me!" The crew stopped what they were doing, moving in an unconscious unison they turned to watch the show. As Wesley shifted onto his feet they saw him, it was the creature. He stepped onto the deck like a man whose life had no consequence.

"You owe him, you pay him." He said these words simply, they were not demands they were orders.

Suddenly Wesley could feel rage fill him from his very core, this beast was ordering him around. His fist flew towards the creatures face before he could even think twice about it. Unfortunately, the creatures fist moved faster then his own and for a reason Wesley could not fathom the two fists met one another. Wesley heard a cracking as he dropped to his knees, his fist had to be broken. "MY HAND!" That was all Wesley could think to say, though it had seemed somewhat insightful at the time.

It was at this moment Captain Right strolled onto the deck, he had known Osborn for quite some times, he was one of the few people on this world who considered him a friend. When his eyes met the sight of Oz standing defiantly above a wounded superior he could say he was surprised. In fact the only surprise was that it hadn't happened sooner upon the trip. Despite this, it was still an unwelcome sight, "Osborn don't kill him!"

Oz lazily looked over towards the sprinting captain, "I wasn't going to kill him. He just needs to pay his debt."

The captain was confused now, "What's he talking about now Wesley?" Wesley was and had been responsible all trip for translating Osborn's quick simple sentences into understandable sentiments, and he might have had a translation prepared had he not been mumbling to himself about his own hand.

"Tis my fult sirr," Richie the cabin boy of the ship spoke up, his slur's belied his intelligence, the boy was quite astute and an avid gambler. "I bett Wessie 'hat I culd phlip my 'nife wiffout eevin lukin." And he could too.

"Is this true Wesley?" The captian looked to Wesley who merely looked into the captains eyes, and then returned to mumbling to himself. Oz just shrugged as the captain slapped his head.

******

As the ship road into port everyone was still giggling about Wesley's trip into shock. The crew moved onto the port as the captain removed a large pouch from his jacket, he slipped a few coins into every mans hands, save for Wesley who had lost his wages to Richie. Richie walked up to Oz with a look of admiration in his eyes.

"'hanks agin Oz, I owe you wun." Richie held up his winnings to show Osborn that his good deed indeed have its merits. Oz looked at the coins for a moment, bfore snatching half of them from the boys hands, he tossed them into the air to Richie's confusion. "Wut's all dis then?"

"When you fight for it, you can keep it." Osborn slipped the coins into his pockets before raising his bag onto his back. He patted Richie on the head once with a wink before marching off the ship. As he passed the captain they gave eachother a simple nod, Osborn had been hired to protect the ship, this included the removal of any unwanted crewmen. "Better late." Oz smiled as he marched off the dock.

"Get the shipment on our boat quickly, I want to set sail before dusk." Right said with a smile on his face.

"Wut ov' wessie Cap'n?" Richie asked as he filtered his remaining coins into a hidden pocket.

"He shan't be joining us boy. Too much adventure out here for him." Captain Right smiled, it was about damn time that monkey got off his back.

******

Osborn hefted open the doors of the tavern, and he saw a face he recognized. It wasn't a man he knew, nor a man he had seen before but he knew him. They were two of a kind, both of them were mutts, half-gnolls had a kinship more or less for they walked a lonely road. He marched up steadily, his steps were awkward, like those of a man who could find no firm footing. He set his hand onto a free chair at the table, it appeared as if the man was in the middle of his first meal. "Good Morning, seat taken?"

[Ryu Kurai]

Ragirr stopped eating and looked up through a mouthful of egg. He slurped it up noisily before it had a chance to drip down his face. "Go ahead. Don't expect me ta buy ya any food though. This damn stomach of mine's got me practically livin' in the slums as is." He caught the attention of one of the wenches as she passed. "Ask him what he wants, I dunno what he likes." Ragirr said, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder at the other half-gnoll.

The wench's face was a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. "Um, welcome sir. what would you like and how much of it would you like?" She said a bit unenthusiastically, putting a piece of paper on the table and withdrawing a piece of charcoal.

"Try the beef. Pretty hearty cattle they got around here." Ragirr said as he broke a portion of the bread in half and stuffed a piece of cheese in between the halves.

* * *

The wench also noticed something else unusual in her walk to the mayor's. Large, muscle-bound men wearing what looked like outfits meant for the sea were evenly dispersed in the crowds. Sailors coming in from somewhere, but where? She sped up her pace, determined not to become prey to any of the lonlier men of the sea. Her memory jogged in an instant. She had heard two well-dressed proprieters talking of a new port built about four miles north of town. The only other place that had heard of that had a port was down south, Azure something-or-other. The crew must have been delivering various rare shipments. She wondered why she hadn't heard about the port earlier. She shook her head. She must have really been out of it for the past few months.

As she came upon the Town Hall, she noticed two large, bone-armored gnolls loping out of the building, heading towards a pair of red-furred, saddled wargs that were said to be mounts that belonged to messangers. She nodded to them as they passed, and they each bowed back. She had never thought them to be bad folk, and as such had found it easy to accept half-gnolls as regular citizens. She really didn't comprehend why no one else did, but the numerous insults hurled in the directions of the big oafs seemed to contribute to them getting into trouble as well, and she had heard that the gnoll Vanguard was normally not quite so leniant on the poor behavior of half-gnolls. Perhaps some sort of bizare racial parenting? She doubted she would understand. She sat down on the steps and finished the remainder of her bread before she bravely knocked on the reinforced wooden door.

And ancient human woman wearing spectacles answered the door. She was thin and wrinkled with age, but her hair had retained a bit of a brownish hue. "Yes? What would you like?" She asked rather quietly. Her voice seemed to be a bit hushed.

"May I speak with the Mayor please? I have a... friend who would like to inquire about any potential job offerings that you might have." She asked, being sure to keep her voice a bit louder than the woman's.

"You have good timing. The Mayor just got out of a meeting and may be able to speak with you. Come in, dear. I'll go ask him right away." She said, opening the door for the wench, who promptly stepped inside. The inside of the building had several small paintings on the walls and a wooden floor. It had a few cushioned chairs set next to the door, and the wench sat upon one as the old woman opened an oak door and stepped into the room beyond it.

A few moments later, the old woman stepped back through, keeping the door open as she stepped through. "Right this way, dearie." She said, although it did not have the positive tone one might expect behind such words. She obliged the woman, stepping into an office a bit smaller than the last room with a door on the right and left walls. A large window was on the wall opposite her and in front of that a desk with an adult human sitting at it, who she identified as the mayor, Devir Nasi. His hair was white, but most of the women in town swore he was no older than thirty-three. He had a few scars running across his cheeks, no doubt from time in the military. His clothing was simple but elegant, at first glance like any other villager's tunic and breeches, but a closer look revealed the inlaid silk, dyed to match the clothing. He released his quill from his strong grip as the wench walked forwards. He looked up at her with a pleasant smile, gesturing towards the wooden chair in front of his oaken desk. The wench suspected that it was his personality that had gotten him this far in politics, as well as his military record, or so the word was around the tavern anyway. She noticed as she sat that his blue eyes had the look of a man that she had seen not two days ago, a man who lived out on the plains and came to the tavern to drink at least once a week, the eyes of a man whose heart was heavy with worry. But then they eased and sparkled. Perhaps it was only her imagination.

"May I ask what your business is here on this exceptionally sunny day?" He said warmly, his soft voice immediately relaxing her into telling him what he asked.

"I'm here to ask about a job for someone who has been staying at our tavern for a few days. He's a mercenary, and a good one too. He hasn't failed a job in this town yet." She said quickly, her eyes wandering a bit to the various rarities placed evenly about the room.

"A job? Well, let me see for you then..." Devir said, still smiling as he opened a drawer and took out a stack of papers. "Right here, this first one has an offer from a farmer who's been having bandit problems. I know the man myself. Very upstanding citizen, he'd pay well."

The wench thought for a moment or two. She didn't think a farmer would be able to pay enough to subside a half-gnoll's hunger for even one meal. "Could you please look for a job that would pay a bit more? I'm afraid my friend hasn't goten a job in quite some time, and he really needs the money."

The mayor nodded slightly, and then searched for a few more seconds through the stack of papers. "Officially, there are a few bounties out, but they're mostly for gangs. I doubt a sole mercenary would be able to deal with something like that." He continued through the stack. "There's a few more pest extermination notes here, maybe two that'd pay well enough. Large bats in a farmer's cattlehouse, but he is offering quite a lot. Another from Natikas' temple, says they need someone to exterminate the rats below the school. Well, let's see, it appears these two would hire almost anybody. Dwarf, lizardkin, halfling, maybe even a half-orc if he was a well-known mercenary."

The wench felt her body shiver a bit. Her voice quivered a bit as she began to speak. "Well, that's just it, sir. My friend, you see... He's a... A bit unfortunate. Let's simply say that he wasn't of the good fortune to be born a full-blooded human or a full-blooded gnoll."

As expected, the smile immediately went from the mayor's face. "Oh, I see..." He said quietly. "I'm afraid that most of the people listed here wouldn't hire a half-gnoll to save their lives, and with good reason."

"B-but I know him, sir. He's very trustworthy. Had every last payment for his room in advance or on time. Given, he eats a lot, but that shouldn't be cause to simply give up on him before they see him." She said. She really wasn't sure why she was saying it, but the words flew out of her mouth before she could think twice. What the hell am I doing? She thought to herself as the mayor's head rose up slightly. She felt a wave of despair move over her body.

"It is not my judgement. I will simply not put through paperwork that I know will be rejected. Upon seeing those nine letters upon the information sheet the employers will simply toss out the paper and probably send me a nasty reply. So many remember the horrifying tales of half-gnolls being driven insane by hunger or spite and devoring the flesh of their families. It is hard to forget that many of these creatures create more trouble than even half-orcs. We have so many of them in town as it is, and you only see them in pauper's rags. Those are not the sort of folk these people will trust with their well-being." Devir said sternly, every sylable driving the feeling of despair and negativity up to greater and greater heights within the wench. She hung her head silently in the chair, looking like a child who was being punished.

They sat there for a few moments, the mayor with his hands folded upon the desk and his eyes closed. The wench felt a tear drip from her eye, which she quickly wiped away. Why the hell am I crying? This is the way it's always been. It's stupid of me to get stuck on this. I'll just go back to work and tell him that they won't give him a job. It's simple. Shape up, Pat. The wench stood up and curtsied to the mayor. "My apologies for taking so much of your time. I shall take my leave." She said, turning towards the door without looking at the mayor. She grasped the knob of the door, turning it and opening it about halfway.

"Wait a moment." The mayor said, and the wench immediately did so, looking back in confusion. "If this friend of yours will really, trully take any job, and if he can accomplish it, tell him to meet me here in my office at twilight. Tell him to bring any associates he wishes. Also inform him that the monetary reward for this job will be great. It is doubtful that he can complete this task alone, however."

The wench turned back to the mayor, a smile returning to her face. "Mayor Nasi, thank you so much." She curtsied to him again and turned to go.

"Another moment if you would, there is one last thing I need to say." The mayor said, the wench turning back towards him once again. The mayor looked at her with his eyes intensely for a moment, remaining quite silent. "There is a risk involved, however. There is a strong chance that whoever takes this mission... might not survive."

[Mintaro]

Lacidar sat watching the two half gnolls devouring unrealistic portions of food. It seemed impossible that there bodies could hold all that inside their bodies, large as they were. It always made him feel a bit queasy to see a half gnoll eat. Taking a slow sip from his tea he enjoyed the warmth that spread out from his digestive track through the rest of his body. He knew a little of how the body works. Dissecting dead humanoids had been a part of his training. After all if you didn't know what was inside, how could you best destroy it? He thought back to his home city. The tree's there made everything else he had seen seem like twigs stuck in the ground.

******** ******** ********

Whissnari crouched on the tree, staying perfectly still. His black scales blending him into the dark wood nearly perfectly. He watched the movements below with his heat sac, allowing him to keep even a reflection of light from his eyes hidden. The three class mates that were to hunt him down for the excercise would pass below him soon. He waited patiently willing his body to be a knot on the tree. Nothing more then a bump on the old giant. As the three got below him he let go and pushed off slightly, allowing himself to fall toward the three. Pulling out a flash bomb he threw it ahead of himself. Keeping his eyes closed he saw the bloom of heat go off moments before he crashed into the three. Opening his eyes he saw them all, dazed by the sudden bright light. Moving quickly he disarmed them, Pulling their weapons from their sheaves. Then pulling a rope from around his waist he moved quickly tying them up tight. Three shadow spawn sat on the ground back to back with a still dazed expression upon them.

He felt a slight tapping on his shoulder, turning around he saw a fourth member, who held a sword to his neck. "We win." He said.

"I thought there was only supposed to be three opponents for this exercise?" He said as he turned back around to untie his comrades and help them up.

"You were told there was only three." The same man replied. "But that is simply because the information you were given was wrong. You have to be prepared for misinformation on occasion. Bad information can cost you your life. Or save it if it is properly placed, always remember that."

Turning back around Whissnari Smiled. "I see, well then let us return to the gates and inform them of the outcome."

The five of them began walking back toward the gate in respectful silence.

******** ******** ********

Lacidar now sat in his chair stiffly, remembering the days of his training. He looked at his plate and realized he had unconsciously eaten the piece of fruit he had been saving. He had not even tasted it in his reflective state. "Oh well," He thought to himself. "If I am here tomorrow I'll see if they have more." he finished finally. Standing up with his tea he moved across the room to stand by the morning fire. Placing a hand upon the mantel he stood looking into the hypnotizing flame. He looked for all the world like a man with a lot on his mind. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. The intense warmth tended to put him into a near sleep like state. So he stood there, completely relaxed, waiting for some inkling to come to him, of where to go to next.

[TheBlindMime]

Osborn eyed the man's feast hungrily, it nearly filled the entire table. "Whatever he's having." Oz said as he leaned his chair back with a stretch, his arms tossed chaotically into the air before reaching their apex with a satisfying crack.

As Oz's eyes slowly slid open he saw something he had taken for granted moments ago. Taking his time he longingly studied the form before him, he eyed the wench the same way he had the meal. "And I'd also like anything else you'd offer to me." Oz said displaying his fangs with a wide grin, the wench walked away quickly. Either she hadn't heard him, or she didn't want to make a scene.

Osborn sullenly reached into his sack, removing a bottle of wine he tore out the cork with a quick bite. Spitting the cork haphazardly towards the fire place, he set the glass to his lips with a wink. Pulling the maroon liquid into his gullet with the skill of any frat boy, Oz emptied its contents in seconds. Setting it upon the table before him with a proud sigh, he turned to his kin with a newfound exuberence. "Name's Osborn."

[Ryu Kurai]

The wench walked away in disgust, although she kept it hidden well. She walked to the border of the kitchen. "Delbren! Make the fuzzy's order double! They multiplied!"

"What? What the hell are they, oozes or somethin'? Geez. Just be happy our food shipment's coming on that ship today." Came a more than slightly irritated voice from the kitchen.

"Ragirr. Not surprised you're as hungry as I am, they don't take credit from us around here." The half-gnoll said after finishing his piece of bread. He grinned slightly. "So, what's your story? Not everyone makes advances towards the tavern wenches on their first time here." He finished off the meat as he saw several men in seafaring clothing come through the door. He eyed Osborn's apparel for a moment before reaching his conclusion. "Oh. That's why. Good luck. My first and only time was a gnoll woman that had a little too much to drink. I paid for it, though, and not in cash." He chuckled a bit. "Well, maybe some cash..."

It was at this point that a crossbow bolt flew through the open door and embedded itself in the side of the table. Several people screamed. Ragirr rose, but the messenger had already begun fleeing. Looked like a skinny human in dark clothes. He didn't have his swords, and he was no fool. He instead turned to the note.

Hey, you mangy half-poodle!

This is a formal challenge for a duel, this night (after sunset) a mile out of town. You may show this to any officials you want, although I doubt they'll care. The point is, I said a week back (politely) that you needed to get a job and get out of here in the Raging Bull, and you punched me in the mouth for it, causing me to lose a few of my teeth. Regardless, I decided not to go back for fear of being assulted for a misspoken word or a laugh at the wrong time. Had you left town, I would have just dropped it, no arguements, no problems. But you haven't done as I so politely asked, and there you sit, consuming an extraneous ammount of food that could feed a family of four and in general, stinking up the tavern that I love so much. I was so mad that today, when I saw some Vanguard in town (Lovely folk that they are), and I told them of the injustice you had done to me. With a slight laugh, one of them said that I could always challenge you to a duel.

Hah! I will have justice, you fur-covered sack of shit, if it's the last thing I do!

Thus, it is with this letter that I, Sydney Hubert Yangsfeldt, formally challenge you, Ragere (However you spell that horribly unwieldly first name of yours) Mistlhen (at least you have a human last name) (Hah! I just got that. How fitting), to a duel with blades after sunset outside town, one mile out of the town of Holdein to the west. Seconds required. (Like you have anyone who's willing to die for you!) (I didn't add this because I'm scared to fight you, I'm adding this because it's required by law! So there! If you don't show up to the duel it's not my fault, it's yours for being a jobless mangy sack of shit with no friends!!!

Respectfully,
Sydney Hubert Yangsfeldt


I couldn't get close cuz of the stench! Yech!

-The messenger

After reading it once through, Ragirr shrugged, used the bolt to pick a strip of meat out of his teeth, and went back to his meal, the third part of which had just arrived at the table (Osborn had arrived too late for the first). He placed the letter next to his food, succeeding in getting a piece or two of egg on it as he ate. Osborn's food came some time after his (The wench was very exact about whose it was). The wench that Ragirr had tipped for some info came running back into the tavern.

"Hey, Ragirr. So, how's the food?"

Ragirr looked at her seriously, taking a bite out of the beef. "Quite good, actually. I half wish I weren't eating it this fast." He inwardly cringed at his bad pun.

The joke seemed to fly over the waitress' head. "Well, just wondering, how bad, exactly, do you want a job?"

"Let's see, I won't be able to pay for the food I need to eat to live, my room here, or much of anything else if I don't get it. I'd say it's completely optional." He said sarcastically, evoking a bit of a frown from the waitress.

"Hey, I'm being serious here!-" She started to say.

"So am I. How much do you think that guy I punched in the face last week had on him?" Ragirr said in the midst of a hunk of beef.

"If you take this mission that the mayor has, well, there's a strong chance you'll die!" The wench yelled unwittingly. Some of the tavern got a bit quieter, but most of it kept up with its overall activity. She blushed noticibly as the chef shouted at her to quit yelling.

"And, who, in name, would care? What do I have to do?" Ragirr said as he assembled another makeshift sandwich, this time putting some meat in between two hunks of bread. He bit into it, then added some cheese as an afterthought.

"The Mayor was very mysterious about it, but I think it could be a mission from the Vanguard." The wench said, he voice a bit quieter than when she had entered the tavern.

"Really? Hope they pay well. So, when do I get information besides this?" He said, having ploished off the remaining sandwich in two bites.

"The Mayor said to meet him at twilight. Oh, and you have to get a group for this one." The wench said, adding the second sentence quickly after she had finished the first.

"What? I have to share the money? Pssh. Ah, well. If I give you another gold, will you find me someone to take the job with?" Ragirr said, finishing off the cheese.

"Man, no wonder everyone thinks you're lazy. Look, I have a job to get back to. Sorry, but it pays consistantly. My next off is after dark." The wench stated in what she hoped was a helpful tone. "See you later! Good luck with the job!" She curtsied slightly and ran back into the kitchen.

"Pat? I thought it was you! Get your ass in gear, we've got three tables that haven't got orders taken yet! That's gotta be an all time low! Get out there!" The chef said upon her return.

"Just as well, I didn't have the gold." Ragirr chuckled as he checked his coin purse. It was a cold chuckle, and it broke off into almost a wheeze as it ended.

[Mintaro]

Lacidar stood by the fire, his mind slowly moving over his thoughts. A slight movement out of the corner of his eye caused his hand to move reflexivly out catching the small object in it before it could go past him. Looking at it he realised it was a cork for a bottle. Tossing it into the flames he began to slowly pull himself out of his trance. Moving away from the fire he let the cooler air of the room seep into him. He was turning around when the arrow shot through the door. The sharp movment caused his head to draw like a vipers, seeing the arrow stick into the table he waited to see what the others would do. He watched slyly while the Half gnoll read the letter. He seemed to take no real notice of its contents which meant it was probably interesting.

He listened to the conversation with the wench. At the mention of the Vangaurd he pearked up a little. Activities of the Vangaurd would be of great intrest to his homeland. To top it all off, the gnoll was supposed to bring a group along. This seemed like a lovley little trap. But Lacidar had a penchant for traps. Moving swiftly and silently he took up the third seat at the table, seeing no room to place his mug down he simply held it. He had a friendly grin on his face, looking like a merry and admirable Lizard kin. "Hello hungry fellows. I couldn't help but hear that you had some buisness that took need of additional members. I would happily offer my services to assit you."

[TheBlindMime]

Osborn had listened to Ragirr's musings and found the man to be quite amusing, while Osborn himself more often then not had lots to say while speaking little, this man was quite the opposite. Though he was a little surprised by the bolt, Osborn made not move to counter nor dodge any secondary bolts, he was far to focused upon the arse of a woman just down the way. While Osborn himself had been challenged by more then enough people in his time to understand the fact it missed was intentional. Humans while the most accepting of the half-gnolls, they were also the quickest to find a quarrel with them as well. They were quite a confusing lot.

Osborn read the letter over as it lay upon the table, as he nibbled on the beef and by "nibbled" I mean he held up the entire chunk of meat to his mouth and began chewing on it. As he finished the letter a decidedly feminine voice rang out. Osborn lazily watched the conversation between the two, were his new acquaitance a human Oz was sure he could have the wench. Alas, he was not.

As Oz had just begun to press his cheese and bread together and consume them with massive bites the Lizardkin sat at the table as well. "Then it's settled." Osborn said swiftly after the lizardkin's introduction. "You two shall attend the duel, while I attend the meeting in Ragirr's stead. Agreed?"

Oz flipped the last chunk of bread and cheese into his mouth after wiping it over the plate once to insure its cleanliness. He turned to Ragirr with a smile, "Just make sure you kill Yangsfeldt."

[Mintaro]

Lacidar was about to introduce himself more fully when the Gnoll known as Oz spoke.

"You two shall attend the duel, while I attend the meeting in Ragirr's stead. Agreed?"

Oz flipped the last chunk of bread and cheese into his mouth after wiping it over the plate once to insure its cleanliness. He turned to Ragirr with a smile, "Just make sure you kill Yangsfeldt."

Lacidar opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Opening it again he held up a hand, with his pointer finger slightly extended. "I beleive I've missed something."

[Ryu Kurai]

Ragirr looked over at both of them and shook his head. "You mean you just came to sit over here without knowing what was going on? Find that hard to believe. But, then again, I've believed lots of stranger things. I'm Ragirr, that's Osborn. Read the letter." Ragirr said, suceeding in combining all of his food into once bite. He paused, then went back for seconds, eventually finishing up the whole plate of food.

There was a sudden crash from the kitchen, followed by a woman's loud yell and a loud "Oof!" from the chef. It caught most of the tavern's attention. There was a pained groan from the chef again, and then a response from a woman.

"Good! That'll teach yeh to ogle my arse when I'm pickin' up the food! Imagined you'd touch it, did ya? Ya bloody wanker!" Said a woman with a rather loud, obtrusive voice. There was a loud thunk heard, with another groan from the chef, and then a woman stepped out from the kitchen. She was clearly an elf. She wore what looked like a green silk dress made to fit her body with a slit cut on one of the sides. It had a gold-stitched bull on the front, the stitching continuing around to her back. The entire piece of clothing was fastened with large bone buttons that fastened in her line across her chest. She had blond hair done up in some bizzare fashionable way secured with a pair of, what looked like to Ragirr, shishkabob sticks. She wore well-made shoes that looked almost ceramic. She looked around at the now nearly silent tavern sterly. Then she smiled and said politely "Welcome to the Raging Bull Tavern."

Someone responded "Are you the raging bull?" To a sudden uproar of laughter. Although she smiled and made a slight bow, Ragirr knew that the elf was going to track the man down and give him a punch in the gut after hours. He should know. He himself had made a simple remark about such a small elf running such a big tavern and had only recently seen the bruise she had left dissapear. It didn't matter. She was fairly reasonable provided there was money involved, and she had let Ragirr stay without charging extra.

She walked over to him, not even bothering to greet him before she started into her usual speech. "Well, now, looks like you've got yourself some chums here, Mistlhen. I have no reason to doubt that these strapping lads can pay their bills for their rooms, the question is if you can manage the same, my furry customer."

"Yeah, I'll have the money. I'll probably pay by the day from now on, I may not be staying here too long anymore." Ragirr said, looking over at the woman with his light green eye and suddenly closing his amber one, reopening it slowly a second later.

"Really now? Well, it was nice having yer consistant business around here, and you sure do pay for yer food generously, and there weren't much trouble from the law with yeh, and ya didn't keep me from getting any customers who would pay." She laughed jokingly at this part, slamming her hand on the table. "The day last week ya jacked old Syds in the kisser, man was I rolling when I heard about that one. Serves him right. That lad can't even pay his debts, let alone talk like that to one of my paying customers."

Ragirr swallowed his food before he spoke. "He challenged me to a duel. You won't have to worry about him anymore."

The elf's smooth featutres slid into a confused expression. "Wha? He challenged you to a duel? Oh, bloody right. I saw him talkin' to a Vanguard when them two arrived in town yesterday. I can't bloody stand them furry bastards- no offense, either of ya- , they prob'ly gave him some information and he's trying to knock ya off."

"I figured that out the second I read the first sentence of his letter." Ragirr responded, continuing to eat.

"Na, you don't get what I'm saying. He isn't gonna fight fair, this lad. He's got a lot of friends, and no matter how good you are, they'll be able to take you down. And the Vanguard won't investigate it because of that damn duelling letter!" She said, slamming her hand on the table.

"First, why does this matter to you, and secondly, their number isn't a problem. One slash for each of them, and they can't say the same for me." Ragirr said in-between bites.

"Why does it matter? Hell, you've been the most consistant customer I've had in a long time, and a lot better than most of them gnolls and half-gnolls in this town. I guess I've grown a bit attached to you, as attached as the owner of a tavern could be to one of her proprieters. Second, you may think you're invincible, but you're not, my boy. You're not an experienced adventurer yet. You need to get out of this town. Seeing you lying dead because of some lousy rat who can't pay for his food, well, I'd feel like a little glimmer of hope went out somewhere." The elf said, her dark brown eyes seeming to look concerned at Ragirr.

"Whut? Don't tell me I'm all the hope you have left for the world. That would be a pretty sad ammount." The half-gnoll said, raising an eyebrow at the elf.

She suddenly let loose a loud laugh. "Yeah, I was just joking with ya. You don't really matter that much to me, just giving you some advice so I can deal with ya again someday, hopefully. You seem like a relatively steady source of coin." The elf said, grinning.

"That's more like it." Ragirr said, finishing his plate.

"That your third one? I'll send the last plate out right away." She turned to Osborn. "Yours too. You just better pay your tabs." She walked into the kitchen, yelling at the chef once again.

"I think we might be able to meet at the mayor's and then go to the duel, provided the old guy doesn't talk for half the day." Ragirr said a couple of seconds after the elven woman had left, looking anxiously towards the kitchen for food. An onlooker would have seen his tail wagging ever so slightly back and forth.

[Mintaro]

Lacidar quickly read the note. "You know he never ended his last parenthasis. Technically he never signed it." He commented when the conversation had ended. Seeing the odd looks he coughed. "Right I'm Lacidar. Just a bit of humor there. Ummm I really came over because of the other line of conversation. The one involving the mayor. So uh, a duel would really be your buisness. That is if unless we get the job. In that case I think it would be in my best intrest to keep you both alive. So what sort of location has he picked out for your duel?" He said blinking his bright eyes curriously.


OOC: I've lost my spell check temporarily, so pardon the errors.

[TheBlindMime]

Osborn had frozen during the elf's presence, save for his tail's gentle wag back and forth. He merely watched her, his eyes undressing her gently, studying his every curve, he had never seen an elven woman who was so strong and yet so feminine. Though he had paid excellent attention to her, especially as she walked away, he had missed every word that had been spoken at the table.

He did however hear the lizardkin, which proved to be unfruitful for catching him up to the current situation. Osborn opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Opening it again he held up a hand, with his pointer finger slightly extended. "I believe I've missed something."

[Ryu Kurai]

Ragirr turned to Osborn. "He's here for the job. In that case, perhaps this can work." He turned to the lizardkin, looking him straight in the eyes. "Fine, you're with us. We'll probably need more than three people, much as I hate to admit it. Find us a couple more members while there's time. If I did it, we'd probably end up getting challenged to a few more duels." He said with all seriousness. "Make sure they can pull their own and that they won't try to lynch us and leave us dead in a ditch whilst they collect the money." He then suddenly twitched and let out a rather loud set of coughs. He shook his head once, then went back to watching the kitchen.

[TheBlindMime]

Osborn lifted a leg of lamb, he paused as he ripped some of the meat from the bone. He listened to Ragirr's coughing for but a moment before tearing the remaineder of meat from the bone, he slipped the bone into his bag before shifting some egg's upon his bread and cheese, he turned to Ragirr before devouring it. "The woman, who was she?"

Without waiting for a response he made a few quick snaps with his jaws and swallowed his make-shift McGriddle up before his companion could speak.

[Mintaro]

"I'm not sure if they make ropes strong enough to lynch the pair of you, but I'll be sure they won't turn on us to say the least." Lacidar pulled out a piece of paper, an ink bottle and a wooden pen. Thinking quickly he began to write.

Looking for work?
Do you have an unusual skill? Or perhaps feel a calling to go where the wind will take you?
If you need money and are willing to risk your life to get it. Then turn around.

Blowing on it softly it dried quickly. "Paranoia drives off those of ill intent." He explained with a grin. "Just leave it to me." Drinking the last of his tea quickly he stood up and shouldered his small bag. "I'll meet you at your duel." He said, then he walked silently out the door.

Looking around the street he moved off towards where the caravan had stopped to set up their wares. Walking quickly among the crowd he saw what he was looking for. The large post in the center of the town. Most everywhere had them. Just a place to put announcements and to hold gatherings. From the shape of it and the marks on the end it looked to double as a gallows. Unrolling the parchment he pulled a knife from his clothes and stuck the parchment up. Walking backwards from it he moved away a decent distance. Far enough that no one would notice him before reading it. But close enough that he could be easily identified should someone turn around. He then took up a stiff position, Letting his gaze deaden. He stood there, warm in his wrappings waiting for someone to acknowledge the paper.

[Ryu Kurai]

Ragirr's eyes didn't leave the kitchen door. "She's the owner of the tavern." He said simply, grinning as a wench brought out the remainder of his food. He began eating it immediately, as though he hadn't downed three plates of food just moments ago. "I guess she likes me because I've been stayin' here for so long. That's what it sounded like anyway." He turned to Osborn in mid-bite. "Don't think about going after her though. There's a well-known story about some guy who messed around in her bar. Alright, there's halflings in town here now, and they were in town when this happened. Well the one who brings the tavern most of the food was in here and some guy gets real drunk, just completely wasted, and the halfling says some things to him and he draws his sword. Big mistake. He raises it up over his head and she sees this, the owner. She runs over and catches the blade with her palm, she has a scar on her left hand from it too. Then, she grabs the sword away, sticks her fingers in the guy's nose, and she rips it off. It was just laying on the floor there, there was blood all over the place. They rushed him off to the nearest temple and they healed him, but he looked kinda like a half-orc after that. Now he's got the knickname of 'Orc-nose' with the kids." Ragirr sudden pitched forward and began coughing again, his final cough sounding like he gagged slightly. He straightened up and went back to eating, the slight look of enthusiasm on his face from the story long gone. "It's dangerous. I got punched in the gut for lookin' at her the wrong way. She punches damn hard." He continued eating, slurping the eggs off of the meat noisily.

[Abeni]

Emrys was walking down the main street of Holdein. She had her hood up on her cloak so only a few people could see her face. She was examining the business of humans, gnolls, and halflings all around her. She had just arrived in town while protecting the caravan part of the way, and for that had been paid a feeble amount for her services. She sighed, at least she didn't have to stay in the company of those horrendisly annoying halflings any longer. The raven on her shoulder was shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Too much going on" he cawed.

"You can’t expect them to do a mediocre job and keep the streets clear, they can only handle so much.” She replied.

“Too busy” he complained.

“Hush, Kruk.” She pat his head lightly and he grew silent. She passed a group of gnolls that were conversing in a tight huddle, when they saw her they glared suspiciously. She returned it with her own bone-chilling stare and continued on. She reached the center of the town, where more and more beings and creatures were walking every direction. She snorted in disgust.

“Too busy!” crowed Kruk, some people turned to stare
Ignoring them, she walked up to the post where she saw jobs and meetings posted. Most were beneath her but one caught her eye:


Looking for work?
Do you have an unusual skill? Or perhaps feel a calling to go where the wind will take you?
If you need money and are willing to risk your life to get it. Then turn around.


She chuckled at the last part, but considered it. Well, she would test them. If they were worth her time she would consider gracing them with her presence. She turned around, looking for whoever she was supposed to look for.

[Ryu Kurai]

Just as Abeni turned around, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. A rather well-dressed gnoll stepped in front of her, blocking her view. He wore dark green velvet garb that mathed and he carried a battleaxe in his belt loop on the right side. His fur was somewhat of a tan brown, not unusual for gnolls around here. His mane was a dark red. His eyes were lucid green. "Ma'am, explain that glare. I'll have you know that my father is a Vanguard officer and he wouldn't like it if there happened to be something starting to go awry in this little town. Tell me, who else came in with the halflings? Little shits 'll transport anyone with five silver not on four legs." He said back to his five friends, who all laughed in a rather strange manner for gnolls, without the hyena-like shouts. They all wore similar clothing save one or two, who wore things far more fine than the others. They all seemed to be carrying weapons of some sort, save the ones in the fineries.

* * *

Patricia sighed, taking a quick sip of wine and getting back to work. Her thoughts ran to the gnoll again. Why in the world was he going to risk his life for a bit of coin? He was a mercenary through and through. He reminded her of her father. He had been a mercenary who had died during the Goblin/Human war twenty years ago when this place was built. She only had passing memories of him, but they were so strong that she remembered her mother's conversations with him, trying to get him not to go out on a mission. He always simply said "I'm going." One day, he simply didn't return. She had never known him, but he had always smiled when he held her, and he had loved her and her mother. Her mother had raised her, and she had been a farmer for a long time. She now lived in the town at the age of twenty three, unsure of what she wanted to do with her life. She had considered clerical pursuits, but Akarn's clergy required more physical labor than she could muster and Silmun's clergy were male only. Grimarg was the goddess of the gnolls, obviusly not accepting of any human acolytes, which left the church/library that she went to each day after work. She had pored over books on each known religeon, unsure as of what to do with herself. It was a troubling time for her.

"Hey! You spilled my damn ale you stupid girl!" Shouted a sailor. He slammed his fist on the table, knocking the drink off of it.

"S-sorry, let me get you another one." She responded, picking the drink up off of the floor and hurrying back to the kitchen to the sneers of the rest of the sailors at the table. She looked out of the window as she passed it and sighed. Only a few more hours and her shift was over...

[Abeni]

Emrys gave a blatantly fake sigh of relief. "Well that's good. I might have been worried if your father was a god. But at least you aren't pathetic enough to run to daddy like a spoiled little girl when the slightest misfortune arises."

"Numbnuts, Numbnuts" cawed Kruk.

Emrys chuckled and patted his head. "My apologies, the bird has terets. Bad birdie, Baaad." She shook a finger at him.

"Numbnuts!" He started shouting in a constant stream. He flew into the air and circled the gnolls. "Numbnuts! Numbnuts!" Emrys could have stayed quiet at this point, but she couldn't resist laughing at the genius (or stupidity) of Kruk, or giving the gnolls one last stab at their pride.

"As for the halflings, they might have had some wargs with them if you're looking for a mate. Most were male though, so that should work out well, don't you think? Best of luck to you!" After saying this she inwardly berated herself. Oh gods, what have I done? Even if they are all prissy boys I can't take down six of them, especially not when they're this close. Ugh, what's that smell? Do they know what bathing is? They should, considering that exeedingly sad attempt at being dressed like 'noblemen'. And what's... Her thoughts continued in this fashion for a few more seconds.



*OOC* please don't kill me... ;_;

[Ryu Kurai]

Predictably, the gnolls didn't take this well. Abeni felt her hair nearly leave the back of her head for a moment as she was jerked backwards. The gnoll twisted, causing more pain. "Well, well now. Looks like this one's got a mouth on her. You do realize that not complying with the Vanguard is a felony right? I'm going to ask you politely one last time and then I'm going to have to take you into private custody for interrogation." He growled at her, not sounding like he was growling much at all. The others all jeered, one of them replying in a sneering, snivvelly voice.

"Y-yeah, boss. Now we get to boss around the big people like her right?" She heard a sharp crack as the gnoll was punched in the jaw quite solidly. "Ow! What'd you do that for? And how long 'till we chan-" A second sharp crack brought the gnoll to the ground with a sudden yelp that didn't sound very canine.

"Shut up, no one asked you, Grhmk." One of them said, seeming to have difficulty with the other's name.

"He's not Grhmk, I am!" Another one said whinily.

"You shut him up them, whoever he is." The first voice said, confused.

"Ingore them. Tell me who was on that caravan besides you and the halflings or we'll put your bird in a pie and cook him for supper." Said the one holding her hair, twisting it more firmly.

[Mintaro]

Lacidar had stood there watching the post for some time. He had seen many people come up and read it. Only to eaither walk away, or turn to meet his gaze and then walk away. They had all looked to be the usual ruffian types so Lacidar was glad for it. Then he saw an oddity. A shadow spawn walking amongst the crowd. She was clearly trying to hide her appearence under her robe, but Lacidar could tell what she was by her stride alone. No other race moved as smoothly as she did. When she read the note he was a bit surprised. Even more so when she turned around to look for him. Before their gazes could meet however he he saw the group of gnolls approaching. They tapped her shoulder causing her to turn away from him and began to speak with her.

Lacidar couldn't quite make out what they were saying from the distance he was at. But from the expressions he figured it wasn't afternoon tea. He began making his way towards them. The bird that had been riding on her shoulder suddenly leapt into the air shouting out obsceneties. "That probably isn't a good sign" He thought to himself. He had almost made it there when another one stepped in behind her and grabbed hold of her hair.


"Well, well now. Looks like this one's got a mouth on her. You do realize that not complying with the Vanguard is a felony right? I'm going to ask you politely one last time and then I'm going to have to take you into private custody for interrogation." He growled at her, not sounding like he was growling much at all. The others all jeered, one of them replying in a sneering, snivvelly voice.

"Y-yeah, boss. Now we get to boss around the big people like her right?" She heard a sharp crack as the gnoll was punched in the jaw quite solidly. "Ow! What'd you do that for? And how long 'till we chan-" A second sharp crack brought the gnoll to the ground with a sudden yelp that didn't sound very canine.

"Shut up, no one asked you, Grhmk." One of them said, seeming to have difficulty with the other's name.

"He's not Grhmk, I am!" Another one said whinily.

"You shut him up them, whoever he is." The first voice said, confused.

"Ingore them. Tell me who was on that caravan besides you and the halflings or we'll put your bird in a pie and cook him for supper." Said the one holding her hair, twisting it more firmly.


Lacidar raised an non-existant eyebrow at the exchange. Something seemed off about the group. But still it would be good to get her out of this situation. Stepping quickly between gnolls he found his way to the middle of the group. Grabbing roughly ahold of her arm he spoke Sylvan in a sharp and angry tone. "You are far from home! I'll take care of this, just follow my lead!"

He gave the Gnoll holding her hair a sharp glare, his eyes returning to reflect their natural killing intent. The gaze caused the gnoll to balk and relax his hold on her hair, which gave lacidar the ability to pull her free. "This woman is here to meet me." He declared boldly in common to the group of gnolls. Letting his gaze sweep around the group. "I paid for her passage, she is to be my servent girl. I would appriciate it if you would refrain from dammaging my property. I can assure you however that I will see to that flailing tounge of hers. If you have questions about the Halflings, I suggest you ask them! This female hardly has the intelligence to do much other then speak and take care of a house." He began pulling her away from the group. Hopeing she would play along. And the the gnolls were as dumb as they were big.

[Abeni]

*OOC* aww, I wanted to use magic missile...

Emrys' arm was taken hold of by a lizardkin. "You are far from home! I'll take care of this, just follow my lead!" He told her in Sylvan, then turned to the gnolls and spoke common,
"This woman is here to meet me." He declared boldly in common to the group of gnolls. Letting his gaze sweep around the group. "I paid for her passage, she is to be my servent girl. I would appriciate it if you would refrain from dammaging my property. I can assure you however that I will see to that flailing tounge of hers. If you have questions about the Halflings, I suggest you ask them! This female hardly has the intelligence to do much other then speak and take care of a house."
She glared loathingly at him, but allowed herself to be steered away from the gnolls. "Kruk!" Her raven took off and flew steadily behind them.

"I assume you want a thank you?" she muttered in Sylvan.

[Ryu Kurai]

One of the gnolls, the same whiny one who had spoken before, let out a sigh and said "Man, where are we gonna get pre-emptive info against the Vanguard now?" There was a swish and he let out a triumphant laugh. "Hah! Even with a body like this you can't-" His voice was cut off by a sharp crack to the back of his head.

"Fine. We'll allow you to go, for now. Just don't expect the same kind of leniance again, cold-blood!" The gnoll called after him, the rest jeering and a single whining and rubbing his head.

"Hey! What are you bunch doing here? I ain't seen 'em before." Said the voice of a gnoll from the pair's left. A large female gnoll stepped out in front of them and looked down. "Give me a moment, this will be quick." She half-whispered, her thick voice with a slight growl underneath all the anger. She called over a smaller male gnoll, who immediately began checking to make sure that the shadow-spawned's hair was still attached.

"You awright missy?" He mumbled, his voice fairly soft for a gnoll. He wore a white headband holding back his mane and was crouching down on his canine legs and somewhat brusquely testing her hair roots. He patted her on the head after a moment. "There. Looks like it's all in place. Don't worry, Madam Gujirrir Will take care of this crazy bloke, thinks he can just act like an ass whenever he sees someone new..." He said, trailing off and standing up as his "Madam" reached the other six gnolls.

She regarded them with a hint on disgust. "I never! You're a bunch of pups with rich parents, aren't ya? You think you can just harrass travellers, huh? Well, I got news for you. We have a duty as upright-walking citizens to set an example. So you'd best appologize to the girl for what you've done."

The gnoll bowed his head. "As you wish, mistress." He walked over to Abeni, knelt and held his hand over his heart. "I appologize sincerely for my rash and foolish actions and I promise you that it shall not occur a second time." He said seriously, standing up as he finished.

"He's not bad." Said one of the other gnolls, who was now bleeding from the nose.

"Who in Grimarg's name said you could speak, you adolescent little teet-sucker!" The female gnoll said as she slugged the gnoll in the face. "And why in the world are you pledging a promise over something this simple, you fool! You're a worse bunch of gnolls than I thought at first!" She said, the gnoll who had spoken whining on the ground.

"I was just saying..." He whined getting a sharp kick across the face.

"No female granted you permission to- What the hells is that?" The female gnoll started, immediately interrupting herself as the collapsed gnoll became a bloody, beaten goblin and the other gnolls drew their weapons.

"Attack, men! We must escape now!" Said the gnoll in a very non-gnoll voice. He raised his battle axe into a fighting stance.

[Abeni]

One of the gnolls, the same whiny one who had spoken before, let out a sigh and said "Man, where are we gonna get pre-emptive info against the Vanguard now?" There was a swish and he let out a triumphant laugh. "Hah! Even with a body like this you can't-" His voice was cut off by a sharp crack to the back of his head.
Emrys looked back over her shoulder. Somethings not right, they just said their fathers were members of the Vanguard, what are they- Her thoughts were cut off before their completion.
"Hey! What are you bunch doing here? I ain't seen 'em before." Said the voice of a gnoll from the pair's left. A large female gnoll stepped out in front of them and looked down. "Give me a moment, this will be quick." She half-whispered, her thick voice with a slight growl underneath all the anger. She called over a smaller male gnoll, who immediately began checking to make sure that the shadow-spawned's hair was still attached.

"You awright missy?" He mumbled, his voice fairly soft for a gnoll. He wore a white headband holding back his mane and was crouching down on his canine legs and somewhat brusquely testing her hair roots. He patted her on the head after a moment. "There. Looks like it's all in place. Don't worry, Madam Gujirrir Will take care of this crazy bloke, thinks he can just act like an ass whenever he sees someone new..." He said, trailing off and standing up as his "Madam" reached the other six gnolls.
Emrys remained silent while the gnoll was checking her hair. She simply nodded when he finished. The female gnoll who had arrived proceeded to tell all to other gnolls exactly what was what. She especially yelled at the who had harrassed her.
He walked over to Abeni, knelt and held his hand over his heart. "I appologize sincerely for my rash and foolish actions and I promise you that it shall not occur a second time." He said seriously, standing up as he finished.
One of the others made a comment and the female hit him. Emrys was staring but only because she was thinking of how these gnolls were acting quite strange. Then it happened:
"I was just saying..." He whined getting a sharp kick across the face.

"No female granted you permission to- What the hells is that?" The female gnoll started, immediately interrupting herself as the collapsed gnoll became a bloody, beaten goblin and the other gnolls drew their weapons.

"Attack, men! We must escape now!" Said the gnoll in a very non-gnoll voice. He raised his battle axe into a fighting stance.
Throwing aside her surprise Emrys decided quickly to help the female gnoll. She hastily moved where she would not catch the female or her servant in her spell and cast Burning Hands on the goblin/gnolls.

[Ryu Kurai]

Three of the gnolls were caught in the firey blast, two falling and becoming burnt goblins. The other two leapt out of the way, one of the gnolls drawing a dagger and throwing it at Emrys. It whizzed past her arm, sticking harmlessly into the ground behind her. The female gnoll drew a battleaxe and stuck at the other gnoll, who fell back under the force of the blow but blocked it nonetheless. He made to sweep her legs with his hand, nearly getting it removed as she evaded and struck. He drew back his hand, grasping his axe defensively. The other gnoll ran at the lizardkin, drawing a shortsword in an attempt to detain him. He grinned, moving back and forth almost hypnotically.

[Mintaro]

Lacidar quickly pulled out a throwing knife and hurled it toward the gnoll in front of him. "Your struggle holds no intrest to me." he commented to the goblinoll in front of him.

[Ryu Kurai]

The gnoll deflected the knife with the side of his axe. "Too bad, maybe you should've considered staying out of our lands, lizardkin!" The female gnoll struck at him once again, and he barely blocked the powerful strike. He swung at her, but she stepped back and then forward again.

"Is that the best you can do? No wonder the goblin war with the gnolls is known as 'The North Goblin Slaughter'!" The gnoll taunted, parrying the angered stike that came for her.

"Shut your filthy mouth you reeking canine! We will have our victory!" The gnoll shouted, swinging hard int the gnoll's axe and disarming her. She backed up slowly, ready to dodge an incoming strike.

* * *

The battle had not gone unnoticed.

"There's a fight! Someone break it up, quick!" One of the commonfolk ran by the bar, apparently trying to spread the word.

"Fight. Give me a sec." Ragirr said, running up the stairs without another word. Her ran back down, carrying a greatsword and two longswords. He handed one of the longswords to Oswald. "This'll be a good warm-up." He said, grinning. He began walking out the door, from where the fight was clearly visible. "C'mon. No one 'll steal the food." He said calmly, removing the sheath from his longsword and holding it in his left hand, the greatsword slung over his right shoulder.

[Abeni]

Emrys quickly drew three crossbow bolts out of her cloak. She cast launch bolt on them, firing one at each of the remaining goblin/gnolls.

[Ryu Kurai]

One of the gnolls fell to the ground with the bolt in his stomach, groaning as his true form was revealed. The gnoll fighting the gnolless took his bolt in the arm, and the last one managed to duck out of the way in time. The leader turned and glared at Emrys with hateful eyes. He ran at her, raising his axe in preparation for a mighty blow.

[Abeni]

(*OOC* I can't fight close quarters! :gonk: )

Emrys cast Magic Missle on the gnoll that was advancing on her and drew her quarterstaff, ready to defend herself further. Kruk zoomed down and tried to scratch at the gnolls face.

[Ryu Kurai]

(OOC: sorry, mintaro, I never posted what happened!:sweatdrop )

The gnoll caught the missile in the chest, the arcane energy smoking as the raven flew down and scratched and pecked at him. He swung at it wildly, completely missing the bird.

The other gnoll dove at Lacidar, trying to tackle him to the ground.

* * *

"C'mon, Oz, get off your lazy-" Ragirr started before letting out a loud series of coughs, shaking his head and rushing off to the combat.

[TheBlindMime]

Through the mashing of his teeth Oz shouted back towards Ragirr, "NOT LAZY, HUNGRY!". Oswald had always prided himself on being able to control his hunger, but when the food was just set out in front of him he found it was hard to contain himself. He slammed a final piece of meat and cheese into his mouth before taking the longsword up and moving towards the door.

Running back to the table he set the long sword on top of it before grabbing his two falchions from under the table. Eyeing the table he couldn't help himself from grabbing a steak and snapping it solidly into his jaws.

As the two half-gnolls rushed into the battle, it would have seemed moot had they been watching, but Oz could only understand what he saw, a group of goblins and gnolls had attacked a somewhat attractive gnoll female, his compatriot and a shrouded figure. And from all standing appearances the shrouded figure was a mage. The arcanum smoke off of the gnolls chest and attacking bird pet were proof enough of that.

Oz quickly covered the distance between them, as he was also naturally a multi-tasker he heaved the steak up and gripped the steak more firmly in his jaws. Oz rapped his blade against the gnoll's axe, the resonating noise was drowned out by Oz's resulting nasal laugh. "Hssh zhoud 'ee koud." (This should be good.)

[Abeni]

Emrys saw two more gnolls approaching and was about to attack them as well, but realized one of them was tapping the goblin/gnoll's ax in a threatening way. She took two more bolts out of her cloak and fired them at the goblin/gnoll who was approached by the new gnoll and the one that was attacking the lizardkin.

[Ryu Kurai]

The gnoll coming for Lacidar paused suddenly in mid run. He looked down at his hand, which had a bolt stuck through it and was bleeding. He cried out in pain, clutching it and doubling over.

The lead gnoll about to lock weapons with Oz grunted as the bolt hit him in the shoulder. He spat blood in Emrys' direction and tried to shove Oz back an inch or two. He doubled back suddenly as Ragirr's greatsword came down and nearly went through his head. He brandished his axe, looking at the three of them. "Gvish! Run!" He yelled at the other gnoll. The gnolless, having retrieved her axe, charged him and chopped into his thigh. He groaned, returning a slash and leaving a small scratch on the gnolless' axe hand.

[Abeni]

*OOC*phoenix down*

Emrys took out 3 more bolts, shot one at the head of the gnoll that was doubled over, one at the opponent of the new gnoll, and one at the gnolless's opponent. "I'm running out of spells!" She cursed to herself.

[Ryu Kurai]

(OOC: the Gnolless' opponent and the opponent of the new gnoll are the same person.)

The gnoll who was doubled over shouted out with new pain as the bolt pieced him through the muzzle, and he began to run away, bleeding quite a bit.

The bolt whizzed past the second gnoll, who muttered a mild curse as his axe and the gnolless' axe clashed.