
The music pervades the warm room, lifting the spirit of the few patrons still left in the dinner area. Berin switches from one ditty to the other with great skill, each passage is underlined by shouts of appreciation from his listeners. After a couple of ballads, the two guards decide that they had enough cider for the night and head back to their quarters. When the last note dies in the air, the commoners invite the skilled rogue to join them at the table.
"I'm Slim", says the most talkative of the trio. "The big man here is Bullneck while our friend is Rusty. Well, we call him like that because, you know, he's not the smartest fellow around if you get what I mean". From a quick look at the peasants, Berin can easily understand where those nicknames came from. The man that just made the introductions is tall as thin, with a smart glitter in his eyes. Even taller than him is his huge friend, Bullneck, similar to a giant ox. The last farmer, looks around him with lazy eyes, a calm and unworried expression on his face. As he meets Berin's eyes, his mouth produces a warm smile, but the rogue has the impression that no trace of intelligence would be found behind that glance.
The innkeeper interrupts the presentations placing a mug of warm cider in front of the young musician "This is on the house, boy. I would never imagine such a good performance from a young lad such as yourself".
While Berin enjoyes his drink, the fat man slowly comes down of the stairs and approaches the table where he was sitting, searching for something on the floor around it and under the chair.
Krusten dreams about what happened during the day and it causes her to turn from side to side. The five star accommodations don't help any as she clutches to her spear hoping that morning comes soon.
Anntreen puts out the lights, after shes finished [writing]. She knows she needs sleep, and prays silently before letting her dreams take her home to her family. her silently mouthed words to her god "Please watch over the boys in the woods, and the kids that you guided me to. Thank you for spreading the blanket over them in the wagon shielding them from harm as the dogs attacked. And, most of all, thank you for answering my [prayer] that night in the woods, I felt so lost and then you showed me the way to there camp. I will do my best to [follow] the path you set before me, by joining them."
Tomas raises his shield as a reaction, but upon the friendly greeting, relaxes his guard.
"As do I," Tomas replies. "What are you doing out here in this darkness and inclement weather?"
Upon hearing the answer, Tomas will introduce himself, "I am Tomas, warrior for Felnuus, an I'm currently acting as a missionary."
Tomas beckons the others to approach.
The warm cider helps Berin forget about the cold wind blowing outside the room's windows. The drink, and Slim's tale about how he was able to slip in the bed of a married wench a few years ago, create a familiar atmosphere for the rogue. He has just started to reply to the commoner, revealing a similar adventure he lived in Soria in a rundown tavern, when Mr Murno produces a surprised cry and runs out of the front door.
The young musician has just the time to wonder what may have caused such a reaction, that the fat merchant is back, flanked by the crippled guard. To his horror, Berin notices that the red strings of the merchant's coin pouch are now sticking out from one of his pockets, revealing to its legitimate owner the whole story about that strange disappearence.
Berin doesn't lose time. He jumps over the table and dashes through the rear door, only to fall between the unfriendly arms of the two militiamen that were drinking at that same table only few minutes before. The last that can be heard from him are his screams while he is taken away by the local police.
KAEOLIN IS OUT OF THE GAME AND BERIN IS NO LONGER A MEMBER OF THE PARTY.
"These plains are my home. At least for this night, as dreary as it is. Over there, in that grove, I was keeping as dry as I could when I saw your party approaching. Sorry to approach you so stealthily, but I could not be sure of your intentions." He nods to the short figure and glances back at the sitting one, noticing his hand being dangerously close to a few arrows before nodding to him as well.
After Tomas has introduced himself, Faruq adds, "Well met, friend Tomas. I am Faruq Fikri, once of Uur. I mean no offense, but you seem rather"¦"out of sorts." Are you lost? I can lead you back to the main road if you desire. If you"re hungry, I have a bit of smoked hare I could part with." Faruq prepares to dig in his pack for a ration just in case the priest replies positively. Edited: Tonatha on 29th Dec, 2012 - 9:36pm
Mina tosses a little too much for a time. She then wakes and goes to her things, and pulls her cloak off the back of the chair and lays it on her bed, then she gets back under the now warmer covers as she mutters about it being so much colder than the Desert of Uur.