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Fnipper smiles at Fimble's excitement. "I love the exotic stables as well. We have three stables on the property: Large Beast and Dire Stables, Magical Beast Stables, and Flying Beast Stables. For obvious reasons, our Aquatic Beast Stables are kept by the bay. I'll show you our dire mounts first. Most of our magical beasts have been rented or purchased, and our aviary was never very full... cold climates and all."
He turns his head to Oscar and adjusts his spectacles again, now fully engrossed in scholarly discussion. "The Book of Legends... hmm. You could say it's an artifact. It was commissioned by Guild Lord Archibald the Chronicler in the Dalelands to the Harpers. It is a valuable resource for the Adventurer's Guild and was created at no small expense to us. Basically, it serves as a tool for chronicling the deeds and capabilities of our guild members and transcribes that information to all its sister books throughout the realms. That way, no matter what guild you go to, they will know enough about you to help you find work best suited to your talents." He raises a finger in the air as if beginning a long winded lecture, "The Book of Legends works in conjunction with the Quill of Telling to detail the precise capabilities, both strengths and..." then in a moment of clarity, pauses. "I'm sorry, Oscar, but as a wizard, you surely understand. We have to keep a few secrets. Although the book is useless without a guild lord or guildmaster using it, artifacts are highly coveted items, and the fewer people know about it, the better...
But, to answer your final question. Yes, casters of all kinds can be found working for the guild. In fact, you're speaking to one now. For 20 years, I served as a Loremaster at Mirabar, and before that I taught at Merriweather Finch's School of Divination in Silverymoon. Admittedly, most adventuring wizards don't take Divination seriously as a course of study, but I can assure you, our talents fetch a fair price in the courts of kings. And besides, it couldn't hurt the adventurer or two to know what lies ahead. Maybe it would prevent more of their journeys from coming to an abrupt and," he makes a line gesture across his neck, "painful end."
As you pass through another archway, the world opens up to an impossibly large chamber. This place looks far less inviting than the green meadows of the horse and dog stables. Iron bars separate you from the glaring, massive beasts that pace from wall to wall. "Ah... here we are. Don't get too close to the bars. I assure you, they are there for a reason. Dires are inherently aggressive and even their play can be deadly." As he mentions this, a large half-orc with a hook hand walks up to you. You can see that his face, neck, and arms are covered in scars. "Oi... Fnip. Wha' brings you down 'ere?" He sizes up Fimble and Oscar. "Fresh meat fer moi babiesh, then? Heh, heh. Leasht ya' could do wash clean em and gut em firsht. HA!" He bellows as he approaches. "Jesht a joke, matesh. They call me Bait. Get it? Caushe Oi'm on a hook!" He shows his hook hand and smiles grotesquely. "Sherioushly though, Bait, at'cher shervice."
Fnipper smiles sheepishly and wipes his spectacles. "Bait, meet Fnipper... I mean Fimble and Oscar. They're interested in some exotic mounts." He turns to you two and smiles, "He's a bit... unorthodox, but I assure you he's a genius in his trade. The exotics love him."
"In more waysh 'an one," Bait quips as he shows his hook hand again. "Keep yer handsh at yer shidesh an' don't approach the cagesh until I shay it'sh shafe. I jusht fed em, but 'at don't mean they wouldn't mind a desshert, if ya catch moi meanin'."
Fnipper takes up the rear and Bait leads the way. You pass by dire boars, bears, lions, dire weasels and a number of gigantic beasts suitable for the nordic climates of the region. You even see empty cages for a wooly mammoth, elk, and (curiously) dire rabbits. "Thish hall here ish fer large beashts and dire animalsh. From 500 pound Dire Badgersh to 1500 pound Polar Bearsh, we shpecialize in large furry friendsh that could SHWALLOW YA WHOLE IN YER SHLEEP! Hahahaaaa! Nah, sherioushly. They're tamed... well ash tame ash you can get 'em without takin' the fight out of 'em." He turns and grimaces at you with eyes flashing menacingly as he twists his hook. "You shee... ya want 'em mean," he growls. "Big animalsh ain't afraid of nothin'. They'll tear through anything in their path an' gobble up whatever tashtesh good to em. An' fer that, there'sh no better companion to take into battle than one o' theshe monshtersh... if you can gain their reshpect. That'sh what it comesh down to. Which ish why YOU," he points his good hand at Fimble, "little fella... would probably be more intereshted in riding what's back there." He points to the next chamber. "To a dire... you're barely a shnack."
He takes you into the next chamber, where you see more cages, but the cells appear to be less barbaric and more like a zoo. These are sorted in alphabetic order, from "Aranea" to "Worg." "We have over a hundred magical beashtsh to chooshe from. Thish ish one of the largesht Magical Beasht Shtables in all the Realmsh... well ushually anyway. Noblesh from Waterdeep hold a carnival each year to stir up shome bushiness, and they rent our magicalsh for the show. We got shome Avalanchersh here... a few Beashts of Malar, Oi think. A blink dog might interesht the little guy, an' Oschar might like the Bulette..." He continues to rattle off names of magical creatures until Fimble interjects. "They're beginners, Bait. What do you have that's affordable and easy to ride?"
Bait stops counting on his fingers and looks up. "Affordable..." he frowns and smacks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as if the very word tasted bad. "Well... we might have a Krenshar left. Noblesh didn' want the Leucrottash thish year, sho we got all o' thoshe. We got a freshly matured nesht of Tomb Shpidersh out and trained... short of. A Winter Wolf, and one Worg, oi think. Though the Worg'sh gettin' a bit tempermental in her old age. Oi'd shell her fer a dishcount, but if ya can't afford the magical beashtsh, then ya definitely can't afford the flyin' onesh, sho we might ash well not bother goin'. Ya can tour the aviary fer fun on yer own time. Tell me how much've ya got to shpend, and I'll tell ya what you can afford to buy or rent."