The Trouble in Lindley [IC]

[Rathgar]

It was a night like every other night in the town of Autumnwood. The Tavern of the Drunken Ox was crowded with the same old people that were always there. The same old musicians were playing the same old songs, and the same old barmaids were serving the same old wine manufactured in the nearby town of Lindley. It seems as though nothing could possibly happen on an ordinary night like tonight.

[Ezeze]

Zoe

Zoe relaxes by the fire in a chair, feet propped up on a second one, and Fenris dozing lazily on the floor next to her. Both woman and wolf have already eaten well, and the mug of ale in Zoe's right hand is half gone. Her eyes are closed peacefully, unworried about the contents of her bag for the simple fact that it is sitting near her puppy who, despite her affectionate nick name, is anything but. For his part Fenris is laying belly down with his head on Zoe's bag, using it like a pillow.

[Weezer]

Uriel

Uriel is at the bar in intense discussion with the barkeep What do you mean you don't have any arak? Its a liquor made from aniseed, you have to know what it is. As the barkeep shakes his head apologetically Uriel gives up and says I guess I'll have some of your finest wine. He drops a few silver on the table, and walks away from the bar. He sits down at a table close to the fire and sighs in disgust How long has it been since I had a good glass of arak?. He sips his glass of wine staring deep into the fire as if remembering something lost long ago.

[Ezeze]

Zoe

Without opening her eyes, the woman by the fireplace responds with the tone of someone setting up someone else to tell a joke "How long has it been?"

[Sir Shadow]

Fenris

The boy laughed heartily with a group around the bar. From what he could tell, several were quite inebriated; though, most of them were just singing baudy songs along with the tunes the musicians played, even if the original intent of the songs were tame. Fenris's eyes danced with amusement as he swallowed some of the burning liquor and grinned at the other patron's antics.

[Weezer]

Uriel

Without looking away from the fire Uriel responds quietly "Too long, far too long. Almost four years." He glances up from the fire and does a double take when he spots the wolf. Nice wolf you got there, a pet? he asks somewhat curiously.

[Ezeze]

Zoe

"Not much of a punchline." Zoe smiles and finally opens her eyes to look at Uriel. "Yes. His name is Fenris. Mine is Zoe. What is yours?"

[Weezer]

Uriel

"Its not much of a joke" Uriel looks towards Zoe and says "The names Uriel, nice to meet you, and your wolf"

[Ezeze]

Zoe

"Well, Uriel." Zoe sits up in her chair, better to give the man her attention. "What brings you so far from home?"

[Weezer]

Uriel

"Not choice thats for sure", Uriel responds bitterly, "I got involved in a rather heated ... business disagreement, it was best for me to leave the area rather quickly."

[Ezeze]

"Oh. I'm sorry." Zoe turns her head to the side, smiling slightly and trying to encourage Uriel to do the same. "But maybe something good will come of it?"

[Weezer]

Uriel

"Maybe it will" Uriel responds, forcing a smile. Straightening up and visibly collecting himself he says, "Enough about things long lost, what's brought you to this rather ordinary inn?"

[Stycotl]

Kados Warhound

Kados enters the tavern, ducking to fit through the doorway. His dogs wait patiently outside, tethered to the one of the porch rails, quietly, eagerly anticipating their dinner.

The large goliath approaches the bar and leans wearily on it, "Do you have any raw steaks? Beef, pork, almost anything is good, so long as it is fresh and good. My dogs are hungry." He looks back toward them, seeing if he can spot them through the windows now that the doors are shut.

[Ezeze]

Zoe

Fenris lifts his head as the scent of other dogs enters the room. Zoe continues her conversation with Uriel. "The fact that it's a rather ordinary inn, on a rather ordinary road, in a rather ordinary part of the world that I hadn't seen before." She smiles brightly. "I go where I want until I run out of money, stop, make a little off of my profession, then go again."

[Weezer]

Uriel

Your profession, what might that be? Uriel asks curiously as he finishes off his glass of wine and waves a barmaid over, ordering another.

[DJDeMiko]

Oskar Proudaxe

The dwarf sits at the bar as drunk as any of the men on a taller stool than the rest. As a regular in this tavern for the past few weeks, no one seems to even take notice of his armor or the large axe on his back.

Oskar lifts his mug of ale jovially and in chorus with the men, but terribly out of tune sings.

[Ezeze]

Zoe

"I'm a wizard," Zoe drains the rest of her mug as the bar maid approaches, then hands it to her "another for me too, if you don't mind."

[DJDeMiko]

Oskar

Loudly from the bar many of the patrons hear the dwarf, who sounds more than a little drunk, singing a bawdy song.

"The staff of a wizard with honour is crowned.
Without it a wizard will rarely be found.
'Tis big and it's round and weighs three to the pound
And without it he's truly unmanned."

[Stycotl]

Kados turns toward the singing dwarf as he waits for the meat. He chuckles slightly, and then sighs, looking over the crowd as he waits on the bartender.

[Rathgar]

Just as the drinking song reached its climax, a halfling clad in green hunter's attire suddenly burst through the door. "Somebody, help! The wine crop of Lindley is in danger! Giant bees are devouring our grapes! I need some volunteers to help us out!"

[Ezeze]

Zoe

Zoe and Fenris both instantly snap to attention. She turns a wild grin on Uriel, an invitation to come along as she pushes herself up and out of her chair, grabs her bag, and strides forward "The wine is in danger? We'll have to do something about that."

[DJDeMiko]

Oskar

Oskar stumbles off his tall stool.

"Aye laddie," he says with a slight slur, "Let me at them bees! I'll chop em up right good for ya."

[Weezer]

Uriel

Upon hearing the call to action Uriel stares wistfully down at his wine and the quickly tosses it back, rising to follow Zoe. "Wine crop? I didn't know you grew wine around here, what kind of bush does it grow on?" He says with a sarcastic lilt in his voice,"Such rare horticultural marvels must be protected at all costs."

[Sir Shadow]

Fenris Fimbulwinter

"Giant bees???" Fenris sat up straight, the sheer strangeness of the occurance instantly gaining his full attention. "This I gotta see!" Dashing from his stool over to the halfling.

[Stycotl]

Kados Warhound

Kados looks out the open doors to his dogs, knowing that they were already tired from their long journey, but feeling like they ought to help. Kados had passed through Lindley last year, and had been treated with exceptional kindness by the townspeople. He figured that he owed them. Besides, those giant insects could kill some of the villagers, and he didn't want to have to hear that story next time he was passing through.

The goliath turns to the bartender, "Never mind about the steaks. We'll come back for them tomorrow. Thanks." Then, approaching the diminutive halfling, he asks, "How many do you need? How many of the bugs are there?"

[Ezeze]

Zoe

Zoe grins like a cheshire cat "that's the spirit!" She offers her hand to the halfling in way of greeting "my name is Zoe." Her wolf barks, and she quickly amends "and that is Fenris."

[Rathgar]

The halfling gave Uriel a funny look. "Of courase we have a wine crop. We grow the wines on the vines, and then when we harvest them, we crush them to make grapes. Isn't that how it always is? As for how many people we're looking for, as many as can volunteer. We need to go ahead and get gone, though. We've already lost the town sheriff to the bees, we have no time for dilly-dallying. I'll give you more information along the way."

[DJDeMiko]

Oskar

"Then let's get going laddie."

[Stycotl]

Kados Warhound

Kados nods to the halfling and steps past him and out the door in a handful of very long strides, ducking under the doorjamb again as he goes. His dog leashes are loosed from the porch railing, and both of them are tugging and pulling, tails wagging as they await the halfling's lead. The dogs don't know what is going on, but they can read the excitement in everyone else.

[Weezer]

Uriel

"Hmmm, I wonder how that works, is there some innate magical field..." Uriel starts to ruminate before coming back to the present "I guess its not time for horticultural discussion, lead on noble halfling."