Karwyll-The Quest for truth

[Adelbert]

OOC:Ok, I can't resist starting early, so off I go!

 

The barkeep looked at Erunanion. "Well, I haven't noticed it alot personally, the farmers are the ones who have to take the hit", he said. "Why is that?", asked Davanír. "My God, where have you been? Nowadays, they have to pay almost a third of all their harvests in tax, it's driving them nuts", the barkeep answered, then he went to get them something to drink.

 

Meanwhile, the weather was getting worse by the minute. It seemed like it would be impossible for the postman to make it without blowing away. The barkeep returned with 3 mugs filled with a dark green liquid of some sort. Davanír smelled the mug and looked very suspicious. "What's this then?", he asked and eyed the man. "Oh, that's the house speciality, I make it myself, strongest stuff around."

 

Davanír, still looking very suspicious, tasted it, then a wide grin spread across his face. He swallowed it all, then he turned to the barkeep who had been standing around to see what their judgement was. "That was the best drink I've had for a long time", the dwarf said. "I'm glad you like it", said the barkeep and smiled before he went to see if the postman was anywhere close. "Now that postman better hurry cause all these humans have made me excited, seems like news from the big city is a good thing", said Davanír to his friends.

[loveme4whoiam]

"In places like this, a postbag is a big event." Erunanion said dryly. Staring around the bar, he picked up the drink without looking at it and took a sip. A slight frown creased his face. "This is attrocious." He drained half the mug, still looking at the room. He frowned again. "A third of all produce seems rather steep," he commented in a flat monotone voice.

[Adelbert]

"To strong?", Davanír said and grinned at his friend. "I've never seen anyone who could drink more than a dwarf", he said and looked very proud to be an alcoholic. Traxis leaned across the table towards the dwarf. "Maybe it would be wise if you kept your.. roots to yourself, these people still think that they're the only ones in this world", he said.

 

Before Davanír had the time to answer, the door suddenly slammed open and in came the postman. In a matter of seconds, the locals were all over him, begging to hear the news from Nayreth. The barkeep rushed forward and pulled the young man to the counter. He held his hand up and everyone fell silent. "Now, what's the news?"

 

The postman quickly started telling aout what he'd heard in the capital city. "Nobody I spoke to knew anything about a famine, nobody had even left the city for months since The Hare has closed every entrance, nobody can leave or enter it without his written permission", he said. "How did you get in then?", one of the locals asked him. "None of your business", the postman answered him.

 

"Like I said, nobody has even heard of a famine and everyone I talked to thought I was crazy, but what I did figure out was that shipments of harvests from all around the country are being sent out of the city twice every week. No one knows where they go or to who."

 

By now, most of the locals were outraged and many of them were speaking to eachother about rebellion. "When I was at the postman central I met some guy from the mountains, he told me about a group of miners from the far north who had disappeared right after reports of giants and trolls", he continued. By now, people were laughing instead of shouting.

 

"Bah, these humans know nothing of the real world, they just want to live the easy life without caring about other things than themselves..", Davanír said in one of his bright moments.

[loveme4whoiam]

Erunanion listened intently, although without any outward change to his cool, even frosty, exterior, to what the postman said. "It would be a good idea to find out how he left the city if The Hare has closed the borders. Such information would be useful." Erunanion took another sip of the foul drink. "Who would The Hare need to be bribing in such a large amount?"

 

Erunanion watched the postman be jostled some more, and reached back casually to grip the bowstave. "After he leaves, I'll talk to him. Unless of course, one of you would prefer to do it." He grinned, and his face was suddenly more pleasant and inviting. "But not you, my hard-drinking friend. He gestured at Davinir.

[Malchik]

Traxis smiled. "Now where does this good gentleman propose to pass the night do you think? If he is less than forthcoming in giving details of how HE comes and goes in the capital, I might pay him a little visit later. Nothing permanent you know, just to see what passes he has and perhaps get some of our own!"

 

He turns to his companions.

 

"Well, do you think we should make for the capital or find out more about the vanished miners. I don't think our group is large enough to split up."

 

He laughs heartily at the idea. He appears to sip the ale but drinks nothing. A drunken assassin is very quickly a dead assassin.

[Adelbert]

Davanír seemed a little disappointed about not getting to question the postman, but he didn't say anything about it. He scratched the wolf's head and looked at the crowd around the postman. "I say we go to the capital and see this famine with our own eyes", he said. Meanwhile, the crowd was calming down and the postman could deliver the few letters that had been sent.

 

"If you're going to question him, now's your chance" Davanír said as the postman was getting ready to leave. Traxis silently sneaked after him through the door. The dwarf waved for the barkeep to fetch him another mug of the strong alcohol. Right then, a rather shy looking young boy approached their table.

 

"Excuse me sir, but my friend..", he pointed at another boy a few tables away,".. tells me that his older brother can swing that axe better than such a short man", he told Davanír and pointed at the shining weapon in his belt. The dwarf took this as a huge insult and his face was turning red, it looked like he could go berserk at any second. "Oh, yeah? I'll show that little..", he muttered and stood up.

[Malchik]

OOC> You don't have to post for me now I'm here!

 

Traxis, finding himself outside the door, sidles up to the postman.

 

"You have to be able to get in and out of Nayreth to do your job. I can appreciate you not wanting to give away anything in front of that rabble. But I really need to get there, I'm worried about some old friends of mine. Can you let me know who issues the passes?"

 

He hopes that this is an easy question. He does not want to have to trail the postman for the rest of the day.

[loveme4whoiam]

Erunanion smiles at Davanir's look, musing for a moment what the effects of letting a dwarf, especially his friend, question the man would have been. He made room for Traxis to stand and walk out of the door.

 

Erunanion watched a gangly youth approach their table, and listened to him challenge the dwarf on behalf of his companion's brother, not thinking much of someone who had to get another to make their challenge for them. Nonetheless, he too stood up and up a gentle but restraining hand on his friends shoulder. He said, not quite in a whisper, "Go easy on the lad. He'll only be young."

[Adelbert]

The postman stood in the cold wind and watched the man in front of him. "Well, it's The Hare who issues the passes, but the chances to get one are very small, I didn't get one either, the guards took my deliveries at the gate and they gave me all letters sent here. Although they wouldn't let me enter, I've got contacts around town that can make their own entrances anywhere they need one", he said.

 

Davanír was still enraged about the young boy, but the fact that the whole inn was filled with people who would not take his side in a fight kept him from doing something stupid. "I'm not that young, sir", the boy, not very shy anymore, told Erunanion. "I'm already..", the boy started counting on his fingers, "14 years old and I'm stronger than most boys of my age", he said. This amused the dwarf alot, since he hadn't heard many young boys stand up to a much taller and much stronger man.

[loveme4whoiam]

"I don't doubt it." Erunanion subjected the youth to hard stare. "Well, why don't you bring us your friend's brother who claims to be so skilled an axeman?" He leaned down to whisper, properly, in the dwarf's ear. "I think Traxis was right. Let us gain what we can from this village and be off to the capital. I like not at all the news we have already heard." He straightened up, and still holding the bowstave like a walking stick, waited at his friend's side.