Role Playing Related Fiction by The Company of Strangers

The Journal of Calamar Eldanil:

Part 2 - The Journey Continues:

6th - 8th Snowflowers 591

Over the next few days we rested and relaxed. I rebuilt the village wall using the power of the Seldarine; somewhat amazing Rackhe as he had just started organising a work party that he would help repair the damage. Rackhe and Narion then looked to arming the villagers with seized weapons.

As the village was a nice pleasant place, we decided to rest here a few days. I continued to administer to the community, spending much time with the children in whom, of humankind, I tend to see the values of my own people reflected in joy and play. Omar grew restless and decided that he would strike off north to seek adventure … and not some small amount of wealth, too. Kiri chose to remain with us and see where Fenmarel's hand would guide her. It is odd but I find that she is most uncomfortable around me, particularly when I speak of the Seldarine and their roles in our lives. I do not think she is very devout. On the other hand, perhaps she just does not like me. She seems much more inclined to enjoy a mug of ale or two (or three) with others such as the Ratiker ranger Rackhe and the elf warrior Narion. She does seem a bit reserved and cool towards me at times.

*~*~*~*~*

9th Snowflowers 591

Departing Griff, heading for Wardlow, we set off. Rackhe and Kiri seem to be establishing a very bantering style of communicating with each other. At this time, I have no idea whether this is friendly and playful, or if there is some hidden meaning or emotion being passed between them. I think I will keep an eye on this.

Near the Fox Wood, we fought off two hippogriffs that tried to swoop down and attack us. We let fly some arrows at them but one started making for the horses. Therefore, I interposed myself between them and our horse line, praying that my slight frame and determination would be enough to deter them. The hand of either the Coronal or the Leaflord was active that day and, through the actions of my friends, we finally drove them off with some well-placed archery and a javelin or two from Narion.

Just outside of Wardlow, we encountered a gigantic stag beetle that had apparently been despoiling local farms since the winter. Rackhe went forward to scout it out while we covered him with our bows and Narion's strong arm. Rackhe crept close enough to fire an arrow at the beast. Unfortunately these huge insects are well armoured, for the missile just bounced off the beetle's back. The beetle charged after Rackhe who led it toward us. We began shooting but had little effect on the charging brute. The beetle reached us and was so strong that it broke Narion's fine spear as it bowled him over. Rackhe managed to get behind it, and after a fierce fight, he delivered the killing blow. I also found out something new and startling. Kiri can do magic too! She repaired Narion's spear, which although not as good as the original, is quite serviceable. She also detected magic among the small trove that we found in the beetle's lair.

She seems like quite a capable woman.

Arriving in Wardlow we took rooms at the White Swan Inn, which was just inside the gates. We made the acquaintance of the proprietor, Ivorean, and his wife Quillana the Bard. Coreb, the stable boy, seemed like quite an eager lad and handily took our things to our rooms so that we might enjoy a quick meal, and a warm bath.

Quillana gave us a small synopsis of the town, telling us of some of the shops where we could re-supply. Kiri and I bought some new clothes. Both Kiri and Rackhe needed new boots. Narion bought a mithral chain shirt from Bannar, a dwarf smith of no small skill, and I learned of the other spiritual operations in vicinity. These are a temple to Velnius, god of weather and the sky, overseen by the priestess Alphdis, and a larger temple to Xerbo, god of sea and sailing, under the care of the priest Revola (whom Quillana described as an "interesting chap"). There was also a small shrine to Ehlonna, goddess of the forests and all the flora and fauna therein, maintained by the priestess Gearra just west of town.

Once we finished our shopping it was back to the White Swan for some well-deserved rest.

*~*~*~*~*

10th Snowflowers 591

Most of the day today was spent quietly wandering about town and shopping. We saw many of the sights and met many of the townsfolk, mostly simple fisher-people or those that service their needs.

*~*~*~*~*

11th Snowflowers 591

Another nightmare disturbed my trance. It had been almost a ten-day since the last one, although my sleep had not been as relaxed as I would normally have liked. And the dreams were always accompanied by some pain, although I could detect no wound or sign of ailment. I feel sure that the Lady of Dreams has forsaken me for a reason, yet in my heart I cannot find one. Rackhe too has had not as restful a night as he should. It is Godsday today and I set my mind to ensure that I would be most holy today in my thoughts and actions. This was a good thing too, as it appears Godsday in Wardlow is celebrated by businesses closing and people staying home and quietly passing their time.

This would just not do! Therefore, I suggested a feast instead of just sitting and doing nothing. Giving Ivorean twenty pieces of gold and asking him to invite some of his staff back for the feast, I set about preparing a simple meal. Kiri decided to come and help me, and it turns out that she is a fairly decent cook when it comes to seafood dishes. This woman is no end of surprises it seems. I noticed that she performed some small ritual during her perpetration but I did not know what this was until later. Rackhe tended bar and Kiri's magic spell on the food (for that is what it was) helped improve everyone's mood!

After the meal Kiri spoke to the crowd, thanking them for their kindness and such, but for some reason her speech seemed to fall a little flat. Maybe the crowd was just uncomfortable or uncaring. It was just a small thing but Kiri seemed a little disappointed. I rose after the meal to pronounce a small blessing in the name of the Creator to introduce a night of joyful festivity. The crowd seemed much impressed when I channelled Corellon's divine grace through me, and all seemed well. Kiri reacted somewhat oddly and retired early, perhaps she was still a little deflated that she was not better received, or she was further bothered by my overt display of spirituality. I have no idea what a woman thinks so I do not even try. It is not like her to miss a party, though.

*~*~*~*~*

Nightmares and Dreams

12th Snowflowers 591

Buy horses. That was our task for the day. During our trip to an outlying farm, that of Leodd, Rackhe and Kiri continued their nattering back and forth until Kiri finally got huffed and rode a short ways ahead. Narion's and my suspicions seem to be true as she occasionally turned back and looked at Rackhe. I think I will try playing matchmaker. Even though Kiri is still uncomfortable around me when I preach the ways of the Seldarine, I feel that the Winsome Rose would smile on me if I took this action. Perhaps it would bring me back into Hanali's grace.

On returning to town, we stopped to buy some tack for our two new horses, one for Rackhe and one for Kiri. While they were bartering with the saddler, I sat and watched some of the town children playing tag in the lane. Human children are so free-and-easy with their joy; I am always puzzled by how many lose this as they reach adulthood. Ah well! I should look to my own small flock first.

We went to the Twitching Dwarf for a bite to eat at midday. In the tavern, we noticed a group of people that looked out of place, much as we did, as this was definitely a workingman's pub. Kiri received many appreciative glances from the male patrons and it seemed to warm her mood a bit. She is truly a hedonistic woman! As Narion and Rackhe joined Kiri and me, we pointed out the strangers and decided to keep a close eye on them, as they seemed to be doing with us.

That afternoon I convinced the others to come with me to visit the shrine to Ehlonna just outside of town. Upon reaching the small shrine I heard a sobbing from inside. Rushing in, I found the priestess Gearra comforting a human woman. They were standing over the woman's baby who was crying as well. It seems that a beast had attacked the woman's farmstead and she had barely escaped with her and her baby's life. She had no idea what had happened to her husband. While the others questioned the woman further, I comforted the babe, which once again caused Kiri to shy away from me. I think it is sad how this beautiful woman shies away from the spirit and faith of the Seldarine. I think that Kiri will never cease to be a mystery to me.

We went to the remains of the woman Elora's farm and checked for signs of the beast that attacked. The sheep were gone; the farmhouse burned with one side caved in, and debris was strewn about everywhere. No sign of her husband could be found. We took watch that night in case the beast returned.

13 Snowflowers 591

Today we started out by trying to search out the beast's lair in the nearby woods. It took us until mid-afternoon to find a large fallen oak, lying in a small glade. Signs that a hole had been dug out beneath the fallen tree indicated that this was probably the lair we sought.

Our two warriors decided upon a plan whereby they would try to flank the lair and hopefully surprise the beast. As stealth was required, I was to remain back and help support the two with archery alongside Kiri. Whereas I could not begin to hope to match the skill that the Keen Eyed One has granted her, I was better with my bow than with my sword.

Unfortunately, the beast heard us approaching, and it sprang from hiding straight at Narion. It was a monstrous three-headed beast, one head that of a demonic goat, one a fierce lion and the third that of a small red dragon. I have only heard of chimeras in legends and tales but here we faced one in the defence of its lair.

It knocked Narion to the ground, gashing his chest deeply. Rackhe managed to move about to its rear but its multiple heads and savage hind claws kept him from striking a telling blow immediately, driving him to death's door. I quickly rushed to the aid of my fallen friend who was battling the thing from beneath its claws. His bleeding was profuse but my call to the gods was answered and divine energy flowed through my hand to seal some of his wounds. The fight was vicious and dramatic. Rackhe's blades flashed like lightning. Kiri's arrows found their mark time and time again. My spells had prepared the party well and the elf soldier regained his feet.

With great zeal, we defeated the monster. We then checked the lair for remains of Elora's husband, finding some small treasure but no sign of the farmer. As darkness was approaching, we returned to the burned-out farm for a night's rest.

14 Snowflowers 591

We returned to Gearra's shrine today, our third day since we began this small side trip. We had good news to give and it turns out that she had news as well. Elora's husband, separated from them in the attack, had made his way to a neighbouring farmstead. Husband, wife and baby had been reunited and all were doing well. When I discussed the issue of Rackhe's dreams and mine with her, Gearra said she could not help us but suggested that it might be a curse and that we seek out the Temple of Velnius to speak to the priestess Alphdis.

On the return trip to Wardlow, Rackhe once again got under Kiri's skin and set her off to ride ahead a bit. Nevertheless, what happened in the next few seconds provided ample proof that his jibes were not meant to be serious and that he did indeed like Kiri.

She had ridden about a hundred yards ahead of us when two huge badgers charged out of the underbrush beside the road and lunged at her. Rackhe was the first to react and spurred his horse forward. Narion and I were quick to follow and off we went. Kiri was defending herself ably but it would not be long before the dire badgers had her in a very bad position. While the two others charged forward, I dismounted to lend aid with my bow. Narion began fighting in the style of a mighty knight, using his spear as a lance. Rackhe dismounted and once again, his flashing swords helped save the day. I remounted and went to collect errant horses, returning to heal the small wounds our party had sustained.

We returned to Wardlow, looking forward to warm baths and beds. The others immediately went to the taproom for a pint while I went to my room to take off my armour and equipment. Three days in chainmail without proper amenities is quite enough for me.

After we had bathed and eaten, in that order, we set about only small tasks for the evening. Kiri and I went to Narion's and my room to count and inspect the small pile of loot, which we had accumulated during our adventure. Once this was done, we returned to the common room for a bottle of wine and the company of our friends.

It was immediately evident that the evening's plan had changed as we saw Narion sitting in the company of two young ladies. He was chatting up two pretty girls, one blonde and one brunette. One of the serving wenches informed us that Rackhe had gone out for a walk, asking for directions to the Temple of Velnius. Kiri and I took a small table off to one side and ordered a light snack and a bottle of wine, discussing the difference between theory and practice regarding Fairy Mysteries. We did not want to bother Narion.

A few minutes later Narion got up and left with the blonde, a local girl named Gweana as we were told when we asked, most probably to go up to our room for a roll in the hay. He winked as he went past to let me know that I should maybe make other sleeping arrangements tonight. Ah well! It would not be the first time I have slept on the floor of a friend's room. I am sure Rackhe would not mind. Although I was to rethink this plan of action twice in as many minutes with what happened next.

Kiri, chin propped in one hand, watched Narion and his lover walk out of the taproom arm-in-arm and heaved a breathy sigh. It did not surprise me that this hedonistic woman missed the joys of coupling with a strong man and perhaps she was a little envious of Gweana. To try and ease her mind I leaned slightly toward her and softly reminded her that, "Rackhe will probably be back soon."

She turned her sparkling violet eyes towards me, gazed into mine for a second, and in a soft voice said, "You just don't get it, do you Calamar?" She then leaned forward, took my face in both her hands, and kissed me long and warm on the mouth. That done; she rose and walked out of the taproom and up the stairs to her room.

I was flabbergasted! I sat and puzzled my way through what had just transpired and came to the decision that I had read all the signs wrong. It took a pair of pretty violet eyes to make my vision crystallize in an instant. Rackhe would have to be left to his own devices when he returned. I almost leapt from my chair and proceeded to Kiri's door. After my knocking softly, she answered with a look of vulnerability I had not seen before, biting her lip softly and looking at me shyly through her lashes. In response to her question, "Would you like to come in?" I replied, "I was thinking perhaps we could continue our discussion of the Fairy Mysteries."

And with that, she softly closed the door. The quiet 'click' of the lock turning said that I might just have earned my way back into the graces of Lady Goldheart after all.

*~*~*~*~*

15 Snowflowers 591

A glorious morning! I am sooooo refreshed today … and it appears Kiri is the same. I guess we 'agree' with each other. When we went down to the dining hall for a bite of breakfast, it seemed as if Rackhe had spent a rough night. I guess that was his human half showing; as we did not look the worse for wear for not having much rest the previous evening. Kiri did seem to have a nice glow about her, but that was not for a bad reason. That woman is limber! Moreover, she is very receptive to trying out many of the ideas that some of my previous lovers have not really understood. I guess the difference is Kiri can actually make her body move that way. She also is very inventive, but I digress from my journal…

When he joined us for breakfast, it turned out Narion had slept with BOTH girls after all, as he came down the steps with the blonde on one arm and the brunette on the other. This seemed to disturb Rackhe a little bit but I have no idea why.

While at breakfast we discussed what were we going to do today (I lobbied for a quiet day as I had neglected to prepare new spells for some reason … hmmm). We decided, on Rackhe's information gained talking to the priestess last night, to go visit Culbane the Magistrate. He might be able to give us some advice on how to rid ourselves of the nightmares.

We also wanted to go shopping for some scroll writing materials for Kiri and me. So, it was off to the Amazing Bean first. We ended up spending fifteen hundred pieces of gold on supplies. I also surreptisiously purchased two fine platinum rings. A matching set finely crafted enough that I could enchant them with a spell to help shield my ladylove from pain should she be injured. My magic would channel some of her pain into my body, allowing me to sacrifice some small part of my being to keep her away from harm.

I decided to take a short side trip to the Wheel & Oak to visit with the elf woman Niella to see about purchasing a walking stick for use in town. I arranged to consecrate her small shrine to the Seldarine in return for a nice decorative sturdy cherry-wood walking staff about 4 feet tall.

While in the Amazing Bean, Kiri bought a Pearl of Power. Narion purchased it for her so as to assuage any guilt he felt in purchasing a beautiful quiver enchanted to the honour of Ehlonna (which she also was very interested in). He also bought a longbow and some arrows.

Rejoining the group, we went to drop off our purchases and then visit the magistrate. When we were almost at the Town Hall, I noticed a strange looking man … a tall black skinned sailor type who must have stood well over seven feet. He was with two companions. I went over to chat with them and find out more about them.

I invited them to lunch and then, discovering Kiri shopping at a food stand nearby, invited her and my other companions to join us at the Twitching Dwarf. The sailors were named Bluc and Ladd and the tall black-skinned man was named Yboa. They sail off the Silver Porpoise (which we later found at dock in the harbour).

Kiri was amazing during the conversation. Her entire manner seemed to gradually change. I saw more of her nautical side than I ever have before. Her speech patterns changed and she fell right into the jargon almost immediately. I learned that she used to be a 'ship's archer', a specialist of some kind that dealt with foes at distance. It would certainly account for her great skill with a bow!

I gradually became more of an observer to the conversation than a participant, which was fine with me as I learned an amazing amount. Yboa was telling me about these creatures from his homeland called "elephants." Amazing things, these! Bigger than a horse, flat feet, huge ears and long noses. I am sure that they are products of a wizard's experiment gone wrong but Yboa laughingly assured me that they were natural.

Narion and Rackhe took the opportunity to visit Bannar at the Links and Grieves. Narion wanted to stock his Quiver of Ehlonna. So, he bought three short spears, sixty arrows, and fifteen javelins. They had such a good time that Rackhe invited Bannar to dinner this evening.

They joined our party at the Twitching Dwarf a little later and, as it turned out, Rackhe noticed a man with "black hands" leaving the tavern. Narion found this extremely disconcerting, as we had been warned by Anastriana and Krellan to be wary of the "Black Hands." We finished our lunch and said goodbye to our new friends to head back and see the magistrate.

When we got to the town hall, it turned out that Master Culbane had gone home for the day. We asked directions and visited him at his home in the nicer part of town. He welcomed us readily and warmed to our topic once we explained our reason for seeking him out. He is very interested in the oddities of local history. In this light, he has promised to look into our question about the Temple to Verath.

As the rest of the day was ours until dinner, we explored the wealthier quarter of Wardlow, and then moved on to the docks. We saw the Silver Porpoise and other ships being unloaded, and also two Suel Northman longships tied up at a wharf. We noticed these as Rackhe saw two Ice Barbarians from the frozen mountains north of his homeland approaching. When he greeted them, one nodded cordially but the big one dressed in very expensive jewellery and furs grunted some sort of insult that seemed to stir Rackhe's pride. Kiri suggested, even though I had never met an Ice Barbarian before, that I should let this opportunity to mediate pass. In this case, I did not need to be told twice.

Kiri's eyes brightened when she saw the ship works at the far end of the dock area. Apparently, Amin's Crafting is well known in this region for making some of the finest ships on the seas. She even went so far as to whisper, with a far off look in her eye, that one day she would own a fine ship. Sometimes she can be so cute. She blushes very prettily too!

We then ended up exploring what Kiri and Rackhe called the "dive" part of town. I had never been in this type of area of a human town, so it was quite intriguing in its own right. Rackhe and Narion both seemed interested in a place called the Leaning Tower of Piety. It is what is called a 'brothel'. I seem to remember that I had heard this term before but when they explained what it was all about, I could not quite understand why they would want to do such a thing. I mean, I could not imagine PAYING for the intimate companionship of a woman. Why would one need to? Moreover, why would one want to? If the woman did not truly want to be with the man in the first place, then why would she place herself in this subservient role? It was all totally mystifying to me. I know Narion may have picked up this habit in the army but … really! Maybe with Rackhe's apparent lacklustre luck with the opposite sex I could understand. I think I will have to see what I can do in this regard (as it is now totally out of the question, regardless of how much I like him, that I try to play matchmaker between Rackhe and Kiri).

On the way back to the inn for the evening and to meet up with the smith, Rackhe dropped into the Rumbling Kitchen, a quaint bakery run by a small (of course) halfling woman named Jerinni. She was a bright and rosy-cheeked sort and ended up closing for the day as Rackhe practically bought out the store! Every tart and cookie that she had was purchased. He then proceeded to dole out the tarts to his companions. And very good they were too! I guess that maybe occasionally he feels his elvish side coming out. I must remember to encourage more of this. The tarts were delicious!

Bannar proved quite an entertaining dinner companion and told us many stories of his past adventures and some about the townsfolk and happenings around Wardlow. A great time was had by all and after Banner excused himself, Kiri and I excused ourselves so that we could go upstairs to her room to sort out the supplies for our scribing endeavours over the next few days. As it turned out, we ended up doing more frolicking than work. Every few minutes one of us would break a clinch and breathlessly gasp that we should really attend to the proper business at hand, but sometimes all it would take was a twinkle in the other's eye and we would be back at it. She is easily distracted when my hand traces softly across her skin. I find her hard to resist when she breathes softly into my ear with some sly sensual suggestion, and then perhaps nibbles on my earlobe or neck…

But I digress once again. After we had finally sorted out our equipment, we settled into trance around midnight, my staying in Kiri's room, as we were both comfortable enough.

At approximately the fourth hour of the morning, I came out of trance in a cold sweat to Kiri shaking me slightly, a concerned look on her face. I know not whether she was concerned over my obvious discomfort due to another nightmare, or the fact that we then heard the softest brush of shoe leather on the floorboards outside her room. We listened carefully and heard the footsteps move off down the corridor, stopping, approximately, where Narion's and my room was. A soft clicking sound told us that someone was breaking into the room!

Kiri in a short shift (looking very fetching, but no time for that!) and I just in a light pair of breeches decided to interrupt this interloper in the night. She had her rapier but I was unarmed. We crept as quietly as possible to the door of my room, just noticing that the door was ever so slightly ajar.

Bracing ourselves as best we could, we burst through the door! I dove into the room towards where I knew my sword belt hung at the foot of my bed. Kiri leapt into the room prepared to do battle with whoever or whatever was in the room.

A soft twang of a bowstring and the smooth whistle of a bolt hissing between us showed us that our foe had heard us coming. We turned to see a man crouched behind Narion's bed dropping a crossbow and preparing to leap across the bed at us. He and Kiri crossed swords briefly but it was a forgone conclusion from the start. My lover turned out to be almost as handy with her rapier as she was with her bow, and the thief never made it across the threshold again before her steel plunged deeply between his ribs.

I bent over our fallen antagonist and looked to his wounds, bringing him back to consciousness as Kiri bound him securely and placed him in a chair. We then tried to question him but, even after I said that he would rather talk to me than to Kiri, he wouldn't budge in his position that "it would be best" to let him go and forget that this ever happened, and that he had "connections" with "important and powerful friends" in town that would come to his aid. I just shrugged and let Kiri work on him. She seemed to be making some headway when he adroitly rolled backwards out of the chair, slipping his bonds at the same time.

Kiri lunged at him and once again speared him with her blade, this time through the chest. This time I just brought him just to the edge of consciousness so that he would cause no more problems.

It was then that Ivorean appeared with a lamp and a cudgel to see what had happened. I informed him that all was well and Kiri suggested that he call for the watch. The watch showed up shortly thereafter in the form of the watch captain, Ieric. He muttered something about it being a busy night, told us to appear before the courts at the hour before noon, and up and carted away our unconscious burglar.

It was not until Narion and Rackhe appeared a few minutes later that we understood what he had meant by it being a busy night. It appears they had run into some adventure of their own and had ended up saving the life of Wardlow's mayor, Alexander Castle, whereupon he invited my two friends and their fellows to dinner at his residence.

*~*~*~*~*

Narion described what had occurred to them that evening:

"After you left the taproom, no doubt to experience some of the joys of companionship along with your studying, Rackhe strapped on his greatsword and he and I headed out into the streets. We wandered a bit until I decided to pay a little visit to the Leaning Tower of Piety, and release some of the tensions built up over the last few days. I felt that this would also be a good thing for Rackhe as well.

"We arrived at the bordello and met with Val, a very pretty lass (who just happened to be very good at what she does), and she consented to be my companion for the evening. Rackhe was also introduced to a young lady who would show him a good time, and I did not see him for the next few hours. Val actually encouraged another of her friends to join us and I spent a lovely evening drinking of the passions of these two wenches.

"About the third hour past midnight, Rackhe and I were saying our goodbyes to the girls and left to head back to the White Swan. When I asked Rackhe if he had enjoyed his little tryst he replied, 'Yes. It was the best fifty pieces of gold I've spent in a long time.' This surprised me a little, and I almost didn't have the heart to tell him that my romp with the two girls had only cost me five pieces of gold … for both. Almost.

"On our return trip to the White Swan, we were passing by an alleyway where we heard a muffled nose, followed by the sounds of a struggle. A bright flash of light drew our attention to where we found a man trying to defend himself with a dagger from three men and a woman who had him practically encircled. These ruffians were those that you and Kiri had pointed out to us previously at lunch in the Twitching Dwarf.

"We two leapt into the fray and dropped one of the assailants quickly. During the fight, we managed to drop all the thugs and rescue the man, who turned out to be a spellcaster. We teamed up with him to defeat the leader of the brigands, and Rackhe killed the man who was wielding a flail against the spellcaster.

"It turned out that the wizard was the mayor, one Alexander Castle. He was thankful for the rescue and jested about making us pay a small 'tax for disturbing the peace … which these four (the dead bodies) will have to pay.' He then summoned the watch and told them to take the bodies away.

"He then escorted us to the Temple of Velnius so that the priestess Alphdis could apply her healing arts to us. We discovered from the mayor that the leader of the bandits was Holgi the Mercenary. Mayor Castle then asked us to appear at the court on the hour before midday tomorrow.

"We then, as you know, returned to the White Swan just in time to see the result of the thieving attempt on our rooms."

*~*~*~*~*

Invitations to Court and Dinner

16th Snowflowers 591

Greeting the morning, after getting a bit more rest in the comfort of Kiri's arms (she was very concerned after learning of the nature of my nightmares and how they were ravaging my soul), I was set to join the others in going to court. In the hall we found the burglar, Gardi, sitting, shackled at feet and hands, in the small cell occupying the corner of the room. We also found the magistrate, the watch captain Ieric, and four watchmen waiting for the hearing to begin.

We also, very oddly to my thinking, found the merchant Hastein and the tall, well-dressed Ice Barbarian sitting on one of the benches off to the side. Hastein appeared to be very annoyed with Gardi. What business they had with the magistrate we were soon to find out.

The magistrate, Culbane, found Narion and Rackhe not to be of any problem to the town as far as their experience last night was concerned. They were in fact rewarded with the lion's share of the spoils from the mercenaries they defeated the previous evening. Then Kiri and I were called forward to give our account of the failed robbery attempt by the fellow in the cell. We stated the facts as we saw them plainly and simply. The magistrate then called upon Hastein as the thief apparently worked for him.

This was an interesting development! Hastein, however, denied any knowledge of Gardi's nocturnal activities and ended up firing him on the spot. I feel that whatever help Gardi was looking for from his "powerful friends" had just flown out the window as quickly as a sparrow. Culbane pronounced the sentence, and it was death for the attempted murder of Kiri and me.

Death! I leapt to my feet and asked to speak on behalf of the poor wretch. At this, all my companions raised an eyebrow, the magistrate's eyes widened, and Hastein's face began to turn red, then purple. I tried to point out that Gardi's "attempted murder" of us was merely Gardi protecting himself after having made a mistake and entering the wrong room, improbable but plausible. I then pointed out that if he was involved in nefarious activities, perhaps he could save his life by talking to the magistrate and the watch about his "connections" in the underworld of the town. I truly felt that a sentence of death for a simple mistake as his, whether having being advised on his course of action or it being of his own making, was truly too harsh a justice to be meted out.

Sometimes I feel that these rigid and draconian legal systems are what drain humankind of their lust for life and enjoyment of the beauty of the world. I have often found in my small travels that the very people who rebel against the rules and are punished as criminals and outlaws are the people who embrace a lust for life more akin to my race's thoughts. Although I agree that violent crime should be avoided at all costs and the enjoyment of one's liberties should not be at the expense of another's, I wanted to try to save Gardi's life.

Not simply because I felt it was the right thing to do, but also because he might have some valuable information that the watch might desire. I may be a simple country priest, but I like to think that I'm not an idiot.

In the end, Culbane decided to stay the carrying out of sentence for a few days to see how amenable the thief would be in helping them. Hastein and his barbarian friend left in a huff at this pronouncement. My friends were a little amazed but had picked up on the undertone of my appeal. Kiri had even tried to offer some assistance in pleading the argument, and I know how hard that must have been for her. Culbane also told us that he might have news of our nightmare issue in a few days.

Once court had adjourned, we were left to our own devices. I went off to the Wheel and Oak to perform Niella's request to consecrate her small shrine and pick up my walking stick. Then it was back to the inn where Kiri and I set down to begin our scribing. We worked together for some of the time, quietly and studiously bending over our parchments and pens until well past the dinner hour, when we joined Rackhe and Narion in the hall for a small bite and some relaxation for the evening.

The last two days had been quite tumultuous in a small way and tomorrow was looking to be interesting as well. We were looking forward to having dinner with the mayor and his family and we all wanted to make a good impression. I wondered that perhaps it might be an interesting idea to see how well a prayer on Rackhe's behalf to the Seldarine might polish some of his rough edges for this dinner…

Hmm. The morrow looks to be very interesting.

*~*~*~*~*

CONTINUED IN PART 3 - THE GREATEST EVIL