Chapter 1: Tales in a Tavern

[Sinen Darkchild]

Leseris is a small town west of the paelelon woods. In fact, so small it isn't on any maps drawn to date. In this town is a small tavern called the Dark Dream Inn. This tavern is usually populated with people of all sorts, Elven and human alike. Sinen has just arrived in this town after many a day of long travel. Stopping shortly to inquire about an inn he comes to the Dark Dream Inn.

Oddly named inn. Wonder if it has some significance

He pushes the door open and walks inside, shutting the door behind himself. Inside the inn/tavern is lit with little in the way of lights. Many different people sit about drinking and telling all kinds of tales. Sinen makes his way to the tavern keeper,

"Sir, might I incquire as to if you would happen to have a room available?"

The man who his quite heavy set and has a short dark beard of sorts looks at him. He replies in a gruff voice.
"For a price we do."

Sinen simply produces a couple coins and gives them to the man who proceeds to point him to the stairs and tells him which room is his.

Sinen makes his way to the stairs and proceeds to go to his room to get settled in.

 Fools rush into battle blindly, but who is really the fool? The fool or the fool who follows him.

[jamalian]

Jamalian enters the strangely named inn and looks around. It wasnt too bad. It was quite old, but not all that tatty. He wasnt really interested in finding a place to sleep, just resting.
He approached the inn keeper and cleared his throat as he spoke.
"Do you have anywhere in which i can relieve myself?"
He was putting it nicely and he hoped that the man knew he was talking about.

The man tilted his head towards a staircase which lead not only to several rooms, but to a toilet.

Jamalian slowly ascended the staircase and looked around. Most rooms had signs on the doors, showing that they were taken, but a few didnt. He slowly opened the door to an empty room and entered.
The room was lovely. Nicer than most places that he had stayed in. He sat down and leaned up against the wall. He hadnt had a decent paying job for a while and couldnt afford to pay for his room. He hoped that he wouldnt be found out, for if he did, he may have to use force to escape punishment.

[Muargath]

Sitting on the bed with her feet tucked under her, Muargath combed the last tangle out of her long, white-blonde hair.  Softly humming, she peeked into the small looking-glass that rested on her nightstand.  The face that stared back had large, dark gray eyes framed with thick lashes.  Her skin, despite spending an inordinate amount of time outdoors, was quite pale and very clear.  She smiled at her reflection- at least now she was clean!  When she got the room, she wisely had some hot water delivered so she could bathe.  It wasn't a soak in a tub, but it was sufficient.  Satisfied that she didn't look like a raggamuffin or a street-urchin any longer, she tucked the comb back into her travel bag and climbed off the bed.

She pulled on a clean, white cotton peasant-blouse and then a lightly-tanned, suede tunic over that.  Woven breeches, off white, went on next with a fit that was tighter than pants yet looser than tights.  On went woolen stockings to pad her feet and her long, soft leather boots, a close color match to the tunic.  A weathered, brown leather belt was buckled to rest on the curve of her hip, a sheath for her dagger attached to the lower side of the belt, right next to a medium sized leather pouch.  She grabbed her dagger off the bed and slipped it into the sheath while taking a last glance around the room.

When Muargath opened opened her door, she heard another door close farther down the hall.  She could also hear footsteps approaching at a casual pace.  She locked the door behind her and looked up to see an elf walking toward her.  She nodded a polite greeting to him and continued down the hall toward the stairs.  Time for a drink and a meal!  She was so looking forward to having something hot to eat, cooked in a kitchen.  Her stomach grumbled just thinking about it.

At the bottom of the stairs, Muargath paused to survey the room.  She chose an empty table by the fireplace to sit at.  When the server came by, she ordered a house meal and a glass of red wine.  While she waited for the food to be brought, she set her boots on the hearth, one boot crossed over the other and with her legs straight, to take full advantage of the warmth.  With a small smile on her lips, she kept a close eye on the room's other occupants.  

"There is serenity in Chaos.
Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane."
- so says the Principia Discordia

[Gararion]

                The black cloaked wizard had been walking for some significantly long stretch.  
        He followed the presence within his soul like a compass bearing, where ever it lead him
        we would journey.  

                The wizard had come into eyesight of a small town up ahead.  He halted for a
        moment as he looked onward.  Was there something that he was suppose to do within
        this small town or was it just like the others he had come across before.

                The cloaked wizard continued along the path that lead to the town.  As he
        entered it he saw a glimpse of darkness within his head, vanishing as fast as it had came.  
        When the wizard regained his sight he looked forward and saw a sign, Dark Dream Inn.

                Was this another sign that the presence within him showed him when they felt
        the need to do so? Surely his visions he had been having lately we like a dark dream,
        often robbing him of his sleep and rest.

                The wizard walked onward, toward the small Inn.  He hesitated for a instant at
        the door before a cool breeze came forward and seemed to open the door for him.  
        The wizard walked within the Inn and looked about.

                The wizard was wearing a black cloak, a hood covered his face from sight but
        some details were still clear.  His silver hair seemed to flow with the presence of a
        constant cool breeze that seemed to follow him.  He carried a staff in his right hand and
        a book in his left, both seemed to radiate with a blue fire that seemed not to harm the
        wizard.

                The wizard looked about for an empty table, hopefully near a fire but it seemed
        to had been already taken by a female human.  The wizard turned his head toward a
        empty table near the far right corner, the light emanating from the fire barely reaching it,
        lighting only a few areas with it fiery glow.

                The wizard sat down, place the book he held down upon the table, its flame not
        harming the wooden table as it seemed.  He turned to the barkeep and ordered a bowl
        of warm stew and waiting for his meal to come.  He fiddled with the staff within his hand
        as he thought about the visions he had been having lately.  What would they lead to?  
        What di they mean most importantly....

[Sinen Darkchild]

Inside his room Sinen throws his pack on the bed. He Quickly undresses and cleans himself up a bit.Then dresses himself in fine green pants and a green tunic made of a rich cloth. He props his sword up by the bed-side and lays his horn of the small bedside table. He then slips on a pair of green riding boots. He slips his silver ring back on his left hand and graps his small money pouch. He walks out the door and locks it behind himself. Walking down the stairs he finds a table in the dark corner in the farthest corner to his left. He orders bowl of stew, a bit of bread, and a mug of ale. He sits down and leans back so that he is propped against the wall.The ale is brought to him quickly after it is ordered and he takes a drink then sits it on the table.

Near his table is an old man with several younger people gathered around him. Sinen can hear the old man telling stories to the younger people. For the moment he pays no attention. The old man is talking of great battles with orcs.

Sinen looks around and notices male elf dressed in a black cloak. From Sinen's perspective he would guess probably a wizard. He also notices a Female Human by the fire.

 Fools rush into battle blindly, but who is really the fool? The fool or the fool who follows him.

[Alnac Kreb]

The road was dark and cold. Nt freezing mind you, but certainly not suited to one of the Rahaz-Dath anyway. Alef the Aj trotted briskly to the town's meager gates and the doors opened with little time wasted. Alnac looked around, seeing nought but a few broken houses and a tall stone construction which by it's apparent activity Alnac guessed to be an inn. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be just that. A large sign read The Dark Dreams Inn . Alnac gasped. Surely this was not a safe place for one of his distinguished cloth! Yet, an inn was an inn. He hitched Alef to a tall post, and Alesham purred. The small Ximax cat jumped to Alnac's shoulder and the two entered the dark inn.

He stepped carefully to the counter and ordered a room. He then took a seat, and unplugged the flask of Lord Gho's elixir. He drank sparingly, and observed tho other customers. Some of which caught his immediate attention...

Death is not the worst than can happen to men.
-Plato

[jamalian]

After resting a little while, Jamalian got bored with the place. Sneaking into a room probably wasnt the most wise of ideas and killing the innkeeper just for a room would just be stupid. Plus, it would attract a lot of unwanted attention.
He decided that he had just enough money to buy a little food and then he would look for a new job.
He made his way down the creaky staircase and once again appraoched the innkeeper.
"Thank you for that. Now, id like something to eat."
He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and placed it into the soft hands of the man in front of him.
"Whatever food and drink this can buy me, ill take."Jamalian sat down at a stained, scratched table and pulled out his most prize possession, his cutting disc. The dim lighting reflected from it and made patterns of light on the ceiling. He examined the circular mithril disc with its gold trim shining brightly. It was still sharp as ever, it never seemed to get blunt.
He sat still, staring at it in content, waiting for the innkeeper to bring the food which he required.

[Muargath]

It was the heavyset and bearded innkeeper who finally brought her the hot meal and wine she ordered.  She paid him in silver, tipping the man an extra coin as well.  Then she turned her attention to her bowl of stew- rabbit, potato, and a myriad of vegatables, all in a thick gravy.  It wasn't fancy, but it was hot and it tasted good.  The warm bread served with it was fresh too.  Her bowl was empty in  no time.

Belly full, Muargath sat back and pushed the bowl away from her just as a cloaked wizard entered the room.  Knowing he was a wizard was not a big stretch since the wizard carried a staff and book, both of which glowed with an intense blue aura.  Muargath tried not to stare, and looked into the fire instead, sipping her wine.  Then the wizard ordered a meal and that was when she figured out he was a he, and he was an elf, too.  Who was she to judge, if a body wandered about with hood drawn even indoors?  In her periphial vision, she kept a sharp note of the wizard... these types have always brought her much luck and wealth in the past...

In the background, Muargath could hear a man talking to a group of children and every once in awhile she'd overhear bits of sentences.  But she wasn't paying much mind to the storyteller.

A couple of other travelers wandered in from outside and or upstairs, but the room was far from being crowded.

"There is serenity in Chaos.
Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane."
- so says the Principia Discordia

[Sinen Darkchild]

The old man near Sinen begins to tell the young people around him a new tale. One Sinen hadn't heard in many years.



(Old Man)

"Long ago there were eight powerful wizards that refered to themselves as the magi. They lived in a time when war and magic threatened to rip the world asunder. For fear of what may happen they used their magic to end the wars between mages and warriors"



Sinen goes back to eating his stew and ignores the tale for some time. He had forgotten what came nexted.



(Old Man)
"In desperation these eight magi crafted a stone of unimaginable power. This stone they gave the ability to heal the world's wounds, to end disease, and even to defy death itself. This stone they called the Fire Gem after it's flame red color and the magical flame that forever burns in its core. It is said that the gem was lossed soon after its creation, and the magi dissappeared from this world. It is even rumored that the gem is so place near here. Who knows if it really is."



After hearing this Sinen turns to the old man.

"Sir, I hate to interupt your tale, but it would seem as if you left quite a bit out. I myself cannot remember, but I swear that I heard more to it."

(Old Man) "I may have left some out, but can you fault and old man uch as myself. Besides that is all that I was ever told as a lad."

 Fools rush into battle blindly, but who is really the fool? The fool or the fool who follows him.

[Muargath]

Muargath picked up on this new conversation with lackadaisical interest... at first.  Then she thought, Maybe there really is a Firegem!  I wonder...?   Glancing sideways, she saw the elf she'd passed in the hall upstairs was the one who spoke.  She casually surveyed the room to see if anyone else was listening, especially paying discrete attention to the elven wizard.

Turning her back to the fireplace, she placed her half-empty wineglass on the table before her and rested her chin on her hand, elbow propping her up.  Thus she gave the appearance of being terribly bored, even though secretly she was intrigued...

"There is serenity in Chaos.
Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane."
- so says the Principia Discordia

Edited by: Muargath   at: 1/22/03 10:06:27 pm

[jamalian]

Jamalian attached his weapon back to his belt and stared down at the dusty floor. He never had been a patient person and things werent about to change now.
He was just about to forget the food and leave when he overheard a conversation between two fellow Elves about a magical artifact.
He was taken in by the story of it straight away. Something with power so great could be just what he needed. No more work, no more travelling. He could create an empire and rule over it as a king. No longer would he be a simple rogue, but royalty instead.
He sat still, continuing to listen to this intriguing conversation.

[Gararion]

                        The wizard sat silently in his chair eating the warm stew that had been
                sat in front of him earlier.  As the wizard listened to the various conversations
                that went on within the tavern one swayed his interest indeed.

                        As the old man had finished telling the tale the wizard sat in deep
                thought.  He was sure that he had read somewhere in the libraries of Ximax
                about a stone of immense power, many stones seemed to have been written
                about.  But he thought that he recognized the name Fire Gem.  But it had been
                forgotten by many in the world, now only a tale told by the fire as it seemed.  
                Was it true...what mysteries would it hold.  Surely if he could find such a stone
                and study it he could understand its power more and use it on his ever exodus
                quest that he was being led on through the eyes of another.

                        He watched as a man spoke up about something being forgotten with
                the tale.  The wizard knew that there was something missing but hadn’t read the
                wise words within the texts of Ximax for such a long time now had forgotten
                most of them himself.

                        The wizard now interested in what would happen next lowered his
                hood, revealing the silver hair that is tucked within the cloak he wears.  The hair
                is loose and flowing as if a constant breeze flowed about him.  Under the cloak
                surrounding the neck of the wizard a golden material seems to be worn.  It
                seems to shimmer, even within the dim light he sits in.  This only hints to the
                finest cloths the wizard wear under his cloak.  The wizard now listens even
                more in depth as he sits sipping his stew.

[Dray Ducroix]

*Dray had been staying with a family and helping out for a few months now in the small town of Leseris. After defeated the mage at Rimmerins ring Dray had retreated from the the world and all his friends. The power within him had become dangerous to not only himself, but his friends as well and he needed to find a way to make sure he could control it. He had been traveling by himself for 2 weeks before ending up in the woods not far away from this small town. He happened to come upon a man and his young son who could not have been more than 10 years old surrounded by a group of goblins. The boy had a small dagger in his hands and one goblin lay at his feet while the father had a small sword drawn, but one arm and his head were bleeding from injuries he had sustained. The goblins were laughing and jeering at the man and his son and Dray bellowed out a challenge drawing both his blades and rushing into the fray. The goblins were caught off guard and Dray had dispatched 2 quickly. The man and boy were equally as surprised, but recovered quickly as the goblins attacked. The man fell protecting his son as Dray disptched the other goblins, exceppyt for one which ran away. Dray was about to give chase, but the boy was trying to rise his father who had fallen unconscious. Dray put his blades away and went over to the man. He had been praticing his healing arts and attempted to heal the man, but once again his magic failed him since he lacked the proper training. Dray carried to man back to his house where he was attended to. Dray felt he was to blame for the mans injureies and stayed with the family doing the duties the man would have done in his steed. The man was fully healed now and Dray had just finished teaching the boy some sword lessons and decided to head to the Dark Dream for a drink or 2. Dray entered the tavern and noticed it had a few more people than usual including a robbed gentlemen in a corner and a few elves in the room. Dray paid them no mind and headed straight to the bartender*

Bartender"Dray! hows it going today?"

"Its going well Walter is fully recovered and ready to get back to work again. It makes me feel better to know he's going to be fine."

Bartender" Now Dray you saved his life its not your fault he was injured, in fact you saved him and the boy from being killed!"

"Yes I know, but I can't help but feel responseable. I'll probally be leaving here soon too, I have to continue out into the world and see the things I have not seen yet"

Bartender Well you know you will always be welcome here Dray we are all thankful for what you did those months ago. We'll be sad to see you go.

*Dray smiles and pulls out his money pouch which had not been growing much since he had lived in this town refusing payment by the mother for his services in the Walters injured time*

Bartender"Now Dray I am not going to make you pay for you meal this time...AH! no arguing this one is on the house I'll bring you out the stew and some ale...NO arguments its the least I can do for the help you have done around here,"

*Dray smiles and sighs as he puts his money away and sits at the bar waiting for his meal*

<font color=blue>The difference between a brave man and a coward....is facing your fear instead of running away</font>-<font color=green>Dray Ducroix </font>

[Sinen Darkchild]

Immersed in his conversation with the old man about the tale of the Fire Gem and its creators, Sinen didn't see the person enter the tavern. So it came as a surprise when he heard a familiar voice. Turning to the bar he noticed who he could only believe looked like Dray.

Now hasn't it been a while since I've seen him

Getting up and walking to the bar, Sinen sits down next to the man he thought he knew. Getting to the bar he noticed that it was in fact Dray.

"Hey Dray, it's been a while hasn't it?"

 Fools rush into battle blindly, but who is really the fool? The fool or the fool who follows him.

[Alnac Kreb]

Alnac listened carefully to the old man's words.  ...defy death itself... ? perhaps this gem would be all he would need to rid himself of his addiction to that vile elixir once and for all?! ...no. Only the pearl could do that. His eyes wandered about. After a few moments, he noticed a young woman sitting at an adjacent table... looking bored out of her mind. Alnac stood up, and walked over to her. He did his best to fake a smile; real ones were few and far between since Thalambath and Lord Gho...

"Might I attempt to entertain you my lady?"

Death is not the worst than can happen to men.
-Plato

Edited by: Alnac Kreb at: 1/23/03 5:39:39 am

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