Briarbeard Tavern (Vaul) - III

[MonkeyWrench]

Rumors also tell of him making his way towards the duke, requesting an audience and holding a long cannister that is usually reserved for important papers or maps...

[KingOfCowards]

May 4
Kennit once again enters Ghrym's tavern, he has become a familiar face at this establishment in his short time back from the wilderness. He is happy on this visitation, to spot Rhodri at the bar, just the person he was looking for. He takes a seat next to the elf with a sportive nudge.
"Alright Rhodri, my dour friend. My foots are getting restless...we need us another mark. The Finger of Doom was a good notion, I'll give you that, but it seems to be ruined now. And it's not like we found much sparkle while we were there. You got any other ideas?"

1 gp deducted for two nights stay at the inn and the rest for two days worth of frivolous drinking.

[Spartakos]

I just recently realized...as far behind as Bertram is, timewise, he's likely enough been in Vaul before Rhodri. So I'm not going to worry about when he gets back, and just assume that Rhodri's able to chat with him in the bar some night. Let's me get on with adventuring!

Rhodri doesn't look at Kennit, but sips his ale, a musing expression crossing his face. Aye...I might have a notion. And it's not too big a risk, not too far. Perfect for a small outfit to handle. Which is good, seeing as I haven't had much luck sounding anyone else out, just yet."

Pushing back from the bar, he flips Ghrym a silver and heads for the door. "Grab your gear and meet me outside town, east side."

Rhodri and Kennit are going to head out, as a pair, late morning on May 4th; we'll be headed eastward.

[Keehnelf]

I'll do a post for the afternoon of May 2 to describe the Finger event as seen from town (soon).

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin sits in the tavern, nursing a beer. He feels a bit like a ghost, caught between the living and the dead. Part of him wants to go in search of Lug and his party, but his sensible side knows he's better off waiting here until the big guy returns. He's not sure what to do about Fangir either.

S'pose I better just sit tight, he thinks. He says a quiet prayer to Morthammor Duin, hoping in vain for some kind of direction.

[MonkeyWrench]

Remus opens the door to the tavern, walking in still battered from the long trip back to the town. He casts his eyes around the place, widening for a moment as he spots Orrin. He walks over and sits next to the dwarf, "Looks like you survived the orcs too, thought I was the only one."

[Keehnelf]

On April 27, Bertram's party of ten arrives in town heavily laden with goods acquired from somewhere in the wilds to the east. Nearly everyone in the party bears new weapons or armor of some kind, as well as purses and sacks heavy with coins and gems.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin looks at Remus in shock and disbelief.

"I thought you were all dead," he whispers. "Zyggmaur told me many things I did not trust, but I did believe him depraved enough to have ended you all. I'm sorry I couldn't save the others. How did you survive? He tried to make me his thrall, but I resisted. Only by a stroke of luck and the intervention of another did I manage to flee that terrible place."

He looks questioningly at Remus.

[MonkeyWrench]

Remus scratches his chin, a look of confusion on his face, "Well... I can't say I had the same experience as you. I was a prisoner, almost killed my guard before another stuck me with a sword... Woke back up in the same celled, healed and more restrained, the orcs there wanted to talk instead of ending me. I gave them a bit of info, nothing serious, and they gave me a map, provisions, my gear and weapons, and a letter then sent me on my way."

Remus looks to Orrin, "Is that Zyggmaur an orc of the fire tribe?"

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin's scarred face blanches visibly.

"He is the leader of all that is foul and terrible coming from that place, but he is no orc. To be honest I'm not sure what he really is. He came to me in the form of a great hulking half dwarf, but if he is as old as he says, he may not even be humanoid."

Orrin tells Remus the legend of Zyggmaur being imprisoned by the Firedeep clan and his eventual escape and wresting control of the mountain.

"He has a special hatred of dwarves, which is likely why he let you go and tormented me so."

He tells him of how he escaped with the help of Fangir, Rhodri and Kennit. "I would not be alive were it not for Fangir's intervention. After that our companions saw me to safety. And now it's all gone and blown to hell. What now? Who knows which, if any of these forces survived such a blast. And now I learn that Lug went back to try and rescue us."

Orrin is visibly conflicted. "I just don't know what to do. Wait for him to return, I suppose."

[Spartakos]

This takes place in the days before Rhodri and Kennit depart on May 4.

Upon hearing that Bertram is back in town, Rhodri heads down to Ghrym's and haunts the bar, nursing a beer, until he gets a chance to speak with the scruffy mercenary.

[Zhym]

May 3

Ulf heads to the tavern, where he finds Orrin sitting in ill-fitting chainmail. Ulf, wearing a new suit of plate mail with the image of a hammer embossed on the chest, sits next to him and asks Ghrym for an ale. 2c deducted

"Greetings, fellow dwarf. I'm Ulf Stronghammer. I can't remember if we've met. Harrowing, maybe? Anyway, I heard you might be looking for a fresh set of armor. I'm just got this new armor myself and I thought maybe we could reach a deal for the banded mail I no longer need and save us both some money. If I sold it to a merchant, I'd get something like 42 gold 5 silver, and then he'd turn around and sell it to you for 102. How about we split that difference? It's yours for 72 gold if you want it."

Edit: Moved up in time, at which point Ulf has fancy new plate mail

[Keehnelf]

April 27 was the day of their return.

[Zhym]

I just realized that Orrin doesn't get to Vaul until May 2. We can use the Tavern Time Warp, or, since Ulf will be in town until at least the night of May 2, just have Ulf's offer to sell the armor happen on May 3 (which I think is after Orrin got his share of the Duke's prize money).

[Keehnelf]

Yeah, May 3 makes the most sense for this interaction.

[Zhym]

Edited.

[MonkeyWrench]

Orrin's scarred face blanches visibly.

"He is the leader of all that is foul and terrible coming from that place, but he is no orc. To be honest I'm not sure what he really is. He came to me in the form of a great hulking half dwarf, but if he is as old as he says, he may not even be humanoid."

Orrin tells Remus the legend of Zyggmaur being imprisoned by the Firedeep clan and his eventual escape and wresting control of the mountain.

"He has a special hatred of dwarves, which is likely why he let you go and tormented me so."

He tells him of how he escaped with the help of Fangir, Rhodri and Kennit. "I would not be alive were it not for Fangir's intervention. After that our companions saw me to safety. And now it's all gone and blown to hell. What now? Who knows which, if any of these forces survived such a blast. And now I learn that Lug went back to try and rescue us."

Orrin is visibly conflicted. "I just don't know what to do. Wait for him to return, I suppose."

Remus scratches his chin, "Well... If your looking for something to do... I got me a task from the Duke, hunting down some hobgoblins to the east and getting some information from them. You in?"

[KingOfCowards]

If the DM will allow it, I'd like to do some fast-forwarding myself. I figure it wouldn't be hard for Bertram to hear about Lug's disastrous expedition and the ensuing rescue mission that headed out before his own return to Vaul. I'll say Bertram spent the next few days hiring Lyran to help search for the group's tracks, but to no avail. He finds himself back in Vaul on the 2nd of May with word that a small group had returned.
May 2nd, Vaul
A familiar face catches Bertram's eye at Briarbeard tavern, and the disheartment of the past few days is replaced by a glimmer of hope.
"Rhodri! I had heard you came into town with a dwarf that had escaped the orcs' capture. I need to speak with him..."

5 gp deducted for hiring Lyran's services, 5 sp for 5 nights stay at the inn.

[Keehnelf]

Absolutely!

[Spartakos]

"Rhodri! I had heard you came into town with a dwarf that had escaped the orcs' capture. I need to speak with him..."

Rhodri looks up from his mug to spy Bertram, and gestures to the other side of the table, ale sloshing but not spilling a drop.
"Bertram. Glad to see you escaped being cooked, or eaten, or both. Of course, who knows what tomorrow will bring." He takes another swallow.

"If you wanted to talk to Orrin, he's somewhere about; had an interesting tale to tell about his escape. Kennit--a halfling, not sure if you know him--and I helped him get clear, after a sharp scrape with that Black Wolf. The Wolf's dead, by the by. Wish I could say we killed him, but we didn't...Fangir did."

He pauses for Bertram's reaction, then says, "That's why I wanted to talk to you, actually." Lowering his voice, he leans forward and says, "Fangir wants to see you belly-up. For some reason, he blames you for the Wolf burning out his clan, thinks you betrayed him. He was none too friendly to Kennit and I--pretty sure we were lucky to get away with our lives--but he's got a bad hatred for you. Killing bad." He looks at the other man somberly. "You and I didn't exactly have what I'd call merry times, but you were always square with me, so I thought you should know."

With a sigh, he gets up and signals Ghrym. "Well, I'll be off. No need for old home week or anything. Have one on me." Flipping a coin to the barkeep, he adds over his shoulder, "Might want to be careful of Orrin, too...he was with Fangir when we found him."

Rhodri gets most of the way to the door before he stops as if struck by a thought, then turns and walks back to Bertram. "I almost forgot...I was wrong, what I said back when. You're not cursed, Bertram. I am." His lip quirks ever so slightly upward, and he heads for the door again.