The bard considers, his eyebrows already raised at the innkeeper's sharp reproach. A long day on one's feet never improves a mood... The thought comes and goes, but he can't help but wonder if there's something else to her irritation beyond the inane questions of wayward strangers. 'A dark history in Hommlet,' after all. It's a risk to push further on it, but he hoped he had enough charm to ease things over with her.

"My sincerest apologies, ma'am - I should've seen the trees as the forest on that very point!  Blunt stone, am I.  If it's not too much trouble, poached salmon and a mead would be ideal for myself.  And if you have some time after, I was hoping I could bend your ear on some local questions?"  He winces an eye shut on the last point, as if bracing for a cuff.

Barwin

"Guess I will have to pass for now.  Doesn't look like you have any throwing axes so i will come back later. Maybe make me a couple if you have the time.  Just something I been wanting to learn.  No hurry.  Will bring you all I can carry the next time we get a good haul of weapons or armor.  Good to see another Dwarf around town too.  Let me take a look at that dagger over there.  Might be interested in it."

He waves goodbye to the dwarf and makes his way to the Inn looking for a place to lay his head for the night.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:13, Wed 24 Apr.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:56, Thu 25 Apr.

Marhault smiles and pats a friendly hand on Fizzband's shoulder.  "Couldn't have put the question better myself!" He laughs to himself, a bit embarrassed at his own round-about approach.

Blacksmith: Mocha, Barwin
The blacksmith grumbles and goes inside. He comes out with a throwing axe and tosses it to the cleric "Consider it a damn gift." He starts to work outside the forge as well as the cleric and rogue head into the inn.

Inn: Fizzband, Gorosh, Marhault, Mocha, Barwin
The two of them walk in and see the group at a table with a barkeep. She turns and scowls then looks back at the group "Payment first. Food and ale afterwards." As they are about to converse, a man walks down. He seems to be somewhat grumpy and walks over to the fire and sits down with a lute. The man plucks a few strings, not seeing the group immediatly and looks up. He smiles.

As if commanded by a strict schoolmarm, Marhault quickly finds his coin pouch and counts out the 10 silvers and 1 copper for the payment. He smiles weakly as the barkeep swipes it away.

His ears perks up at the sound of the lute - an opportunity!  At the pluck of the second chord, he pushes up from the table and takes a few steps towards the man.  He sings out a few notes, harmonizing, riffing out a tune.  "A duet, ser? Perhaps we can get a rousing song going for the good folk here! Say, are you the usual entertainment?  A fine instrument you have there."

Fizzband places the 3 silvers and two coppers on the table in accordance with the menu prices for a beer, boiled eggs and oatmeal.

He thinks for a moment and places another silver piece on the table....

"Thank you mam, I have also your tip for services."

Gorosh reaches for his money pouch and pulls out a gold piece. He hands it to the wench and says again, ”For the beef stew, potatoes, string beans, and a plate of crawfish. Oh wait, and your special mead. Thank you.”

Barwin enters the bar with his new throwing axe on his belt.  Watching to see if Mocha will follow him.

Where should we set?  Should we set with the riff-raff or at a new table?  Riff-Raff it is.

He makes his way towards the others.

"Barwin, welcome, prices on the board, and place your money on the table...."

He points to the coins others have placed on the tabletop.

Barwin

Slaps a gold coin on the table.

"I'll be haven' the roast goose with all the trimmin's.  And  mug of Ale to wash it down.  And I'll take a loaf of bread too."

Taking the money, the waitress goes into the backroom. Mocha sits down on the floor by the other bard and stares up at him. Time passes and the man yawns but looks over at his fellow bard "You know its just us and your friends. Not a big audiance but if you want, we can do a duet. A bit rusty. Oh have you seen Elmo? Been awhile." He smiles and stretches, then looks down at Mocha "Why hello!"

Mocha just gives him a odd look.

Can you two sing a story? I love stories.” Gorosh asks the performers. He hasn’t heard any of Marhault’s stories in a while and is missing it.

Marhault glances at the attending bard, and hums along with a few notes.  Pattering a beat on his knees with his hands, the half-elf chirps out a chipper tune.

"'What say, what say?' ask fish in the bay,
'The water is drab and the sky is grey!'
'Oh, stop the fuss!' came the pelican's roar,
Scoopin' fish all day from either shore.

'What gives the right?' the fish, they frown,
At the big grey bird and its big gold crown.
'We swim and we swerve in this dismal deep,
There's more we deserve than what we reap!'

'Hold your tongue!' came the pelican's growl.
'You must know your place - there's fish, there's fowl!'
'You drink the sea, you cut the waves'
'Then you feed the world in your gastric graves!'

Then swoop it did that haughty old bird,
And saw too late it angered the herd;
The fish, they swarmed and clogged its throat,
And the crown fell off as the poor bird choked!

"'What say, what say?' ask fish in the bay,
'The water's still drab and the sky's still grey!'
'It's the same old song' was the fisherman's line,
'To be fish is to suffer; to fish is divine!'

Marhault gives a quick wink at that last little joke, pattering out the rest of the rhythm until the song finishes.  After a moment his brow furrows.

"What this about an 'Elmo', now?  Can't say I've had the pleasure of meeting them."

Fizzband claps as the song ends.....
"Bravo! Well done!"

Gorosh applauds them, "That was awesome! Bravo!"

"That song reminds me of the old days of my youth.  Singing songs as we tore into those stinking goblins come to raid our mines.  Nothing gets the blood flowing like a Battle hymn. Well done."

He salutes them with a fork full of food in one hand and a mug of ale in the other.

Fizzband asks the elf
"Have you a title for that song?"

Pauses,..."Glad there were no self - fish in that one,"

Fizzband laughs a little the justaposition in his mind of dwarven warriors cutting down goblins to that particular song...
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:47, Wed 08 May.

"Ahh, you're too kind, my fellows!" He winks at the bard.  "They're such a good audience, I make 'em travel with me!"

Marhault laughs at Fizzband's pun (and makes a mental note - Is there someway to work it in? Hmm) before answering his question.  "The name's The Fish in the Bay! Oh, I know, a bit disappointingly straight-forward, isn't it?  It's a caroler's jig, truth be told.  In wintertime a band of troubadours would make visits to households 'round where I grew up and sing plenty of songs like that for coin and apples. But Barwin's got the right of it - with a solid drum and a bass singer leading, it's as tight a battle hymn as any!"

After a moment, the barkeep comes out with the food and drink after taking several trips. She grumbles under her breath and grabs the money before going back to the bar.

Bowing his head as he helps out the fellow bard with his flute "I am Redithidor Halfmoon at your service. I play for a room and drink. And Elmo you say? Comes here every so often. Prowls the woods and is in good standing with all within Hommelet. There's been sone odd things going on but he doesn't tell me much, doesn't want to worry me. Nope not me. Oh the shame. So if looking for work, he may help you out. There's a alchemist that's missing. Could be missing hard to tell. Think he was going to the moathouse. I won't go there, no. Went there before and got spooked. Rumors of...well..." He looks over at Mocha and smiles "Dragon. Probably not. Hard to tell. New in these parts. But yes, I'd say talk to Elmo and I would love to perform with you again." He smiles.

Mocha's eyes light up as she hears 'dragon'. She grins and looks up at the others from her spot on the ground "What. What is a dragon?"

The barkeep grumbles under her breath and stares at Red. The look on her face is full of hate but she keeps working.

Marhault's eyebrows raise at Red's story.  "A dragon? How dreadful!  And a missing alchemist is no good either - in a place as remote as this, they might be the only regular source of medicine outside a cleric's shrine." He looks to his companions.  "Sounds to me like we better find this Elmo, eh, mates?"

He'd all but forgotten his order until the food arrived, and now his stomach growled audibly.  He winces.  "...uh, after we finish our meal, of course!"

Fizzband looks at the food and smiles to the lady delivering it...
"Thank you mam'"

Fizzband recalls a gnome from his village who tried to keep others out of his workshop by spreading rumors of some monster, and it was alchemy that caused the breath of fire, not any monster and a machine that made the roar, and the tinker gnomes stayed away, and he had a brief peace until  the kender came to see the "beast".....

"Indeed we must make a priority of this fine meal."

Fizzband eats his fill of the items and gives the scraps to his riding dog.....boiled egg, oatmeal, beer.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:34, Fri 10 May.

Gorosh listens in on the conversation while starting on his crawfish. He takes one crawfish, pinches front half of it while pulling the tail out completely.  He pours out the juice inside the crawfish husk into his mouth, then eats the tail. He does this with each crawfish.

“Redithidor, good crawfish”, Gorosh exclaims in between bites.

He continues listening intently to the talk about dragons and such while devouring his large order of food.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:27, Sat 11 May.

"Where is the moathouse you speak of?  Is it far? Don't you have a Sherif here a Constable here, shouldn't he be looking for the Alchemist?"
He talks between bites with his mouth full.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:58, Today.

FIzzband is still savoring the simple foods and making sure that both he and his dog are satisfied with the results....

"Indeed?"