"Asiz ye, bar vena spanagi" calls the sweeping Halfling to Smilo, waving a hand in his general direction. "Let's get your colleagues in first, Eh?" and he walks over to stand in the doorway leaning slightly against his broom. "So you are the Earl's men are you? Come in, come in don't just stand there!" says the Halfling waving you in with his free arm. "There's pens out by the village walls for the livestock, and you can put your goods in the shed over there if you want to, I'll get the boy to help you." He turns back into the building and bellows, "Hatim, Farida we have guests come along now!" He ushers you all in calling "Come on and sit down, I'll get you a pitcher of rice wine, this first one is on me, to get you settled in - then we can worry about the rest later - come on in and sit down." Before you know it you are ushered into The Cup and settled at the table that Smilo claimed earlier, and the busy halfling has bought a pitcher of a thin, dry white wine - which tastes watery and quite weak- a collection of small clay cups and a pitcher of fresh water. He leaves you with these for a while and continues running around sorting out, what looks like, his son, Hatim, to handle the live stock and unpack the mules for you. His wife, Farida, is dispatched to see about making a meal. Next he organises Hatim to move a trestle table and some benches out of the back room and layout some straw mattresses on the floor, which he indicates is accomodation for your group. While this is going on he pops back and forward to your table, making sure you are OK and giving you the price list as he goes - rice wine 5cp per pitcher Ale 2sp per pitcher wine 4sp per pitcher coffee 1sp per cup lodging 5cp per night Rice and veg 5cp per small portion Rice and meat 7cp per portion Whe you realise the limit to what The Cup offers, you realise quite what a poor village you have come to. As the afternoon wears into evening more people start coming into The Cup, they are mostly men although there are a few women and children too. Mainly they settle for pitchers of rice wine - a few eat a simple meal - but all come to watch the strangers in town - although they do it politely and not too openly - it is likely that this is the busiest night the inn has ever known. At some point during the evening a coupole of musicians playing ocarina and tamborine start up in one corner of the room. They play and sing a strange mixture of zacharan, and western folk tunes with the occasional halfling traditional song thrown in for good measure. All of the tunes take on a slightly strange feeling as they are played in the duo's own style Throughout the evening you are occasionally approached and asked of your journey or some other innocuous question, it is clear that every one is here to see and listen to you ... |
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The Cup |
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"Asiz ye, bar vena spanagi," said the hobbit innkeep. "I've come a terrible way, man," replies Smilo, "and I've got a terrible thirst. I'm a minstrel, I am. Treat me well n I just might fill yer place with customers." |
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After giving the inn keeper his thanks, Rolf takes a seat at the table. He sips slowly at the wine, not really finding it to his tastes. Finally, finishing that off, he trades a couple of silvers for a pitcher of ale, sharing with those who are interested. When Rolf is made aware of the nights accomodations, it strikes him as odd, but they'd made do with worse. He puts a fair face on and thanks the inn keeper profusely for the mans hospitality. He pays for the parties lodging, although he motions to Kerim and adds, "Speak to him about the mules." Taking his ease for a bit, Rolf tries not to be noticed as he studies Madelyn. She'd been acting so strange of late. He'd tried to give her some time, and some space, to deal with whatever troubles her, but she seemed so quiet and sullen. And Elsbeth seems to know something, but she was being pretty tight lipped about it all. Should he force the issue or respect their privacy? He ponders such weighty matters as he eats the unfamiliar food. |
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Elsbeth partakes of the wine and simple food, glad to enjoy plain vegetarian fare. She too looks dubiously at the accomadations, sighing at the realization that a warm soft bed was not to be her lot this eve. She notes too the comings and goings of the curious, realizing how alien they must look to these simple folk. So too does she watch both Rolf and Madelyn. The later because she is concerned. The former... for much the same reason. When she sees he has procured ale, she joins him. "A far cry from home, don't you think?" she volunteers softly to Rolf as she sits with him. |
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As the local patrons of The Cup listen to snatches of story from himself and his friends, Mandrake decides that the time has come to make the best of their situation. Shuffling his stool closer to Smilo he says, "How about a little atmospheric music and I'll relate the story of our fight with the Dogheads." Standing on his stool he calls out "Clear a space in the centre of the room, I need it to show you all something. "My friend and I are going to relate the tale of our encounter with the dog headed creatures that live the other side of the swamp lands. "They are a fierce and an ugly race, who spoke a language as ugly as they, but I shall get to that part. "No…. I'm sorry friends, but I am not sure that I can continue, the mere thought of them sends shivers down my spine." Mandrake bends down and lifts his drink from the table, downing the remains. "Look, even with the courage of the ale my hands shake so. I think though, that I can begin my tale, I just pray that my courage holds out to it's end. "Ah, good you have made a space, but even so it is a little small. You there, please pull that table back a little if you would, and you, that one there. "Good, let me begin by showing you what it is that fills me, and as I can see in his eyes my friend Smilo, with such fear simply in the memory of it. Now if any of you have your children here with you, you may want to send them home or at least be ready to grab them as they run of the door. "Those of you who are around the edge, be careful not to get too close to it, I will bring it hear and hold it bound in the middle of the room so that it cannot approach you, but for your own safety do not approach it!" Mandrake begins to weave a spell (OOC: Phantasmal Force), though he does so using far more flamboyance, gesticulation and for that matter words, some of which he'd never heard of before. Finally it is complete and there in the middle of the room stands something similar to a doghead, recognisable as such, but with one or two artistic embellishments. A good two to three feet taller than any of the dogheads that they encountered, this one is hunched in the back to allow to still fit into the room. It has claws to rival any wild bear and in addition to this it holds in its right hand an extremely large spiked wooden club. This apparition as no armour, but about it's body is a rope in the positioned as though a belt. This belt holds up no clothes, but from it hangs heads of various sizes and types, each on covered still in a tight shrunken skin, the eyes open and the jaws agape as though in a silent scream. These heads, some recognisable as hobbit, dwarf or human are tied to the rope by the remains of their hair. Standing there in the middle of the room, the figure sways slightly, blood red eyes sweeping the room, head turning this way and that as if marking each and every occupant. From it's gaping maw sprout dagger like tusks, one set pointing to the sky and the other to the ground, blood and spittle dripping from the sides of its mouth down its matted fur. Mandrake smile to himself at the gasps and cries from his audience as the creature turns slowly on the spot to take a long look at those behind it, and at the darting back of those in the front as he causes the illusion to wave a claw through the air at those closest to it. At this point calls out in a deep voice "Creature!" and it turns to look at him, with another swipe of its claw this time in his direction. "Be gone!" he calls and cancels the illusion. "Do you see now, why it is so difficult to remember, so difficult to tell the story." Mandrake's shoulders and head slump and with a shaky hand he bends to pick up his now empty cup. Lifting it and looking carefully into it he continues "I'm sorry, friends, but my courage is drained and I'm not sure that can continue, not sure for that matter whether you good people have the courage to hear my tale." Bending once again, Mandrake replaces the cup upon the table and makes to sit down. |
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"It's not fair for you to pay for my animals & me" he says to Rolf & gives Rolf a Silver Piece. He assists Hatim with the mules ("It's not fair on the boy to unload this lot, a job shared is quickly done"), and memorises the arrangement of the trade goods while making sure that the straps are all tight. In the morning he will inspect them again to see if they have been disturbed during the night. He also observes Hatim to see how good he is with the animals. Making sure both mules & goods are secure he then settles down. During the evening, he attempts to find out what can be bought & sold in the village. He watches Mandrake's performance, and cannot help a little chuckle to himself as the performance progresses. He orders a coffee, as a pleasant alternative to the wine & ale. |
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Peter watches Mandrake's performance with something akin to awe. He lets himself get right into the story and jumps slightly when the oversized doghead appear. Indeed he goes for his dagger, but stop just short of drawing it when he realises that Mandrake couldn't really summon one of those things, could he? As the evening progresses, he makes a point of talking to the locals - swapping stories of the journey for farming gossip. |
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