FR: Quest for the Forgotten Key IC (Sequoia)

[knewsom]

It was spring in Cormyr, and the wild grass that grew in green clumps and waves at the side of the Old Traveler's Road blew in the gentle morning breeze, re-grown now from a long cold winter - soft fluffy white clouds dotted a rich blue sky, and the sun warmed your skin, as you walked in and out of its patches dotting the well worn ruts of the road on the way to Ulryn's cottage. Perhaps you read the sign posted outside a few of the local taverns, or perhaps you simply heard the rumor that Ulryn was looking for a group of stouthearted adventurers to reclaim a lost item of some sentimental value, either way, you decided that the 500 gold reward sounded more than worth the trouble and headed to the north side of town, outside the city walls as directed. The sun lazily rose in the sky, and you arrived at the cottage at about 10:00 in the morning, as per the request on the advertisement. Upon sighting the cottage, you noticed that there was already a bit of a crowd gathering outside Ulryn's humble home. Assuming that he must know for sure that so many people have gathered outside, you didn't bother knocking on the door. The crowd continued to grow larger and more diverse. Mostly Humans, but certainly a couple Dwarves, Halflings, and Elves could be found amongst the crowd, as well as some other individuals whose origins you couldn't quite place. At about 11:00, people were beginning to get restless, and some of the adventurers and fortune seekers turned and left.

"I didn't come here to waste my whole morning," grumbled one short, balding, but burly looking monk.

"The old fool probably forgot that he posted an ad in the first place," spat a nimble looking half-elf.

"Why should I bother? There are so many others, there's no way I'd get noticed in this crowd," sighed a downtrodden gnome.

As the group thinned, you found yourself beginning to wonder if the trip was really worth it, the warmth of the day increasing as the sun now approached it's zenith.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tebb Hokk
With the implacable patience of those unburdened by too much intellect, Teb Hokk continues to squat on the now matted turf outside the cottage like an iron toad. Ark had explained to him very carefully why they were here; the paper sign thing told him that there was a man looking for adventurers. And knights, he'd been assured. In return, the man would give...five pouches each with 100 golden coins! This is how Ark had explained it, anyways.
Teb reaches up with a meaty hand and scratched at his sideburns, finally resting a finger speculatively on one of the yellowed tusks that juts from his broad lower jaw. Huh. Five pouches. Hundred coins. How many would that be, if they were all in one pouch? The question occupied Teb's mind for a while, but with an internal sigh, he put it aside. No way to be sure without counting them out. But it would be more than one hundred golden coins, and that was still a lot.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark, on the other hand, paces restlessly up and down. A young, short, slim man, with only the tiniest hint of a moustache above his lips, he stomps along in huge leather boots, far too big for him. White hair peaks from under his hood, above red eyes... obviously he's got to into the mysterious adventurer thing, because the cowled robe he wears, probably over some armour from the way it bulks out, is probably far too hot for this weather. Eventually he walks over and sits down next to his much friend. They make an odd pair, as Ark is more than a foot shorter than Teb, and probably half the weight.
Ark sighs. Beshaba, how long are we going to have to wait? His voice is that of a teenager, higher-pitched than a man.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tebb
Tebb glances at the red-eyed youth, and shrugs.
"Dunno. But hey, time don't cost me none, and it don't hurt none." His voice is deep and gruff, almost as if his tongue stumbled across even simple syllables.
"Spookum guy's gotta show up sometime, right?" He sounds almost hopeful, but then lapses into silence. Quietly, and almost automatically, Teb reaches a hand behind himself and pulls out a small heavy-looking leather pouch. His huge fingers fumble a bit with the drawstrings, but then he spills an assortment of coins out into his broad palm. Still hunched over, Teb furrows his brow in concentration as he carefully moves coins from one pile to another, lips moving silently as he counts.
Ark sometimes rolled his eyes at that, but Teb knew it was an important skill, and if you don't practice stuff, you forget.

[mauslin]

Fatha

It's too hot

Fatha stands at the edge of the crowd, grumbling to herself about the heat. She knew it wasn't any hotter then a summer's day at home, but it felt hot. It was also too dry, and too dusty. The idea that it was only going to get worse over the next few months was down right depressing.

She'd tried tying her long black hair back, and wearing her sleaveless blouse with her summer-weight skirt she to keep cool, but it really hadn't helped much. Looking at the overdressed man beside the hulking half orc, she couldn't help but shake her head in amazement.

Eventually she slumps down, laying down in the grass beside her happily grazing mule with her eyes closed, waiting for something to happen.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

A young woman sashays towards the cabin from one of the roadways, letting her bare toes clench and unclench around the fresh grass, as if each blade was a tiny miracle. She brushes back her gently curling black hair and basks for a moment in the temperate beauty around her--her wide-eyed look betrays her as a novice in travels as she takes her place among the growing throng. She lowers herself into a squat, letting a few fingers rest on the soil to brush against the grass.

"So many people...do all notices circulate this quickly in Cormyr?" she asks no one in particular, butchering the region's name as only a foreigner can.

[Ozzy_G]

More women than I expected, comments Ark to his brutish companion. Maybe some of them will get captured by monsters or something and you can save them, eh?

[dgray]

Svanna leans back against a small tree near the house. As she looks around she think to herself Quite an interesting bunch we have here. She slowing slides to the ground, sitting with her back to the tree and begins to play with her long platinum blonde braid . She doesn't always have much patience for things but when ever there is a person in need she love to help out.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
The half-orc turns his head to regard his companion for a moment, lips moving silently. Like dawn breaking across a craggy mountain, a toothy grin leaps onto his face. "Yeah!" he says, exitedly. His grin takes upon a shade of slyness as he very slightly nudges Ark in the ribs with his elbow.
"An' maybe you can...uh...can..." A flicker of puzzlement creeps across the face of the hide-clad colossus. "Uh. Yeah!"
Teb Hokk turns back to his coins, and stares blankly at them for a moment.
Guh?
He had lost count. Oh, well; more practice.

[knewsom]

The sun drifted into the afternoon, and still nobody came to the door. More people continued to give up and leave, while you all waited...




...and waited.





.....and waited.





........and waited.



By this point, almost everyone had left, and just when you were about to give up and leave, you heard.....

[knewsom]

Fatha, Svanna and Chanda heard a barely stifled laugh coming from the direction of the gable directly above the porch. When your eyes finally found the spot that the now rolling laughter was coming from, there appeared a well aged Elf sitting atop the gable - you could swear there was nothing there at all earlier.

"Ohh, I just couldn't take it anymore. The five of you were so good to wait - patience is such an important virture you know!"

Ulryn snapped his fingers and dissapeared again, leaving the gable empty, and only a moment later the front door of the cottage opened up, his thin form reappaering in the doorway, a hint of a laugh still on his face.

"Well, are you going to lay in the sun all day or are you going to come inside?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb scratches his sideburns again, and then carefully places the coins back in the worn leather pouch, replacing that in turn amidst the amalgamation of hides that he wears.
With a grunt, Teb straightens up. and up. and up. Stretching out his muscles, Teb's coarse black hair seems to scrape the sky as he stands roughly six and a half feet tall. After tapping the gigantic double axe slung across his back, Teb waits expectantly for Ark.

[dgray]

Svanna picks herself up from the tree she was leaning against and walks toward the open door. She always found Elves intriguing, and was curious to see what this elf was in need of that he was hiring adventuerers.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Startled for a moment, Chanda composes herself and smiles at her unwitting virtue before pulling herself upwards and brushing off the stray bits of dirt and grass. She claps her hands together softy and follows the aged elf inside, a strange, blade-tipped cord wound tightly at her side.

"I take it then, that this has been some kind of test?" she asks him politely as everyone assembles.

[Ozzy_G]

Let me do the talking, Teb, hisses Ark grumpily as he gets up, throwing his backpack on. He looks ridiculous next to Teb, like a midget, he's a whole foot shorter, and much thinner. He clumps along after the others in his huge brown boots. He smiles cheerfully at Ulryn. Good morning sir!

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
"Yup." Teb drifts along behind after Ark like a hairy iceberg. Ark always does the talking, which was okay. Teb got to do all the fun stuff. Like hitting things. With other things.

[knewsom]

The old elf raised an eyebrow as the silly looking Ark walked through the door, and shot a knowing smile at Chanda when she asked if it was all a test.

"My dear, everything in this life is a test, or so it would seem. That was just my way of screening out the bad apples. Make yourselves at home in the parlor, I need to fetch something from upstairs."

You sat on musty old couches and trunks in a cluttered sitting area by a hearth that must have raged constantly in the winter months, but that now sat cold and unburning. The room was cluttered beyond belief, with bits of spell components, prescious metals, gems, paintings, sticks, stones, and countless baubles scattered throughout the room on dusty shelves. The room, and even the whole cabin had a very warm and familiar feel about it, and you immediately felt comfortable here. He skittered down the narrow stair hiding something behind his back, and approached the group.

"The reason I have called you here today is to fetch an item of mine which has great personal importance to me."

Ulryn brought the item from behind his back, and you all saw before you a strange looking box with a single drawer. It was made out of wood (oak, you presumed), and had a beautiful golden inlay pattern. The handle was detailed and as ornate as the drawer and the box itself. The box had no lid, and it appeared that the only access to the interior was through the drawer.

"You see, I have no way of knowing what I've put in this drawer, and the key is what's missing. This is no ordinary drawer or box - it has properties beyond imagination - it's name, is the Drawer of Forgetting."

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"I can imagine forgetting," Chanda claims, her tone slightly defensive. Even still, she examines the box from her well-worn perch.

"I hate to ask the question, knowing that it will most likely end badly for us all but...do you have any idea where the key is? Generally speaking?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb occupies himself by gazing around the cluttered room, the sofa he occupies creaking under his weight as he shifts from side to side.
His beady eyes alight on some of the gems stacked on the dusty shelves.
Gradually, however, he drags his attention back to the conversation at hand. Listening carefully to the explaination, Teb remains silent, apparently taking to heart Ark's admonition to leave the talking to him.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark perches next to the huge Teb, his over-sized boots swinging back and forth. He still has his hood up, revealing only his face and some strands of pure white hair. Well sir, fear not, for Ark Noble, the manliest and most debonair adventurer in all of Cormyr, is here to help you! With my mighty companion Teb, and these beautiful ladies, he gestures to the others, we should have no difficulty locating this key... if you can give us some clues as to where to start looking, as the vision of beauty here just pointed out. Of course, I'm afraid that, while I'm perfectly happy to do this job to help you, I'm afraid we will incur certain expenses. There's lodging, food, horses... He starts to tick them off on his short, delicate fingers. Feed for the horses, shoeing for the horses, stabling for the horses, bribes, potions of curing and repair work on our armour and weapons if we get in trouble, boot repair, henchman pay, porter pay, tax, scrolls of magic necessary to use, replacement for lost or damaged items, and miscellaneous expenses. I hope I don't offend, but I'm afraid that me and Teb are simple folk, and not currently possessed of the sort of resources that would support us on such a mission. He licks his lips slightly, and looks at the Elven wizard expectantly.

[dgray]

Svanna snickered a little bit at the overly confident man. While i may not be able to put it as eloquintly as my appearnt companion here we will need finacing of some sort. I will definatly help find your key thought. She said to the elf

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Fifteen, Teb reflects. A good number. More than the magic ten, but less than twenty, which is where numbers really start being large. Yup.

Of course, he thought, It depends on what you're counting. If you try and count sand (there was a story like that, wasn't there? A knight who had to count all the sand on a beach), then twenty is not a big number at all. Maybe, Teb thought, the bigger something is, its large number goes down. Five elephants is a lot. Five mice is... kinda a lot.
Teb's massive brow furrows as the conversation streams around him like a babbling brook flowing around a big heavy rock.
What about gems? Even small gems, five is a really big number. Teb shakes his head eventually. No way to be sure unless you count it out for each kind of thing.

[mauslin]

Fatha

Blinking at Ark Noble's long speech, Fatha thinks briefly, then blurts out
"Wait, where are we supposed to go? If we're not going far, we probably won't need all that. Though, I suppose if the key was nearby, you'd have gone to get it yourself. Hmm . . ."

Fatha pauses, then hesitantly adds,
"It is the missing key that you are asking us to find, correct? So you can open the drawer?"

[knewsom]

Ulryn blinked for just a moment, barely stifling a snicker at Ark's soliloquy before raising an eyebrow at Chanda and looking at her intensely.

"Ah yes, you can imagine forgetting. I'm sure you all can imagine forgetting. An object perhaps, or where you put it. A birthday, or the favorite food of a loved one. But can you imagine forgetting whole stretches of your life? Days? Weeks? MONTHS, just GONE in an instant? People coming to talk to you whom you've never laid eyes on, treating you with familiarity, but it doesn't ring a bell. Can you imagine forgetting a lover? A friend? A birth? A death? The power of the drawer is deep and unpredictable. Generally you will lose any memories attached directly or sometimes even indirectly to whatever object is placed inside. It can be a great blessing, or a terrible curse."

He looked to Ark and then to Mauslin.

"You'll each recieve a nominal sum for expenses, but I will also help equip you for this journey. My many years of wizardry and adventuring have left me with a great many things for which I have very little use. Please, tell me a bit about each of you - your strengths, your weaknesses, so I might better know what would help you, and so that each of you might get to know each other a bit better. The journey may not be incredibly far, but it could take some time, and is bound to be difficult. If you have any specific needs, let me know, and I'll try to meet them. My cottage may look small, but believe me, I've a great many more places to keep things than it would appear. As for why I haven't fetched the key myself, I am too old to be galavanting about, looking for things. That is best left to a younger crowd. And yes, I do have a general idea of where would be a good place to start looking. The last memory I have of the key was the feeling of it in my pouch as I felt for gold to pay the inkeeper in the town of Forrest Gate to the west of Arabel, set amongst the King's Forrest."

[dgray]

Svanna thought for a momment about Ulryn's request. What was her strengths and weaknesses.
"My name is Svanna Leppr. I am a paldin from the north like my father was before me. In his honor I carry this Rapier" she said pointing to her left hip. Her family crest glinting from the hilt."I have left home to seek out my own life and stories to tell my family when I return home someday. As well as being skilled with the sword i am also a decent marksman with the bow. " Svanna bowed slightly at the end of her introduction, yet not taking her eye off Ulryn or the others in the room

[Ozzy_G]

Well I, says Ark, standing up straight, and still only as tall as the sitting Tok, am Ark Noble, the most dashing and handsome adventurer in all of Cormyr, if not Faerun itself! With my trusty blade and powerful magic, not to mention my witty repartee, I right wrongs, go on mighty quests, and other things along those lines. I'm accompanied by my trusty companion Tok, he says gesturing to the hulking brute, a chivalrous knight who saves beautiful monsters from ravening princesses, and such like. Generally through the masterful strategy of hitting things, with other things. Normally the other thing being an axe, but he's flexible, he can use tables, drunken dragons, wise-cracking halflings, and other simple tools. Still, it's not always the best of tactics, which is why he's teamed up with a genius like me. My astounding strategic skills, not to mention my enchantments and illusions, ensure victory. As he speaks, he makes grand sweeping gestures, as if he were reading a speech on weighty matters before a great audience. Of course, some claim enchantments and illusions are rather weak forms of magic, but you see, he says assuming a martyr's expression, I wish only good and happiness to all, so I use peaceful ways to avoid unnecessary suffering by my enemies. For, if I were to attack them violently, no doubt I would rip them to bloody shreds, and we don't want to do that in front of ladies.
His speech done, he sits down again.
He hisses under his breath to Tok, Do you know where this Arabel place is?

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda looks toward the group of them from her couch and stands, a bit nervous after the pomp of Ark's introduction.

"My name is Chanda Az'rell. My...uhm...family is from Calimshar; my mother is an archmage and my sisters are an aspiring sorcerers and a prelate of Mystra...and I can just do things," she offers, her uneasy tone betraying her lack of experience. "Not magic," she adds hastily with a light shake of her head, "but something...I don't know. Something else."

She lowers herself back down to the couch, tracing the spiral of the whip hanging from her belt with a thumb in nervous habit.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb nods happily along as Ark delivers his speech in his usual extemporaneous idiom. When the question is posed to him, however, his face screws up into a grimace of concentration
[roll0]
He spreads his hands helplessly. In a stage whisper easily heard by everyone else in the room, Teb whispers back "Ark! You f'rgot to tell 'em how good I can count!"

[mauslin]

Fatha

Feeling increasingly shy, Fatha shifts nervously before speaking,

"My name is Fatha Hmir. I am from Rasheman, on a journey to the outside world to prove my adulthood, as is the tradition of my family.
I am versed in the arts of magic, though my magic tends to be of a spontaneous nature."

After her short speech, Fatha breaks eye contact, and gazes mournfully at the door. It was uncomfortable introducing herself to so many new people at once.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark grins, and starts to gabble in badly accented Rashemi at Fatha.
Rasheman, eh! You say you're a mage, and you're a woman, but you don't have a mask? Aren't the Rashemi mage women supposed to wear masks?

[knewsom]

Ulryn chuckled as Ark yammered continuously. He began rummaging through a nearby trunk, tossing junky looking items over his shoulder as he went (some of which you'll have to duck to avoid getting hit by), muttering under his breath.

"Now where did I put that... I know it's in here somewhere... Ah yes, rusty gauntlets, circlet of fools, thumb gloves, aaaannnddd...."

Ulryn stood up, a large piece of what appeared to be black silk in his hands, and a big smile on his face.

"Voila!"

Blinking in confusion at the many blank faces in the room, he sighed.

"What, none of you have ever seen a portable hole before?"

Ulryn tossed the fabric against one of the walls where it stuck and became a three-foot hole. Ulryn promptly climbed in and began rummanging through an even larger amount of possesions, still calling out to the group from inside as he looked, even larger items flying out of the hole this time, and landing on the ground.

"Now, many have called me a fool for bieng such a packrat - I've never thown ANYTHING away you see, but I KNEW this stuff would come in handy sooner or later."

A mithral breastplate obviously made for a woman clanged into the pile, followed by what looked like a couple magic wands, a belt, a circlet, a stack of cloaks, and a strange box-like device which landed with a resounding thud.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Watching curiously as the wizard fiddles about with the hole, Teb's eyes widen as he steps through to the other side.
Whoa! Powerful magic!
As the items land upon the floor, Teb creeps forward as he inspects the pile. His eye is drawn to the belt.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda smiles and approaches the hole, placing her hand through an edge gently.

"My mother had one of these in Calimshar. She kept an entire alchemical laboratory in it. Sir...did you know that extradimensional space is...uhm..." she blushes, "more than a little bit flammable? At least when alchemy is involved."

[mauslin]

Fatha

Blinking in surprise at hearing her native language, Fatha is first annoyed, and then charmed by Ark's teasing outburst. It was reassuring hearing Rashemi, even spoken badly. She responds in kind.

"I am afraid that I am not yet accomplished enough to claim the honour of wearing the wychlaran mask.
It is my hope that, through my dajemma in foreign lands, I may gain the experience and wisdom nessessary to earn the honour of joining the hathran sisterhood.
Only upon entering the witches does one begin to wear the mask."

Fatha then turns to examine the pile of objects thrown upon the floor by Ulryn.

[knewsom]

The air inside the extradimensional space felt eerie, like a charge of static electricity. Ulryn poked his head out from the top of the hole and looked over at you from his sideways position.

"An alchemical laboratory in extradimensional space?" He frowned for a moment. "Shouldn't be too big a problem as long as you're extremely careful about what you make. If one were to say make or place a bag of holding in a portable hole, you'd be in for one heckuva mess, and were you to do so the other way around, it would be even worse!"

He swung out of the hole, nimbly for such an aged elf, and landed somewhat uneasily astride the pile of goods he pulled out of the strange apparation.

"Now now, what have we here... OK, the cloaks are for each of you to help avoid unseen eyes and move more stealthily when required. The mithral breastplate is for our paladin of the north, whose leather looks fine, but I believe she could be better protected... for our Rashemi witch I have a wand of magic missiles, for Ark I have a wand of cure light wounds, for the lovely Chanda I have this silver circlet which, if I'm guessing correctly should help you manifest your abilities more often."

Ulryn picked up a small bag from the pile, which he emptied into his hands with a gleeful smile. It was full of rings and amulets.

"A ring of protection for you each! Teb, a pair of gauntlets for you, that I think will make you even STRONGER. Ark, a belt for you, that er, must be worn underneath your clothing. Well, that's that, I suppose, unless any of you has a more specific request - I think I have a cache of basic weapons and armor here somewhere as well... But in any case, here is 20 gold apiece for miscellaneous expenditures, and here is a map that will lead you to Forest Gate."


The map he hands to Fatha.

"Oh yes! I nearly forgot." He picked up the small boxlike device that had landed with such a thud. "This is a portable fortress if you REALLY end up in a bind, you'll find a way to contact me inside. Please only use it if you MUST - this thing attracts so much attention."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Blinking at the Wizard's description, Teb reaches eagerly for the gauntlets, turning them over in his hands.
"Whoa. Stronger?" Slipping his fingers into the oiled leather and shining metal, Teb clenches and unclenches his fist, seemingly entranced by the play of the light on the metal. With a sudden snapping motion, Teb clenches his fists and flexes his arms, the muscles now bulging like a sack full of canteloupes.
"Hrrooooo!" He trumpets, shifting from pose to pose. Standing once more, he punches his open fist with a loud clack of metal on metal. A broad grin covers his face, punctuated by the tusks projecting from his lower jaw. "Ha-hah! Great!" He accepts the cloak, ring and gold with somewhat lesser excitement, wrapping up the cloak and putting it away, and carefully adding the coins to his pouch. He'd have to count those later.

[Ozzy_G]

After listening intently to Fatha's explanation (you get the impression that he doesn't really understand what she's saying), he listens to Ulryn. Ark grins. Excellent! He puts the cloak on over the top of his robe, dons the ring, and puts the money in his purse. What does this belt do? He picks up the wand. Uh, thanks for the wand, but I don't think I can use it. I've never been able to cast any cure spells.

[dgray]

Svanna puts on the mithril breastplate and to her suprise it fits her perfectly. "Thank you so very much for this." she says to Ulryn. She places her leather armour in her backpack, then dons the cloak, puts on hte ring of protection and places the 20 gold also in her pack.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
As if fearful of accidentally breaking bones, the hulking gauntleted half-orc gingerly taps Ark on the shoulder. "Hey, Ark; what''s the wood thingy for? Writin'? Hittin' stuff?"

[Ozzy_G]

Huh? Ark looks confused. Which wooden thing?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
"The wooden thingy," Teb says, insistently. "The stick. The one you got in yer hand." He points at the wand.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark sighs. It's a magic stick, Teb. It does magic. But the magic only works for priests, and I'm not a priest. Although...
He turns to Svana. You're a paladin, correct? You could use this wand.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Wrinkling his brow, Teb digests this piece of info. "Huhn. Wonder why it only works for priests? What do I got to be t'use these magic hands?" he indicates his gauntlets.

[Ozzy_G]

Wearing them. And not wearing a magic belt of strength.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
"Guh?" Clearly Ark has not carried his audience with him. Teb's expression is like a that of a boar confronted with a calculus textbook.
"Okay, wearing 'em, sure. But...Wha?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark speaks slowly. Are - You - Wearing - A - Magic - Belt?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb scratches his sideburns and scowls. "No, but..."

[Ozzy_G]

Then the magic gloves will work for you. All you have to do, is wear them.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
The hulking Teb Hokk looks down at his hands, and then lets out a booming sigh. Nothing to do but file that away in the bulging cabinet marked "Stuff that doesn't make sense."

[dgray]

"Yes i can carry that wand" Svanna Says as she takes the wand from Ark

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda smiles and gestures thankfully before she lays the cloak across her shoulders, feeling the material thankfully. She slips the ring onto her finger, feeling protected. Finally, with a bit of suspicion, she raises the circlet to eye level, inspecting it.

"Will this really help me to...to do whatever it is I do? Do you know what it is?"

[knewsom]

Ulryn smiled at Chanda's seemingly innocent question.

"I'm afraid there's no easy answer to that question, my dear. What you do has to do with an innate understanding of the universe, on an unconscious level. You can bend reality to your wishes, but only by using the power of your mind, and you can only do so much at any given time. This circlet will allow you to hold in reserve a certain amount of power for later use. It may not have much immediate use, but eventually, I suspect it will come in handy. I confess I have practically no use for it whatsoever, for even though I have some knowledge of your powers, and even a small amount myself, I have focused my studies on the arcane."

[mauslin]

Fatha

Fatha gratefully takes the offered items, putting on the ring and cloak, and placing the wand in her skirt pocket. The map she unfurls, and looks for a place where she can put it down for everyone to look at. If she can't find one, she simply holds it out so that everyone can see it easily.
She did this all quietly, not wanting to interrupt the others' conversations.

[Ozzy_G]

So anyway, asks Ark in his high tenor voice, what does this belt do?

[knewsom]

"Well, Mister Nobele," replied Ulryn with a twinkle in his eye, "I believe you'll have to try it on and see. But I think you'll be pleased with the results."

[Ozzy_G]

Noble, not Nobele, he says patiently. Alright, do you have a room where I could put it on? It would be rude to undress in front of the ladies.

[knewsom]

Ulryn gestured to a side room which, as Ark noticed as he walked through the door, was stacked high will various newsletters, correspondance, recipes, unbound books, etc. With the door closed, the only light in the room came from a small cloudy window above head height.

[Ozzy_G]

After making sure the door is firmly closed, bolted if it can be, Ark takes off his hooded robe, his chain shirt, and his under-shirt, and dons the belt over his trousers.

[Ozzy_G]

After a few minutes, you hear a man scream. A couple of moments later, Ark sticks his head out of the door. He seems to have changed a bit, his face looks older, with a harder brow and more prominent chin. He has proper stubble now, and he speaks in a deeper voice.
Well, thankyou, I can see that this belt will be extremely useful, but how do I take it off when I don't need it?

[mauslin]

Fatha looked at Ark quizzically, trying to figure out what just happened.


Knowlege:Arcana - [roll0]
To see if Fatha can identify the belt.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
The half-orc simply gapes as Ark re-emerges. He wasn't very good at this sort of thing, but there was something different about his friend. After a minute, His face breaks into a pumpkin grin, and the room resounds with the clang of metal on metal as Teb claps his huge hands together.
"Hey! That's pretty good!"

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda nearly drops the circlet when she hears Ark's scream, and raises an eyebrow when he emerges. None the less, she takes one last look at the circlet and places it atop her brow, weaving her hair through it like the head of a needle.

"Should my scalp feel tingly? I mean...gooood tingly."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark grins. Yes Teb it is. But I can't find the belt, it disappeared when I put it on. He sounds slightly panicky. How do I take it off?

[knewsom]

Ulryn chuckled slightly when he heard Ark scream and had been looking at the door in anticipation when his head popped out.

"Excellent! I wasn't sure it would still work after all these years... Taking it off is a bit more complicated - I can cast a spell that will remove it, or you can seek to have it removed by another spellcaster who has some experience with these things, but I'm afraid that the change is quite real and quite permanent otherwise. I suppose I could scribe a scroll with the spell on it, but it WOULD take me some time."

He turned to Chanda.

"And yes, it should tingle ever so slightly. Just wait until you draw on its power - THAT tingles."

Fatha has no idea what the belt is, and none of you except Teb and Ark really know exactly what it did yet. (I'll need spot checks and inteligence checks please)

[Ozzy_G]

Ark nods, looking worried, and closes the door again.
A few moments later he walks out again. He's about 6 inches taller than before, and his clothes are straining over his much broader shoulders. What's the spell?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Looking at his companion's new width and height, Teb turns to Ulryn
"Hey, Is there a belt I could wear that makes me bigger 'n tougher too?" he asks, his expression hopeful. But almost as quickly, he deflates. "Aw, wait, I can't; I got these magic hands. And if you have a magic belt, the hands don't do nothin'." The last part of the sentence is delivered with a particular meter that suggests Teb was quoting someone else.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark raises a hand. That's not exactly... uh, I mean that's right Teb, well done.

[knewsom]

Ulryn smiled at their interaction. "The spell is 'Remove curse', though in your case I'd hardly call it that. If you like, the chest to the left of the door is full of various pieces of clothing, some of which might fit you a bit better."

[knewsom]

When Fatha unfurled the map, it looked like this. (http://www.visioncollective.com/knewsom/Cormyr.gif)

[Ozzy_G]

Ark sighs. Beshaba, I can't cast that one. Could you make a scroll of it while we're getting this key for me? It's useful, but I'll want to take it off eventually. I mean, the extra strength and toughness are useful, and the height advantage will be useful in battle, but, well... we like what we're used to, you know? I mean, seriously, it's like the plot of some bad play. With another sigh, he walks over to the chest and starts to look for a bigger shirt, a bigger hooded cloak (he's still hooded actually) and an even bigger pair of ridiculously huge boots.

[knewsom]

Ulryn nodded. "I will indeed include a scroll of that spell for you in your reward, free of charge."

Then Ulryn's thoughts penetrated Ark's mind.

I'm certain you realize that the best disguise is the one that cannot be removed?

[Ozzy_G]

Ark pauses in his rifling through the box, and turns to look at Ulryn. Yes, I know, I didn't say it won't be useful, it will. It's just, well... unpleasant. Imagine how you'd feel if you were wearing it. I mean, it's better than death, I will keep it, but I'll want to take it off eventually, when I'm safe.

[knewsom]

Ark found everything but the cloak, but realised that he didn't actually need it, as the cloak Ulryn had already gave him was oversized to begin with, and had a nice hood too. The shirt he found was froofy and ornate looking, and the boots were wide but not incredibly long, as if made for a large dwarf, and fit perfectly.

Ulryn chuckled. "Oh, I know the feeling all too well - you see, I wore that belt for two years before growing powerful enough to remove it. The wizard I was apprenticed to at the time refused to help me - he thought it would be a character building experience, and good drive to develop my abilities. He was right."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark raises his eyebrows. And he also found it hilarious no doubt. Wizards I've found often have rather sick senses of humour. He takes the shirt and shoes, and goes to the back room to get changed.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"Wizards have sick senses of humor..." Chanda repeats, her tone inattentive and ethereal. She shook her head suddenly, then returned to a more collected posture: "Yes. They tend to. Something about bossing around reality, I think. Gives most of them 'healthy' egos," she jokes looking to Ulryn with a comfortable smile.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb growls when the line about wizards and their sense of humor floats across the room.

[knewsom]

Ulryn gives a sad sigh.

"I'm afraid some wizards more so than others, the fewer the scrupels, the more twisted the man. I think you'll find that although I have a sense of humor, I try not to use it at others' expense. ...most of the time." This last line brought a smile to his face.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb suddenly looks worried.
"Hey, these hands...they just make me strong, right? They don't do nothin' else, do they?"

[knewsom]

Ulryn's smile broadened into a grin.

"No, Teb, I think you'll find that you're otherwise... intact."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb nods, but doesn't look too reassured. Magic was just to mysterious to be trusted. Put on some gloves and you get stronger, wave a stick and someone is healed...but what else? A troubling question.

"So, um," Teb cracks his knuckles. "We look for a key? To the box? What's it look like?"

[knewsom]

"They key is small, about two inches long, and golden like the lock housing on the drawer. Last I recall, it had a dark red ribbon tied to it, about a foot and a half long. To just go blindly searching would be like looking for a needle in a pine forest, I suggest asking the people of the town what they know - but be cautious on the journey - The King's Forest is full of unsavory characters: Orcs, Goblins, bandits, and the like. It'd be faster to cut through the forest here on the way to Forest Gate, following one of the old roads through it, but It may be safer to pass through the capital, Suzail to the South. The choice is yours - I've prepared you as best as I know how. So unless there's anything else, I wish you the best of luck on your quest, and hope that you will return safely, and of course, with the key."

With this last line, Ulryn rose with a smile.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb smirks to himself. Wizards weren't so smart after all; everyone knows that needles are real easy to find in a pine forest. They grow on the trees! Speaking up, Teb rumbles
"Hey, Ark? Let's go through the forest!" The enthsiasm shines on his green-tinged face. "I wanna try out these magic hands."

[dgray]

If we travel through the forest we shall surely meet up with some unsavory folk that we may have to deal with, which may be fun. But traveling through the City we may be able to gather more information about this key. I am up for either route. Svanna said to the group as she bowed to Ulryn and headed toward the door

[knewsom]

"Oh! And one last thing..." Ulryn's purple eyes shone.

"If you do end up in a city, or anywhere else where there are people for that matter, please refrain from mentioning the nature of item the key belongs to. You can mention a key, and even describe it. But do not mention the drawer itself - magic this powerful has a way of attracting exactly the wrong kind of attention."

[Ozzy_G]

As Ulryn speaks, Ark comes back in, now wearing even larger boots and the ridiculous frilly shirt. His backpack looks rather bulky, so you'd guess the rest of his stuff is in there. I have a couple of questions first. Which inn in the town of Forest Gate did you stay in, and how long ago was this?

[knewsom]

"As I recall, there is only one. When is more difficult to say. Late Summer? Fall of last year? Not too terribly long ago, I think."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb crosses his arms, the muscles bulging on his arms like a sealed vinegar cask in the sun.
"Okay. I guess...we better go now? Evenin's comin'."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark nods, and flexes his newly muscled arms. Right, let's go.

[dgray]

Svanna HOlds the door open as she exits Ulryn's house for the others

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda smiles at Ulryn and bows lightly before leaving, folding her hands together in a ceremoniously polite manner. She stands straight, then, turns to Svanna and passes through the door.

"Thank you."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk

With a grunt and a wave, Teb turns from the little elf wizard and steps towards the threshold. He stares at Svanna for a moment as he goes through the door, as if trying to puzzle something out, but then shakes his pumpkin-like head and proceeds out onto the lawn.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark walks out after Teb, shaking his head. He seems to have his mind on something else.
Suddenly, he spins around and looks back at the wizard. Tyche's tits! I forgot, you gave us all this magic stuff, but we don't know the command words for the wand, and anything else that needs it.

[mauslin]

Rolling the map back up in preparation to leave, Fatha hears Ark's words.

Oh, good point. I need to know how to activate my wand as well.

[knewsom]

"Just point it at something you really don't like, and say the same word you would if you were casting the spell without the wand."

[Ozzy_G]

What about the castle-in-a-box? How does that work?

[knewsom]

"Say the power-word," Ulryn opens his mouth to say it, but then immediately thinks better of this action and decides to spell it out instead. "A-E-L-U-M-I-T-A-R. Don't say it unless you really want the fortress called up, and dont' call it unless you really need it."

[Ozzy_G]

Once it's come out, how do we get it back in the box?

[knewsom]

"You say 'recessitum', but you must be outside it, and one of you must be the one to say it - if someone outside the party knew the word and said it whilest you were inside, it would have no effect. However, were you to trick an enemy inside it and then say the word once you were safely outside, he would be trapped until you opened the fortress once more."

Ulryn scratched his head for a moment, as if desparately trying to remember something.

"I dont' think there's anything in there, but you might want to enter carefully the first time, just in case."

[Ozzy_G]

Does it only work once, or can it be reused an infinite number of times?

[knewsom]

"WELL, I've never had one stop working - I've had ones that were destroyed, but I don't think number of uses is the issue, so much as the attention that it brings." The aged elf sighed. "Now, is there anything else, or will you all be on your way before I die of old age?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb raises a hand, a look of concern on his piggy face.
"Uh, what do we do, if that happens? Can I keep the magic hands?" He looks from side to side at his companions.
"What? He said it."

[knewsom]

Ulryn sighed deeply. "Yes, Teb."

*slam*

......AND, you departed, the late afternoon air turning to cooler evening air after a few hous as you walked. The crickets came and chirped, and as the sun went down, the buzz of midges filled your ears. You're now about two hours' walk from Arabel, and you haven't seen an inn or a shop or anything now for about two miles. The sound of a creek grows as you continue, and you find a sizeable clearing in the sparse forest and farmland by its side - an ideal camping spot.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
The half-orc chooses a patch of grass and drops down into a squat.
"Whooo." he says, "Gettin' sleepy. Ark and me usually travel by night. We're stoppin' here tonight, hokay?"

[Ozzy_G]

Well, we won't be needing to travel by night any more Teb. Ark sits down, and gets out his bedroll. It'll be nice to actually sleep at night for once.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb spreads out a little on the grass, and props his head up with a meaty gauntleted hand.
"Hey," he says, apparently addressing the rest of the party. "I heard you humans an' elves and things can't see in black an' white. Like when you're lookin' into a cave, or this time a' day. So... what do you see instead?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark looks at his bedroll with annoyance, as it's too small for him now.
They see what you see far away at night Teb, just blackness with nothing in it.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb digests this.
"So...does that mean they can't see black n' white things at all? Like, if I had something white." He casts around, but doesn't find anything like that in immediate view, and certainly not on his own person. He waves. "Somthin' white. can they even see it?"

[Ozzy_G]

Only if there's light, replies Ark in a tired voice, as he takes off his hood, his long white hair contrasting with his burning red eyes. If there is light, they can see any colour, if there is no light, they can only see black.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb picks a blade of grass and chews on it idly.
"Huh. So what do they see when there isn't light, but what they're looking at ain't black? Like...green grass, or sumthin'. F'they only see the black..." Teb hold the grass in front of his face, and his face screws up in confusion. "But how can you see the black without seein' the white?"

[Ozzy_G]

When there's no light at all, all they see is black, replies the red-eyed man. They can't even see objects, just black, like when you close your eyes.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Huh." Teb rolls onto his back and gazes up at the night sky. "Weird. I wonder what gets in front of their eyes when there's no light?" He sighs, and, after a moment's silence, lifts a giant hand skyward.
"One," he begins, quietly, his voice a low sonorous rumble, amidst the cricket calls.
"two, three, four..."

[Ozzy_G]

Taking off his shirt and cutting open his bedroll, Ark looks down at his well-muscled torso, and pats his chest. Mystra, this is just too weird, he mutters to himself.
He climbs under his bedroll, shirt and cloak. Teb, what are you doing?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"...sev'nteen, I'm countin', Ark." Teb squints one eye, "eighteen, Countin' the stars. nineteen..."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark nods. Good luck with that. He smiles indulgently. Just don't count too loud. It might take you a while, and people need their sleep. Just remember, they'll still be there tomorrow, so if you don't finish tonight you can count the rest tomorrow.
He snuggles down under his blankets.

[dgray]

Svanna Lays out her bedroll, unsheaths her rapier and lays it next to her with her hand on the hilt to be ready at a moments notice if anything should happen. She chuckles at Teb as he tries to count the stars.

Then it dawns on her "We probably should have at least one person up to keep watch. Suprises in the middle of the night are never fun. WE can rotate if you want. I will take the first shift if no one else wants it."

[Ozzy_G]

Teb can do it while he's counting the stars, mutters Ark sleepily. He can wake you up when he's done.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Twen'y-two, twen'y-three..."

[Ozzy_G]

Arrgghh!
Ark sits bolt upright, holding up his blankets and looking at his legs.
What in Baator is that?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
"Twen'y... Twen'y...Damn." Teb brings himself to his feet with ill-temper at first, but then curiosity overcomes his irritation. He wanders over to where Ark lay.
"Huh? What's wrong, Ark?"

[Ozzy_G]

Oh.
Ark stares at something, and blinks. Um, actually, don't worry about it. Uh, I think I'll take first watch. He gets up and puts his shirt and hooded cloak back on. His white hair looks odd in the moonlight, almost ethereal.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb looks puzzled for a minute. Two minutes. Three.
Then his face breaks into a pumpkin grin again and his guffaws of laughter ring throughout the clearing as he falls on his back and hoots with laughter.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark jumps to his feet, waving his arms, and shouting Will you shut up Teb, it's not funny!
Then he falls over into the mud. Damn this body!

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb covers his mouth with both hands, but even so you can plainly hear his muffled mirth. After a second or two, Teb regains his feet and offers a hand to Ark, still chuckling.
"Looks like Teb knows stuff you don't! Lemme know if you need any tips, 'kay?" Teb grins. Amusement aside, the offer seems sincere.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark stands up and shakes his finger at Teb. I think I'll be able to work it out myself thankyou very much. It'll be easy, no problem for someone with my awesome intellect. He turns away. It just needs some getting used to.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda appraises Teb, then Ark, looking at them with an expression of rising concern. She finally turns towards Svanna, orienting herself in a meditative position as she does so.

"I'm beginning to worry about our compatriots," she whispers to her, offering up that simple observation to wait for a response.

[dgray]

Svanna turns toward Chanda"How so? Is it that at times the Teb is ten times smarter than Ark, or that they seem to have some sort of wierd relationship, or that Ark can seem to handle himself since getting that belt?" She smile slightly at Chanda while waiting for a response

[mauslin]

Fatha spends some time fussing over her mule, making sure it gets enough water, taking off its pack so that it can sleep more comfortably, and casting prestidigitation to groom it.
Finally she takes out her bedroll and settles down with the other girls.

Overhearing Chandra's comment, she adds her two coppers

"I'd have to concur. They do seem . . . a bit boisterous.
I have to say that I'm consume with curiosity as to what that belt actually did. Maybe one of us should ask?"

[dgray]

"I am curious too. Svanna said to Fatha

She turns to Teb and Ark "What exatly did that belt do to you. It seems to have made you grow in several different ways." She asks Ark

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Pfffftt...." Teb squeezes his eyes shut and makes desperate sputtering noises like a drowning camel, until he finally bursts out laughing once more, falling again to the ground in his mirth.
"Pa-hahahahahahaha!"
Teb actually curls up on the ground, doubled over.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda seems to be wavering between a strange combination of stifled laughter, utter mortification, and exasperation.

"My mother once advised me about being careful with words. They're more easily misunderstood than intentions," Chanda offers, trying to maintain some semblance of serenity while still teetering on the edge of laughter, hands folded in her lap like a monk.

[dgray]

"I never really spent much time with my mother. I grew up following my dad around so i was always with the boys." Svanna said to Chanda

[knewsom]

For Svanna:

A memory suddenly popped into Svanna's head, of camping with some of the boys and her father when she was in her early teens. She remembered how at times during the night and especially during the early morning they would be emarrased to be roused by her, quickly sitting up or rolling over. Once, she happened upon one in his own tent so to speak before he woke.

It dawned on her that the belt Ark put has seemed to make him more "manly" in every respect, and perhaps it had in another as well...

...yet, for a man, that shouldn't be something surprising....

.......however if it had happened to HER, she would have been very surprised....... just as surprised as Ark was. Thinking about it now, the small feminine hands, the delicate features, it all made sense. Ark, until this very afternoon, was a woman.

[dgray]

Just as Svanna responded to Chanda a thought from her childhood popped into her head. Unable to stiffle the tremdous burst of laughter, Svanna rolled off her bedroll in a fit of laughter. When she was able to compose herself enough to walk, she went over the Ark and whispered to him "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark blushed bright red. Uh, thanks for the offer, but I'm fine.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Crossing his legs beneath himself on the turf, Teb laboriously pulls himself into a sitting position, still grinning.
"Heh heh. Hokay, now who's really goin' first watch?"
The hulking Hokk fishes around in his somewhat dingy pouch and retrieves a wrapped bundle, which is revealed to contain smoked meat of unguessable origin. Teb chews on some as he waits.

[Ozzy_G]

Me and Teb will watch for 3 hours. He points at the girls. You ladies go to sleep. We'll wake you up later for two of you to switch with us.
He sits down near Teb, but looking the other way. One watchman isn't enough. It's dangerous out here...

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Myup," Teb agrees, through a mouthful of jerky. "Wan' some?" he offers a piece to Ark.
Not that Ark had ever accepted before, but it was the thought that counts.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark shakes his head. No thanks. He gets out from his bag his own meal of black pudding and dark bread.

[dgray]

Svanna turns back to her bedroll still chuckling to herself. she lays down and trys to get some sleep

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Finishing up one last tough and stringy mouthful, Teb wipes his lips on his hairy arm and leans back a bit, looking again at the night sky. After a bit, he speaks.
"Hey, Ark; How long you gonna stay like that? He's gotta stop lookin' for us sometime, right?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark sounds confused. What are you talking about, Teb?
He leans back, and whispers in Teb's ear.
Be careful. One of these others might blab to him what you let slip.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb scratches his jaw and looks sheepish. "Oh. Yeah." In a slighty louder voice, he says "Uh...I mean...that guy. The...Inkeeper guy. The one who wants money?" Teb likewise leans back and whispers to Ark.

"I could always kill 'em, but... knights ain't supposed to do that, right?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark sighs, and replies quietly. I wouldn't mind if you did that, but I don't think you could. With the money I'll get from this mission, I might get a boat west. Maybe to Waterdeep, or the Dragon Coast. You can come as well if you like Teb, they have Knights in the West.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb grunts and reaches forwards, grasping his toes, idly.
"Never been on a boat," he muses. "Kinda weird, to be moving while you ain't moving yer feet. Seems like you'd forget how far you've gone."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark chuckles. I suppose you would, Teb.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
"Yeah." The hulking half-orc reclines again on the grass. "But hey, at least this job's gonna be easy, right? We just gotta find a key. Even if we don't, the pointy-hat said I could keep the magic hands. Maybe the ring and the cape-thingy too." He beams at the night sky. "This adventurin' stuff is great!"

[Ozzy_G]

As long as he doesn't let me keep this Bane-cursed girdle, mutters Ark.

[knewsom]

As she began to drift off to sleep with the sound of Ark and Teb's banter in her ears, and a hint of a smile still curling on her lips, Svanna heard a rustle in a tree in the woods, about twenty feet from their campsite. She's not sure which tree it came from, but it was a distinct sound, larger than a bird would make, and it was to the west of the campsite (the creek is on the east end).

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb laughs, quietly this time. "Aw, it ain't so bad, is it? You got stronger n' taller. Mighty Ark, r'member?"

[Ozzy_G]

And probably a lot more stupid. I'll be thinking with the other, little brain now. And, uh, don't get me started on what it's going to be like when we save some beautiful women... he groans. This is all going to end badly I tell you, it's like the plot of some bad play. I expect to encounter a whole number of extremely embarrassing incidents. It really doesn't help that we're travelling with 3 other women.
He turns, and says in a low voice, intended only for Teb but Svanna picks it up too,
Also, I think Svanna's worked it out. I'm not sure, but... Maybe I ought to hope she is, because she was acting very friendly earlier, and as I said that'd just be embarrassing.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
The half-orc scratches his shaggy hair.
"It's like the plot of what?" But then he grins. "But hey, if you don't want the beautiful damsels, you can disguise yourself as a lady. Or just send 'em to me." Teb leans back on the grass and clasps his hands together, chuckling.

[dgray]

Svanna's hand gripped the hilt of her rapier as she slowly sat up looking to the west. As she sits up, she signals to Teb and Ark to get their attention then loudly whispers to Teb "I know you two are deep in conversation over Ark's "Big" problem but can i draw you away for just a second to tell me what is over there." pointing to the group of trees she heard the sound from with her rapier "I heard something but can't make out what it is."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb sits up abruptly and blinks a few times, apparently trying to work out what the paladin has just said. Finally, he nods sagely, and clambers to his feet. Reaching behind himself, he draws forth the gigantic double axe which hung across his back.
"Hope it's trouble," he mumbles to himself. Waiting for Ark to rouse himself as well, Teb stalks over to the indicated side of the clearing, watching the patterns of black and white carefully, watching for motion.

[dgray]

Svanna Stands up beside Teb as he watchs the trees with her Rapier at the ready

[Ozzy_G]

Ark gets to his feet, drawing his dagger. He scans the treeline, black and white to his red-eyed vision. What sort of sound, he says in a low voice. He mutters, and clicks his fingers.

[knewsom]

Mauslin and Chanda's eyes open as if by magic, by the body language of their companions, they can tell something's wrong.

[dgray]

I can't really describe it. kind of like a rustle in the trees but it was larger than any common bird would have been able to make Svanna whispers to Ark

[knewsom]

At the first sign of the group noticing the rustle in the trees, the sound immediately stopped. Svanna, Teb, and Ark turned to investigate, leaning closer to the west, where the noise had come from. Despite straining their eyes, they still see nothing, and aren't totally sure which tree the noise had come from.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Huh." Teb scratches his chin, and then walks a little ways forward, axe held carefully in front of himself.

[dgray]

"Well we are up and armed we might as well go investigate." Svanna said to Teb and Ark as she slowly moved toward the trees

[Ozzy_G]

I'll stay in the camp, whispers Ark, in case something comes from the other direction. Don't get too far out.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"Imagine that," she whispers, sipping lightly from her waterskin, "something rustling. Out in the wilds of Cormyr. It's probably just a...right, well, I don't know what animals live here. Probably still nothing to be worried about."

[mauslin]

Fatha starts muttering to herself and gesturing. Four orbiting balls of light appear over the camp site, gently illuminating the area.

She then takes something out the pouch on her belt, and moves closer to Teb.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb glances over his shoulder as the color returns to the woods and blinks as he sees the glowing orbs of light. He looks somewhat impressed. Turning back to the woods, Teb walks a little further into the trees, sniffing about and listening.

[knewsom]

Despite Chanda's reassuring words and Fatha's dancing lights illuminating the forest, the tension continues to build. Teb, Fatha, and Svanna are now a good 15 feet into the woods on the west side of camp. Teb catches the faintest waft of beeswax amidst the smell of the trees bark and dirt.

(spot checks again please Mausln, Dgray, and TGS, at +4 this time, circumstance bonus from the lights)

[Ozzy_G]

Guys, hisses Ark, his low voice carrying well in the night, don't get too far away. Chanda can see that he looks on edge, crouched in a defensive position and looking around nervously.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Sniffing a little deeper, Teb grunts.
"Huh. Smells like bees. Eh." With somewhat disappointed look on his face, Teb strides back to the grassy part of the clearing and takes his seat again, axe across his lap.
"Maybe nothin'. If it were somethin', it's too scared to come out and face us now."

[mauslin]

Still a little nervous, but trusting that Teb knew what he was talking about, Fatha follows him back, a little disappointed. She had been looking forward to Teb's reaction to being Enlarged.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"Oh, how I miss the desert. Things don't rustle in the sand," Chanda says after looking at Ark's expression. She moves with careful hesitance, unwinding the whip that's been hanging from her belt, tipped as it is with a strange, sharp little blade.

"Selune, the Moon over the Wilds, this is just a tiny beastie, isn't it?" she asks in a whispered prayer, adjusting the circlet on her brow.

[dgray]

Svanna still not convinced that it is only nees hangs back just a second longer. She knows she heard something out hear and won't feel comfortable relaxing till she knows what it was.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Reaching a gauntleted hand into his tattered backpack, Teb retrieves a large block of whetstone and, with a quick spit on the stone, begins sharpening the axe on one side.
"Mighta been a bear; they can smell like beeswax." He grins at a memory "Hey Ark; I ever tell you 'bout the time my ma wrestled a brown bear and broke both 'is arms?"

[dgray]

After getting a couple hours of sleep Svanna Awakes to take the second watch.
"You two get some sleep." she says to Teb and Ark

Sitting there in the dark straining to hear the sound she heard before, but hears nothing. Yet that doesn't make her feel any better. She just keeps running over and over again in her mind the sound trying to figure out what it was.

[knewsom]

Svanna's watch passes uneventfully, as do the subsequent ones, though you all sleep fitfully, still tense from the possibility of an intruder.

I'm going to need you all to make will saves for me, DC 15

[knewsom]

The next day, you awake to the sound of young birds chirping for food from their nests and the whisper of an easterly breeze in the treetops. The temperature is mild, and though you slept fitfully, the morning seems a welcome change from the previous night. You could sit in this idyllic clearing all day - the babbling brook nearby, the gentle breeze, the soft sunlight. But as you rise, you remember the quest. A key that an aged elf desperately needs, a key to.... er, a key to.... now wait just a minute, what was the key FOR? ALL of you have completely forgotten the drawer of forgetting, with the single exception of Chanda.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
As he sits up, Teb's brow crinkles in concentration for a moment. Huh. What was the key supposed to do? But then he shrugs and rises, unconcerned. Ark was usually the person who remembered that kinda stuff, and Teb usually forgot that kinda thing. Besides, Teb had other things to keep track of. Stretching his tree-trunk limbs, Teb yawns and rises. A sudden whimsy strikes him, and he positively dashes with remarkable speed to the babbling brook and amuses himself by leaping over it from one bank to another, counting aloud each time.
"One, Two, Three, Four..."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark groggily opens his eyes.
Gah... Bane curse these birds, waking me up at this time.
He lies in bed for several more minutes, trying to get back to sleep, but Teb's counting obviously keeps him awake.
Eventually, he grumpily gets up, puts his shirt and cloak back on (without bothering to wash at all), and walks over to the stream, peering into it. I wonder if there are any fish in here.

[knewsom]

Before Teb got a chance to reach three or four, his foot landed in a particularly soft patch of mud by the riverbank, and he failed to take a running start on his second jump, seeing as the first was so easy. Essentially what you all heard was "One! Tw-SPLOOSH!", as Teb landed in waist deep water halfway across the stream. The water, incidentally, is quite cold.

[Ozzy_G]

Gah! cries Ark. He looks down at his splattered clothes, and then up at the soaked Teb. For a moment he looks like he's going to explode in anger, but then he just sighs, and walks back to the camp. He sits down and starts to squeeze the water out of his clothes.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb sits up in the water, gasping at first at the coldness, but then he looks down at the brook swirling by and laughs a great booming laugh. The sound of him splashing around filters across the grassy clearing.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda still sits in a meditative pose, her hands interlaced around her waist. She turns toward Ark, her eyes still closed:

"It's strange, this friend of yours. Sounds like a child, at times, fresh and innocent. A child that could probably crush a man's bones into a fine powder, perhaps, but nonetheless so young in spirit. I can only wonder how the pair of you came to travel together," she says, now smiling.

[Ozzy_G]

Teb, be careful, calls Ark, you'll catch a cold.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb ignores Ark's warning, but after a few minutes, the splashing abates and the burly form of Teb Hokk, still dressed in his now sodden hides and furs, step into the clearing. His stringy black hair is pasted to his head and river mud oozes from between his broad calloused feet and the rough-shod sandals he wears. Squelching across the clearing, Teb picks up the huge axe from the grass and the little roll of leather that contains his wordly belongings, and hoists them onto his broad strong back.
"Hokay! Ready to go? We wanna find that key, right? Uh." Teb pauses. "Where were we goin', again?"

[Ozzy_G]

A town called Forest Gate, replies Ark. He makes no move to get up. We can't go yet though, we have to wait for the other two to wake up.

[mauslin]

Fatha, after laughing at her companions antics, starts muttering and gesturing. The water and dirt on Teb's and Ark's clothes starts coming off.

"I would also be curious to learn how you and Teb met, if you would care to share the story at some point."

With that, Fatha starts gathering her things and loading up her mule.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark grins. Thanks. Our story is quite simple, we met on the road, and were attacked by bandits. After that, we decided to work together, my brains and his brawn.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb looks with amazement at his rapidly-drying clothing and then looks up.
"By damn," he says, "Does ev'ryone 'cept me do magic?"

[Ozzy_G]

Don't worry, says Ark, trying to reassure his friend, we may be able to do magic, but you're the best at hitting things, and that's very important.

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"I'm not entirely sure, but no, it's not magic...I don't think it is. My sisters tell me it isn't. My mother doesn't think so either. They're apparently not sure what it is," Chanda offers, a slight twang of shame in her voice. She shakes her head and then smiles, still sitting in a meditative stance.

A slight chime peals through the air, like bells in the night, and suddenly Chanda is standing about ten feet away from where she'd been sitting, trying her best not to look too proud.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb waves a meaty hand airily. "Nah, magic ain't for me; all them magic words and hand-wriggles; I'd just forget 'em." He scratches the tattoo on his left cheek thoughtfully, but then stops suddenly as Chandra reappears some distance to the side. Teb stares. "Whoa."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark blinks. Wow, you cast a teleportation spell with no components! You must be really powerful!

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

"Powerful?" She looks a bit surprised that anyone would say that about her.

"It's a small trick. But it makes me feel closer to Selune, and I can only go a short--very short--distance. Other than that, my bag of tricks, so to speak is...pretty limited. But nonetheless! Is everyone ready? The sooner we find the key to the drawer, the better. We've got a job to do."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb grunts. "Yeah. We can jaw on the road." He pauses. "Wait, key to the what?"

[Ozzy_G]

You know, the key that we have to get to get the 500 gold. Ark packs up all his stuff into his bag. Right, is everyone ready to go?

[knewsom]

We'll assume that Svanna is up and ready to go along as well.

[knewsom]

Shortly after Chanda mentions the drawer, an image of it fades into memory, along with the reason Ulryn needed you to find the key so badly. You're not sure why you forgot it, but you suspect that it has to do with the nature of the drawer itself.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
"Huh." Teb shakes a hand irritably. "Wizard tricks. Okay, let's go."

[mauslin]

Feeling quite concerned about the loss of memory, Fatha tries to think back to her training. What kinds of magic and magical effects could cause this to happen? How might one combat something like that in the future?

She also tries to figure out what Chanda did with the teleportation.

[knewsom]

Whilst everyone was puzzling over how it was that Chanda transported herself (and usucessfully puzzling at that), Svanna had momentarily wandered away from the chatting group, and was investigating the area she heard the noise last night.

"Perhaps we should search for signs of anyone's presence nearby us last night," she said as she crept carefully along in the thin underbrush.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb scratches the blue mountainpeak tattooed on his cheek.
"If they ain't attackin' us, why should we care?"

[knewsom]

Svanna continued searching. "Maybe they're just waiting for the perfect moment to strike - like someone falling asleep on their watch."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark stiffens. You're right, we could be being watched right now! Someone could be hunting us... we need to search for tracks. Um... do any of you actually know anything about tracking? I don't.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb chuckles.
"Heh. Let 'em try. If they try'n jump me, I'll feed 'em their own Hungas," The Orcish word rolls off of Teb's tongue with practiced ease.

[dgray]

(OOC - i/m back and taking control of Svanna back from knewsom)

Svanna continued to explore around th area she heard the noise.
"I don't know anything about tracking but i sure that if there are some obvious signs that we being watched last night we can probably find them."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Seeing that the armored lady at least is intent upon searching around, Teb grunts and slouches forward. After a minute or two, Teb lets out a great huff of air and begins seaching around the edge of the clearing grumpily.

[knewsom]

Svanna continued to search after Teb gave up, and it's lucky for her she did - she discoverd a single human looking bare footprint at the base of a tree.

[dgray]

"Hey I Found something over here." Svanna called to the group. She knelt down to look closer at the print then looked up the tree.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb sits up and then hauls himself to his feet, an expression of curiosity on his broad squashed face.
"Yeah?" He rumbles, lumbering over to where Svanna kneels. Pushing aside a bit of undergrowth, Teb peers at the footprint and squints.
"Huh. weird. They ain't even got sandals? Even I got sandals." Teb taps a foot on the ground.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark walks over, looking around suspiciously. He looks down at the print. Is there just the one footprint? That's weird.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb scratches his head.
"Maybe he's hopping on one foot? To confuse us?"
But then he straightens up.
"Eh, who cares? If they ain't even got sandals, then they don't got strong weapons. And," he jabs a thick finger towards the ground, "The print isn't bigger'n mine. So we don't gotta worry. Can we go now?"

[knewsom]

If you guys want to make survival checks to see if you can track the mysterious observer, go right ahead.

[dgray]

"Well i don't know how to track anybody and unless any of you do i say we just head out. I do think we should keep our guard up and ear and eyes open as we go. I don't want our mysterious observer suprising us." Svanna said to the group as she rose from the foot print

[Ozzy_G]

Ark nods nervously. He returns to his belongings and packs up. Let's leave soon, he says, taking a bite from the hard bread in his backpack.

[mauslin]

Fatha takes a quick look at the tracks to see if she can easily follow them, and to determine how old they are.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb growls impatiently as Fatha continues to poke around in the dirt.
"Hey...We're goin' now. You can look for the tracks later. Like when we stop t'night."
Teb shoulders his axe and turns on his heel, marching along towards the road again.

[knewsom]

Fatha finds some more tracks, and they look like they were made late last night. They lead out from the camp for about a hundred feet and then to the side, where they become too difficult to follow.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark waves at Fatha as she follows the tracks away. Don't get too far away from us! When you're alone, that's when they pick you off, he says nervously.

[mauslin]

"Don't worry, I'm not going any further." says Fatha, turning around and returning to the group. "The tracks are not clear enough for me to follow I'm afraid. I can confirm that they were made last night however."

Bending down, Fatha examines the original footprint more closely.

[mauslin]

Fatha speaks distractedly, like she's thinking aloud.
"Hmm, the footprint looks like it belongs to a human. Definitely something resembling a human anyway.
The footprint is also pretty deep considering how hard the soil is. There's no tracks leading up to it, only going away. The person jumped down from somewhere. I'd guess this tree here." Fatha points to a nearby tree.

Looking up at the tree, Fatha continues,
"Huh, the branches are pretty high, the person must of fallen pretty far. But they landed on one foot. Most people couldn't do that; whoever it was, they're fairly light on their feet."

Fatha blinks, snapping back to reality. She stands up, and self-consciously brushes off her skirt.
"Umm, I don't think I can learn anything else from what's here. Unless someone else wants to look further, I'd actually like to get moving."
With that, Fatha moves to her mule, fussing unnecessarily with the pack saddle.

[Ozzy_G]

So, someone fairly acrobatic? Not, you know, a soldier or a wizard? Ark pauses, and then quickly says Or a fat innkeeper?

[mauslin]

"No, probably not." is heard from beneath the mule. The voice then musingly adds, "Though, there are spells that can make one more graceful for a time, so I guess it could have been a wizard. Or a soldier who had a wizard cast the approapriate spell on them."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark's eyes widen. We're leaving now. Come on Teb! He starts to head off.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb listens in confusion to Fatha's speech about the tracks.
How do you get from one thing to another in all that? It was a mystery. Teb could see pretty plainly what it was; a dip in the dirt what looked like a foot. Sometimes, if you follow those things long enough, you find a creature, but sometimes not. Huh.
Teb shakes his head, dislodging the troubling puzzle from his thoughts as he bounds off ater Ark, overtaking him quickly.

[knewsom]

You all gladly leave the previous night's campsite, keeping an eye out throughout the day for whoever it was made the noise and footprints the night before, but dont' see or hear anything - if they're still following, they're keeping a good distance. You pass numerous carts and wagons on your way, many of whom are carrying wounded members of their party, and others who are carrying less than half of the goods you would expect them to be.

After a long day of walking in warm sunshine, the fireflies start to come out, and the sun begins to set - it's about 9:00 now, and you've made it to the edge of a small town called Immersea.

[Ozzy_G]

Now, says Ark exuberantly, time to find the most luxurious inn in the town. Only the best for Ark Noble, the most dashing adventurer in all of Cormyr! He waves his hand vaguely at you all. And you lot of course.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb looks crestfallen at the smaller Ark's declaration. If the innkeepers weren't hostile, then the beds were too small and the rooms were too stuffy and the food was too meager. Teb disliked staying in inns.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark grins reassuringly at Teb. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to find you a bed big enough this time! Innkeepers aren't stupid, they know adventurers are loaded, as well as having odd shapes and sizes.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb shakes his head.
"It ain't just that; sleeping in one of them wooden buildings...It's like yer in a big coffin! You can't see the sky and you can't smell the trees, an' then you're sleepin' in an even smaller box.
Them bed things with the frames? It's even worse!" Teb gestures wildly with his huge arms as he speaks, "Cramped in an' boxed, and then you get wrapped in them shrouds, an' those just hold you closer to the box!"
He shudders, exaggeratedly.

[Ozzy_G]

For just a moment, Ark's face seems to ripple with some dark emotion, his eyes pools of painful memories. Then his confident demeanour snaps back, as if nothing had happened. Don't be silly Teb. There are windows, you can see the sky fine. They're nothing like a coffin.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb curls his lip. "Yeah? They're both made outta wood, ain't they? They both got nails holdin' them together, and they both're s'posed to keep you from gettin ' out easy once yer in. I don't like 'em; How do you know you ain't gonna wake up and find the wood box is closed up on you? The ceilin's real close to yer face, an' it's all black 'n white, an' you can't move your arms, an' the air's getting stuffier and stuffier an'..." Teb trails off.
"'M sleepin' on the roof," he mumbles.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark seems quite uncomfortable as Teb speaks. I suppose I'll have to join you then, can't be having you all on your own now can we?

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb rubs his nose with his hand, nodding.
"Wouldn't mind some good food, though. Hey Ark; the little elf gave us coins, right? We don't gotta save 'em, do we?"

[knewsom]

The temperature here is a bit cooler, the wyvern water off to the east keeps it that way. THe sound of ropes and timbers creaking in the docks mix with the sound of evening crickets and midges as you walk through town, many of the various shops closing up as you pass, it is afterall, nightfall. Eventually, you come to the Five Fine Fish Inn, famed for their robust Ale.

[dgray]

"This place looks like it will suit our needs." Svanna says pointing to the sign.

[knewsom]

As you walk into the inn, the sound of bawdy laughter and people eating and drinkin fills your ears. The aroma of sheppard's pie and stale beer fill your noses. The sight of a crowded dining area lies before you, and as you approach, a stunningly beautiful halfling standing on a stool behind the bar leans forward.

"What'll it be, kids?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb looks a little confused as Svanna leads the group into the wooden building.
Now how did she know this was an inn? It's a wood box, just like one of them houses. He ducks under the doorframe out of habit and looks around at the assembled crowd. Teb grins. Now these kindsa places he knew how to handle. It was like when you'd got time between hunts, and there weren't nothin' to do 'cept sit and boast and tell stories.
These kindsa places, they were a little different; people here didn't actually get to dancing or comparing...uh, wedding weapons...but the feel was the same.

Puffing out his chest, Teb strides over to the bar, but then stops. There was some way to tell between little kids and the halflings, but Teb could never figure it out. The burly half-orc looks questioningly at Ark.

[Ozzy_G]

Halfling, whispers Ark to Teb. He turns to the short bartender. I'll just have a... Ark's eyes narrow, and a wicked grin spreads across his face. I'll have your strongest ale!

[GryffonDurime]

Chanda

Chanda looks a bit lost in thought for a moment, then turns to the halfling lady.

"Water, please."

[dgray]

"I'll Have some of your ale as well." Svanna says to the barkeep

[Ozzy_G]

Ark glancess at Chanda. Yeah, you women better stick to the lighter stuff. He slaps his chest. But us manly folk will be boozing it up! He grins wickedly at Svanna. Think you can keep up with me and Teb?

[knewsom]

The halfling rolls her eyes at Ark's remarks, then grabs two large wooden mugs, and fills them with a pump-style tap nearby on the bar. The ale it pours forth froths into the mugs with each pull, sudsing and filling the air with the aroma of something between a triple bock ale and barleywine. She then produces a small clay cup and fills it with water from a cistern behind the bar using a ladle and puts all three on the bar.

"That'll be 5 silver per ale please, water's on the house. If you all plan on staying her tonight, you'd best make your arrangements soon, our rooms are filling up. All we've got left is a master suite and three bunks in the men's dorm. And the kitchen closes at ten, that's only an hour from now."

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb raises a huge hand and rumbles his order.
"I wan' some food. An' some drink."

[Ozzy_G]

Ark takes his ale, and hands over the 5 silver pieces. Cheers. He turns and looks up at his burly companion. Teb, do you want to sleep here tonight? It doesn't seem so bad, does it? he says soothingly.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb Hokk
Teb grunts, but then he looks thoughtfully at the wall of the inn.
"Hey Ark...how thick you think the walls are?"

[Ozzy_G]

Ark looks around. I'm not sure. They're driven into the ground though, so they can't move at all. He takes a sip of his ale, and coughs. He braces himself, and carries on drinking.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
While waiting for his order, Teb wanders over to the threshold of the door and uses his gauntleted hands to measure the width of the doorframe. The hulking half-orc takes a step back and peers at the distance between his hands. He squeezes one eye shut and gazes at the ceiling, his broad purple tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he thinks.

[knewsom]

The halfling regards Teb with a raised eybrow while pouring another ale with tiny, well practiced hands. She turned and looked over her shoulder with a shout.

"Torvald! A plate of sup... and make it a big one."

A large middle-aged Illuskan pokes his head out from the kitchen window, his red and white braided hair and beard tied into braids.

"Al'right, al'right, one sheppard's pie comin' up."

Moments later, a large wooden bowl with steamy-looking and yummy-smelling contents is set on the sill of the kitchen window, and the sound of a bell ringing is heard. The halfling hops off the stool, clambers onto the counter underneath, grabs the dish, hops back down deftly, and climbs back onto her stool, setting the bowl down by the ale without spilling a drop. She reaches into her apron and produces a wooden spoon, placing it in the bowl with a sigh.

"YOU! here's yer food. One gold."

Shortly afterwards, a scruffy looking man with leather armor and a shield approaches the halfling and reserves a spot in the male dorm for the night.

[Ozzy_G]

Come on, Teb, come and eat your dinner, says Ark. Have you decided whether we're staying here or not? If we don't decide soon, those two beds will go.

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Looking back down at the bar at the halfling's shout, Teb stalks over to the bar. Taking a seat, Teb grunts and reaches into the amalgamation of furs and armor he wears and retreives a small pouch. With great care, Teb reaches inside and retireves a slightly-tarnished golden coin and hands it to the halfling. Leaving the Ale aside for the moment, Teb removes his magic hands and lays them on the bar with a thunk. Grinning, Teb rubs his hands together and tucks into the shepard's Pie with gusto, ignoring completely the tiny spood laid by the plate.

With astonishing quickness, the plate is empty, and Teb grasps the mug of ale in one greasy hand and raises it towards the ceiling, slopping a little over the side. He takes a deep breath and bellows
"Nog Grokk Hup!"
And drains the mug in a few quick gulps, returning it with a thunk to the counter. A contented smile spreads across the half-orc's green-tinted face, so wide in fact that his tusks seem to present a real danger to his eyes.

[Ozzy_G]

Ark takes his own battered mug, from which he's only drained a small amount, and raises it high.
Nok Grog Hump! he shouts enthusiastically, and drains all his ale in one go.
He slams his mug down on the counter. Another one, please!

[The Great Skenardo]

Teb
Teb looks up at the ceiling as Ark makes his query.
" 'M still sleepin' on the roof." A thought seems to strike him, and lowers his gaze to the halfling bartender.
"Hey, is that okay?"
But then Ark makes his mangled orcish-toast, and Teb looks with suprise at the shorter man sitting next to him. Then he grins.
"yeah, okay. 'Nother cup."