Faro'oq reached his arms into the arm as he walked into the tavern. He lets out a massive sigh of relief and flops down into a tavern chair. " I need a vacation." his head flies its leaned back position forward slamming into the table top making a thud. "ow" a low exhausted voice slid out from under the Ixifars breath.
Faro'oq does not even raise his head from the table. "Evening Kresh" in a low tone. His hand reaches up feeling around for a piece of meat. His hand moving around the table searching for a piece of loose meat. Upon finding a chuck Kresh had removed from the cow he begins pecking away at piece by piece. Half sleeping half eating. After finishing the piece he looked up at Kresh and smiled. "Thank you" before flopping back down on the table.
Faro'oq looks up from his head rest. "Evening Garen." after a half-ass wave he looks to kresh a shrugs. "That's the problem my friend I have no time for things on my mind I've been very busy and have no time for rest. It it difficult doing all of the things I do with just two hands to do them." He looks down at his hands and lifts them to the light to examine them. "If only I could enchant two more."
Siska lay lazily (as lazily as Siska can) on the beam above her blood chief, close brother, and new acquaintance. "Good evening, men." Her golden eyes gleamed in the merky darkness that was the tavern rafters. "It has been long winter. But I feel change in the weather." She smiled her odd smile at them showing her front fangs. "Faro'oq, it has been long time since last I saw you."
Sitting in a corner, seemingly alone, Crow notices the conversation and cant help but be intrigued. He mutters something unheard, grabs his foamed over pint of ale and heads to join the conversation. "I couldn't but help but over hearing you saying something about needing more hands, just so happens extra hands is a specialty of mine, well extra hands arms, or even eyes." He says glancing around the group. He casually sets his pint down allowing the group to see his right hand, three of his fingers catching the light as only mithril could. "You see, I happen to know alot about grafting extra parts or even removing old ones and adding new ones, two arms and two hands shouldn't be much trouble." Upon closer inspection the group can clearly see multiple scars, stitches and an odd pulsating green rock imbedded in Crows forehead.
Kade had been enjoying the breeze and the early spring sunset from the tavern railings when she saw Garen "that-one-uordeq-people-don't-seem-to-hate" walk up the path and inside the slowly populating tavern. Strange how some people even had respect for hoot. Uordeq inside or not, Kade was hungry. She breathed deeply and sighed as the red disk slipped over the horizon leaving the painted clouds to speak for themselves. Heading into the tavern, she saw a small group of bears congregating around a table with the Ixifar Faro'oq, a small group that included the shriss. "Great."
Siska's eyes flickered to the door as Kade walked in and then flashed back to this new being. He was indeed a strange looking thing and Siska didn't trust strange looking. "Who arrre you?" She asked from the shadows of her lofty perch. "I don't believe we've met." Her glowing eyes gazed coolly at the newcomer.
Meeting her gaze with a wink," A traveler, thats the simplest way to explain it. The name most people have come to know me by is Crow. I've been mostly selective with who I've spoken to in Orn, as a few people I've told my story to have thought me nothing but insane, and a strange incident with a piece of my flesh being ebon colored and and sporting a red eye didn't earn me much kinship either, however that eye soon found itself back in a jar where it belongs, replaced with this one," he says pointing to his left eye, which bears a striking resemblance to a dragons eye. " Just a little trophy earned on the way." "I believe your a new addition to the Blood Bears, if I'm not mistaken."
From the shadows of Crows booth, the golem moved fluidly and without sound to the table of Ornites. "More hands?" Vyr asks as he stares down at the carcass. "I once knew this marilith, her stage name was Candy Oh So Handy. She would pour oil on her body and take her hands......"
The door to the kitchen area of the tavern opened quite suddenly with a few objects flying out through it as well with yelling for one to get out already; with Ling walking backwards with a peice of jerky hanging out of his mouth, two tankards in each hand and that dumb stupid grin he gets when he knows he is in trouble but doesn't really care. Wearing much more armor he usually does, except his chest which was just his tunic. It looked like his chest plate was laying nearby at least. Giggling like a madman listening to the spirits in their heads he turned and surveyed the tavern and noted who all had returned from the winter so far. That was when he spotted the small gathering and sucked up the smoked meat while seemingly gliding over to them, careful to not spill a drop. "Ay there lads! Lasses. How are ye all doing today then?" he noticed Faro'oq with his head in his hands and everyone else saying hello after being gone for such a while. "Faroq laddy, whats wrong boyo. You're in the tavern and dont have a drink. You should fix that first." He placed one of the tankards down and handed one to Garen, starting to drink one of the other ones and wiping his lips with the back of his gauntlet.
"Sorry Ling, I only drink beverages that I pour myself. Nothing personal mind you, just an old habit that I can't quit let go of. I appreciate the offer though", the uordeq said, somewhat regretfully, "Siska there is ample seating down here if you'd like to join in the company"
"Ah, food and drink...Although I have no need for such base sustenance, I wouldn't turn down some qilovestualt... " Nodding thoughtfully, Vyr turns to the group, lights flare in his eyes, "Thanks to Thalenir's battle with time, I can recall ever so much more of my past." The golem sits down beside Garen clapping him on the back, chuckles and in a hushed whisper, "Oh so much more!"
Kade was off-put by the comotion that surrounded the tired Ixifar. She followed Siska to her booth in the back. "Shriska, " she said reaching into her satchel, "I hope you were abke to stay warm these past few months." She set the shriss's robe on the table, and sat down across from her, casting eyes back toward th ecclectic gathering. "What's happening? "
Ling, who had at some point while listening to the others converse had finished one of his drinks and began on the other, looked over to his good friend. "Well, Seeing as this is my first winter in this realm, and having spent a good bit of it in Glesmyr and the other part here in Jastrey." he said sipping on what smelled like a good hard apple cider. "Glesmyr is a harsh, biting, bitter cold and humid place - such an enchanting combination. Every surface, every blade of grass and twig is growing long ice crystals as long as my pinky. I walked through a jungle of ice with pure white "trees" growing without roots. It was a breath taking land there; And with only my small hall there, in that magestic ice waste with little contact to anyone other than Volrog and Dalagorn, and even then they spent most of their time up on the mountain." He nodded and smiled thinking of the world far to the north. "And Jastrey is just a plain boring old place with the cold slush from the constant movement in town and crappy snow. With the sky as it's full of wood smoke." He shrugged and sipped on his drink.
A small pinpoint of light hovers near the gathered adventurers. After afew moments it rips open is a definitive sucking noise, before howing Glesmyrian winds flood the tavern. Rune stands in the tear wearing simple, worn robes. The golems stone forearms and hands are scarred and chipped from use over the winter. Snow sloughs off the construct as it encounters the balmy Jasterian spring. The portal closes with a snap, and Rune waits until the parties he seeks are free
The sudden disturbance of runes teleportation in to the tavern startled Faro'oq awake. "Ahhh" he screams as he lifts up out of his seat to the sound. He looks around and registers the people with the voices he had heard while he was sleeping (dream silver). His eyes stick together as he bats them awake. "My apologies everyone I seemed to have fallen asleep." His gaze turns to Nilaza. "This is my own doing long nights of work and early mornings. Its seems to be that the winter is always busiest time for me. Then summer rolls around and the sun she shines on us again. It seems a simpler time, no?" Faro'oq realizing his hunger grabs another piece of raw cow meat and begins chewing away at it. Grabbing another piece he turns in the direction of Siska "Evening Siska. Want any?" holding the meat up high.
Ling slammed down an ale infront of Faro'oq and stood laughing as he went and embraced the golem quickly before returning to his seat, raising his hand as if he was holding a ball. "RUNE! You, weird living stone thing you, how goes cataloging books and those Gnomish blueprints I liberated for you?" he asked and kicked his feet up on another bench. "What do you need? You don't leave the tower for more than two things really, its either market day or you need something, and its not a market day." He spread his arms and shrugged, picking up his drink and sipping it again.
The construct is unmoving as the drunken elf embraces it. "This needs to speak to Garen, and then Vry and Crow. This one also seeks Foro'oq, as it needs to speak with the paladins" emits from the construct. It continues "This one has looked at them, but needs to make the correct contacts to bring that contraption to fuition. However, this will wait until the gathered are done with their gretting and catching up."
Faro'oq looks towards his large stone friend. "Whenever you find time rune I will make time. You know where I sleep and work. I will clear time for you any sun you show up. " Looking back to the table before taking a moment to fetch a drink form the bar keep and resting back in his chair.
Vyr pushes the chair away from the table, and sweeps a low now before Rune and says, "I am at your service, and will await our conversation with eager anticipation." He then sits back down laces his hands behind his head, and stares up at the ceiling. Seeming to be deep in thought.
The construct adresses the paladin first, " This one seeks to bolster and rebuild the paladins of Jastrey. This one would appreciate it if the Order began seeking squires." Rune then emits, "This one would like to hire Vry and Crow to help train this one's apprentices. Prices can be negotiated upon the first training. Garen specifically needs to attain a certain level of proficiancy before his wizard training may continue. Also, between the four of you, all styles of armed combat will be covered"
After finishing cooking Kresh looks up from the fire, Kresh ignored the silly talk of magic from Rune. "What form of training are you talking about Rune? Garen is very proficient at killing, ive trained him in the way of rage and battle. I see no reason for him to learn to kill a man from behind, that is cowards way of killing." Kresh looks over at Crow and Nilaza. "I mean no offense to you two, your skill in it is very...... efficient, I have just trained Garen to enjoy the battle of life and death."
"Kresh, you wound me, and I must wonder if you've ever truly seen me in battle. There is a large difference between a battle for honor and all out war. I win wars. I win them not by being the strongest or the bravest or the fastest, while I surely possess all those skills, I win them by being the smartest, able to out think and exploit an enemies weakness. At the end it matters not who has the bragging rights, as the gods judge us all as individuals, but who is able to continue to feast and tell their tales of glory and valor."
Looking Kresh in the eye with no hesitation. "Yup, by any means necessary. As long as I walk away. I have attacked flanks, staked sleeping vampires while they screamed and turned to ash, cut the heads off of were creatures while they lay whining and panting in the blood soaked earth. I will do whatever it takes to keep my comrades and I alive."
Vyr stares up at the ceiling shakes his head as if to ward off an old memory, and looks back at Kresh, "Honor is a noble thing, and great for duels when fair maidens hold out favors for the victor. War is different, children pleading for death while they lay in the mud, hoping someone will end the pain...their Is no honor there, only victors or losers. So I guess I am......how did you say it? An efficient coward.."
Vyr stands from the table putting the dagger away. He bows to the table and says, "Gentlemen, lady, and golem". He stands up, pats his knee, and looks at Crow. "Meatbag".
"You missunderstand me, i know the value of your trades. Meny in my family are trained in those ways. But Garen in my brother, and i have seen in these trades used on my family by cowards. I apologize if i have upset you i have no quarral with either of you." Kresh approcces the two, and wispers in there ears "I see Garen being more powerful then myself, and i dont trust anyone right now."
Rune calmly waits for the others to finish speaking before emitting, "This is part of the reason why this one chose these two to aid in his training. This one does not wish to instruct Garen on how to be a better warrior, per say, but to hone his mind. Part of a wizard, and spellsword's, training is recognizing where they can be most effective. You've given Garen his steel Kresh, this one wishes to hone it."
Clapping Kresh heavily on the shoulder and chuckling, "No insult given, and no insult taken. I was trained from the time I was a small boy to fight on a shield line. Thats where you started, as fodder, if you could last long enough you'd move on to learning how to use every single weapon we had available, personally i chose great sword then switched to an 8 and a half foot glaive I named Funeral Dirge. We can train Garen to not only fight with honor but with brains, but we are taking heavy liberities here I believe, what say you Garen?" Crow finishes looking towards Garen.
Garen had remained silent while the others discussed his training. "I am never opposed to learning new combat tactics. It is true what Kresh has said, he has taught me to harness my rage. But now...", Garen flicked the [weeping amber for those who can recognize it] pendant hanging around his neck, "I am going to master it. I would be honored to be trained by ones as skilled as you."
"It is fine Kresh, you have spoken your mind about things, as have I. Now we both know where the other is coming from. While I can't claim the mastery of all weapons, I can give insight on battle movements, tactics, and accuracy."
With these words spoken, Vyr sits back down at the table.
"One other thing, no interruptions. We may have to call upon resources to prevent.....others....from disturbing Garen, Meatbag, and myself. Rune, is it possible to find a place free of....unwanted distractions?"
Subconsiously Garen's hand went to a white streak in his otherwise blood-red hair. He had spent to long between the worlds of life and death and it had left its mark. "Yes...I agree that any combat training must be free of such distractions. What would lessons entail? My prefered style is the greatsword and other weapons involving the use of both hands"
"This one will take us to Glesmyr, high in the moutains. The thin air and cold will strengthen your body, and let we simulacrum protect you at full capacity. Kresh, you will be given a gate crystal that will bring you to this one, should the Bloodbears grow concerned." emits from the construct.
Gulping down whats left of one of his two drinks Crow chuckles loudly, "Greatsword would be my area of expertise. Dont worry to much Garen, you'll be trained as I was trained from a wittle baby until I became a man, the way Vyr was very briefly taught once he arrived in my home land." Glancing quickly to Kresh,"You'll appreciate this, he'll be taught to fought as the Northmen fight, as the Ulfheonar fight."
Vyr sits back in the chair watching the doors of the tavern, his back to the wall. He nods his head in Crow's direction. "Good fighting and training was had by all. That was before...." Vyr's fist clenches and a bright glow pours out of his eyes. After a moment the fires subside and Vyr continues
"Crow knows his great weapons, gods know the times we stood with his polearms and my blades. I am not a master of any weapon, but I can offer to teach specialties that lie in other areas.....for a fee of course"
Looking from Garen to Rune to the paladin,"Thinking more on this, where did all the paladins go? I heard some very disturbing rumors of an incident, apparently children were allowed to be murdered while the paladins sat by and did nothing? Something about an illusion world. Does anyone know the truth of this?"
Faro'oq who had fallen back to sleep raised his head from the table. A look of confusion fell upon his face as he digested what crow had said. " I know not what you speak of? As far as my knowledge goes the circles membership has not changed since Thareon's ascending. Do you know something I do not I have been preoccupied recently?"
Replying to Faro'oq "That does make sense. Now if you'll excuse me theres a wench over there whose been batting her eyes at me for quite a while. I shall see you all shortly." Crow excuses himselves and walks over a comely female, they walk out of the tavern together.
Kresh opens the door to the tavern carrying a large cow over his shoulders (strength). He sees the ixifar known as Foro'oq bump his head on the table. "You should be more careful, you could get hurt" Kresh puts the cow on one of the tables, he pulls a blade from his belt and begins gutting the animal. "Normally i would be eating deer but one of my brothers get very..... squeamish when i eat them, would you like some food?" on closer inspection the cow was not killed by a blade but instead five deep gashes across its neck and body.