*Missy Hissy teleported back to Brimloch Roon, the events of the past few days weighing heavily on her mind. Shaking the dust from her feet, she headed into the Boar's Head tavern for some refreshment and a bite to eat before figuring out what to do next.*

<font color=gray>Barkeep! A mug of ale, and some beef and bread.</font>

The barkeep draws a mug of ale and sets it in front of his guest, then heads into the back for the food.

<font color=gray>*sip* Mmmmm... good.</font>

Barkeep returns with a plate <font color=green>Here. Good day on the seas?</font>

<font color=gray>Thanks. You might say it was good. I didn't die today.</font>

<font color=green>*guffaw!* Well, that's one way to look at it! And if you had died, you wouldn't be enjoying the misses' best cooking, either. So there's two wins! The little pleasures --</font>

Missy cracks a smile. <font color=gray>--make a difference, my dad always used to say. When I thought he was my dad, anyway.</font> *looks up* <font color=gray>Say, you look familiar. Have we met?</font>

*Looking her back in the eye* <font color=green>Perhaps. I've been many places, and seen many things. Done a few of 'em. You look a little... flush, though. Did you land some challenging fish, or spend a lot of time fixin' your boat?</font>

Missy cleared her throat sadly. <font color=gray>I guess you could say I landed a challenging fish. Death of a dark lord and all that. But I killed what little I had of my parents in the process. Do you have a name?</font>

The barkeep smiled. <font color=green>Call me B. Everyone does. It's easier, and it's shorthand.</font>

<font color=gray>Don't you share your whole name? Or do you live in the short land?</font>

<font color=green>Some things are best left alone. And for the moment, I'll leave you to your meal. I see some more guests coming in.</font>

[ 02-26-2004, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

Missy looked up as four people entered the bar.

<font color=purple>”Hey you were right in your assumption that she would be here”</font>, remarked the bard to the zenmaster.

<font color=lime>”Well, I had a premonition”. ”Call it zenmaster’s intuition, if you will”. </font>, the zenmaster responded.

The bard, the warlock, and the assassin shook hands with Missy. The zenmaster gave her a hug. The zenmaster felt confident that he could read the relief in her eyes that her final encounter with Kerah had not ended in disaster.

<font color=gray>”Where are the other two?” </font>, asked Missy.

<font color=purple>”They are with Stackman at town hall”, replied the bard. ”I suspect they will be around shortly”. ”But after all Stackman is the best at negotiating, and having just had us save Brimloch Roon and the entire Gael Serran, I am pretty sure that he can make Duke Brinsly appoint us for some good positions out there”. ”In fact Stackman was hoping to see you later” </font>, he continued.

Missy looked at the bar counter pondering the situation. After all Stackman was one of the gods from Ironworks. Did she dare ask him if he knew anything of her father?… Did she want to know at all?

They all sat down at the bar.

<font color=red>”I will take a bloodlust potion on the rock”</font>, the assassin said to the bartender and while the rest of the party ordered a drink the zenmaster turned to Missy. <font color=lime>”I trust you will not deny me a round of boogre snooker later?”</font>, he asked.

[ 02-26-2004, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: bsftcs ]

Missy looked up at her new companions. Companions. It felt like a strange word, a word to describe people you knew, but didn't. And yet they had slain monsters together, defeated gods together, ended undead lives together... perhaps they were more than companions.

<font color=gray>I... don't know if I'll be up for a game later. But if I am, you shall have a good match. The best I have to offer.</font>

<font color=lime>Fair enough</font> responded the zenmaster. <font color=lime>In the meantime, do you have any questions from your... meeting?</font>

Missy turned and stared into her roast beast. <font color=gray>Questions? I have plenty. Answers, and the desire to find them? Not a whole lot. </font> She looked up at the zenmaster. <font color=gray>How do you do it? How do you reconcile what we did with going on to another town, another life, another day? After a day of battling evil, cursing gods, and saving the world, what do you do next?</font>

<font color=lime>”How do we manage… That is a good question”</font>, the zenmaster said pondering. <font color=lime>”There are long periods when I do not worry about a thing, I believe those periods coincide with the periods when Stackman has his computer turned off”.</font> <font color=red>””What is a computer exactly?”</font>, asked the assassin. <font color=magenta>”Well, according to the tome of legends, it is a device used by the gods to control life in the Gael Serran – including us”, </font> replied the widely read warlock. <font color=magenta>”Some of the more prominent scholars in the history of the realm claim that the entire Gael Serran exists INSIDE those machines”.</font>

<font color=purple>”Amazing theory”,</font> said the bard, <font color=purple>”I ought to write a song about that phenomenon one of these days”. </font>

<font color=lime>”What it all really boils down to, I think”,</font> continued the zenmaster, <font color=lime>”is the fact that life is a marvel and you have to stop worrying too much”. ”I know that not knowing your parents troubles you – and rightly so”. ”But you are alive, you have a good health – and just think of the experience points and traits you have gathered”. ”You should be happy, and it makes me sad seing you so troubled”. </font>

Missy smiled wanly. <font color=gray>Troubled? Perhaps I am. Much of what has happened would do more than trouble the average person... it would kill them. And since I am here, I must be more than average.</font> She looked up. <font color=gray>True. There is much more to be thankful for. Still, today I have lost those I knew as my parents, in all manners of speaking. Perhaps that may be what I can begin now.</font>

The zenmaster nodded. <font color=lime>You are wise. There is more to life than just the moment, yet the moment is all we can live. Appreciating the now is an important precept.</font>

<font color=red>Precept, schmecept</font> rasped the assassin. <font color=red>Where are the others? I'm getting hungry and tired.</font>

Missy grinned. <font color=gray>I do appreciate your assistance at the end. When Kerah surprised me, I was quite lost. Thank you.</font>

<font color=purple>With pleasure</font> said the bard. <font color=purple>Now, as I begin to work on more songs... might you be willing to share some of what happened after we left?</font>

Missy's scowl returned. <font color=gray>After you left, Anephas and Kerah came in. Anephas realized how Kerah had toyed with him for centuries, and he left. Kerah didn't understand what she'd done, and I left her there.</font>

<font color=red>Alive? And untouched?</font> asked the assassin incredulously.

<font color=gray>Alive, yes. But not untouched.</font> She looked at the zenmaster sadly. <font color=gray>Perhaps I've betrayed my karma for the next several lifetimes, but I left her with the curses of all those she has toyed with, and all that she has trampled in her self-righteous quest. She is... not happy, I think.</font>

The zenmaster nodded. <font color=lime>Sometimes, we must do things that benefit others more than ourselves. Though our karma may take damage, we do more good for others. And thus our karma, though wounded, becomes stronger.</font>

<font color=magenta>Look! I see the others coming. </font>said the warlock. <font color=magenta> I wonder what they've found?</font>

[ 02-26-2004, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

The bar doors closed behind the valkyrie and the barbarian.

<font color=black>”I will have the usual”,</font> said the barbarian. <font color=black>”Come to think of it, you could prepare us all a meal – we have the rest of the day off, and we are all hungry”.</font> They all nodded. <font color=black>”My treat”. </font>

<font color=red>”So what is afoot?”, </font> asked the barbarian. <font color=silver>”Extremely good news…”,</font> grinned the valkyrie, <font color=silver>”But I think I had better let Stackman explain that – I think he will be here shortly”. </font> Overhearing the ranting of her curious party members she turned to Missy. <font color=silver>”Nice to have you with us again”, </font> she continued. <font color=gray>”And I am pleased to be with you”, </font> replied Missy, <font color=gray>”but I have to agree with your curious friends, that an explanation would be in place”. </font>

<font color=yellow>”And a such you shall have”, </font>said Stackman coming out from behind the bar disk. <font color=green>”Pray tell, what are you doing back there?”,</font> ranted B, <font color=green>”this is private property”.</font> <font color=yellow>”According to this”, </font> said Stackman producing an elaborate official looking document carrying the seal of the governor of Brimloch Room, <font color=yellow>”I have been named Lord Protector of the Isle of Sands, Assistant Governor of Brimloch Roon, and Superintendent General of the Gael Serran (pending the approval of the annual governor summit which is just a formality)”. ”That makes me chief executive of the public health and veterinary authorities giving me the rights to make an unannounced inspection of your kitchen facilities”. ”We can also drop the formalities and call me the assistant barkeeper if you like?”.</font> <font color=green>”Fair enough”, </font>said the puzzled B only too happy to avoid any problems”. <font color=green>”Shall I help you to a decaffeinated mana max potion then?”. </font>

So what privileges has Stackman managed to acquire for his friends, and will Missy Hissy continue her search for her family?

The Boar's Head conversation part 2 coming up shortly. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Nice mix there ;) . Didn't want to intefere in the middle of it with posts, but I suppose it's safe now [img]tongue.gif[/img] .