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"I don't think there be a dwarf musician here, sad to say Rin." Bowen would say.

He would get a refill of his drink, then joined over to the other two a moment. He knew Rockbreaker would manage briefly on his own without Bowen there for their usual teasing and joking.

"I've not seen many a dwarf musician, since I came from the city I'm from years ago to do my work outside of the dwarf cities and the like. It would be good if we could get to hear some gold ol' drawrven music again. But alas! For now, it seems that is not ta be."

Says before taking a swig from his mug.

Jip thought hard about the caves. There were several within a few day's journey that he knew of.

"Weeeeelllll ... there's Bear Cave. The bear that lives there is really very nice. I don't think he's the type that would pal around with kobolds," he said, nearly spitting out the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"And some caves to the south. Worm tunnels, my grandpappy called 'em. Maybe the kobolds live there. Then if you go aaaaaaaaalllllll the way to desert, there's some rocky caves in this huge red rock. Or maybe..."

He was distracted by the King's odd call... his train of thought slipping from one thing to the next easily. "Oh! Do you think he has giant ravens?!" Jip mused aloud, eyes going toward the sky to see these 'Tremendous animals'.

Two large shapes sped from the outskirts of the festival grounds. A good look would show the animals were somewhere between 6 and 7 feet from head to tip of tail. They moved so quickly and fluidly that they seemed more like roving shadows than actual physical beings.

One raptor screeched to the other as they sprinted. Luvarian explorers named these creatures raptors because of their similarity to airborne birds of prey. This pair was gifted to the King soon after they had hatched. They were now over two years old, having grown into the King’s trusted hunting partners.

The turquoise raptor squealed first when it arrived near the King. It pulled air away from its nostrils alongside a whirring click. The noise sounded like a cross between a dolphin and an eagle. King Haar moved to stroke the red feathers above the turquoise raptor’s beak.

The brown and orange female raptor turned her head towards the gnomes. She let out a deep, reverberating bark call. The turquoise raptor turned from King Haar to investigate what the other raptor was calling about. It squealed an excited yell.

The brightly colored male raptor moved to stick its muzzle against Jip. It snorted loudly as it tried to pull air in from closer to the gnomes. The female raptor lifted her snout and barked two gruff, deep calls.

King Haar walked behind the raptors and rubbed them behind the neck. “Such loyal pets, they are”, King Haar said coyly to Jip and Taluna.

Taluna listened attentively to Jip and his explanation of caves. Thinking about it a little bit, her guess of where the kobolds might be hiding would be the worm cave. It just seemed like the most likely place for those wretches to hide.

Just as she was about to comment on the King’s pets, they revealed themselves and the little gnome warrior tensed up in horror and repulsion.

“L-Lizards!!” She said as she grew pale at the raptors’ approach and was positively paralyzed.

Rockbreaker heard the host's wish and more so his good friend master Bowen's wish.

He repeatedly slammed his heavy fist on the table in a constant rythm and the handle of his heavy axe against the floor, so as to make the drumming sound to accompany any and every dwarven song. He cleared his throat and started to sing, a dwarven song for his friend and kin

Beneath the tall mountains of old
we dig and break that solid rock
to reach the pale forgotten gold
we hack away, to fell that block

where no light shines, beneath the earth
we crack, we break and dig all day
where no wind blows from a warm hearth
we raze and strike, move stone away

if roaring dragon rears head
sharpen the axe and raise the spear
tear it down, until it's dead
strike it hard, without no fear

for he guards that ancient wealth
we shall find piled on the floor
we'll take it back and all is well
to start digging elsewhere once more

((OOC - original song/poem created for you Winters_Fury! Happy Birthday))

It wasn't a long song, of course, for he was no bard, he was a fighting dwarf.
Even so, cheerful music that encouraged work was always good to share among his other folk.

((-Has NEVER had a tune created for myself before- TUSI-SAN YOU ROCK! ))

Hearing the drumming that Rockbreaker was creating, Bowen turned to give his full attention to him. A huge grin would soon spread across that bushy bearded face of his, as he would soon tap his foot in time to the tune.

"AH! ROCKBREAKER YE SURE ARE FULL OF SURPRISES AREN'T YE?! THAT WAS GRAND!" Bowen cheered.

And he meant it too. Rockbreaker might not be a bard, but boy he could do the dwarf's proud for sure.

Well... those raptors put ideas of theft right out of Jip's head. He tended to have a good way with animals and the way these two came when called suggested the King had a great deal of control over them. The gnome might feel confident in his ability to outmaneuver and elude human and maybe even elven guards. But these things? No thanks...

“L-Lizards!!”

Looked like Taluna wan't too keen about taking them on either.

"Let's make like geese and get the flock outta here...."

“I am glad your duties brought you here”, Bel-Urvon said after Falathiel spoke on her reasons for attending. “There are lots of traders, if you wish to acquire anything useful. This includes rare arcane items. One can also get their armor repaired or polished.”

With a smile, he added, “I had a few dwaven blacksmiths give my armor a once over. They even found ways to reinforce it and make it better. But your armor looks well maintained.”

He couldn’t help but take in the smells of the various cooking stations. “Perhaps a hearty meal or drink is in order after such a trip.”

Arundriel leaned forward to carefully examine the stone his guest showed him. He listened to her stories of her homeland’s weather mages and their crystals. The high elf had seen the dark elf wizard casting spells before and remembered he used a large stone slab.

“That doesn’t sound to different to the way our mages interact with the weather. The king favors a dark elf trained as a storm mage. His powers are tied most to water, from building humidity all the way through powerful rain and lightning. I know he used labradorite.. A grey stone with a blue and green sheen.”

Thinking about the King’s impulses he added, “the King has been rather hasty of late, using Pluvio’s services at the slightest discomfort.”

“ we don’t force change the weather. We use weather crystal which make us feel our ideal temp. For me I’m a more lower temp person. So example. I could have a winter crystal so I be cooler and your could have a Sumer one so you feel warm and yet the weather could be spring and rainy. But the rain won’t get us wet. I still feel as if I’m in winter and you still feel as if the sun out and are warm.” She said as some examples.


“ I’m not saying what this kingdom wrong. But I know the toll it takes. It easier to create this crystal then to manipulate the weather and less straining for weather mage. I should maybe check on the weather mage and use some of my healing magic on him.

The fae still seemed made at the weather change.

"I have a dwarven friend with me, who went off to explore the dwarven tent. Master Bowen usually inspects my things for me, if I might not return to the Kingdom for a while to repair things. Though sometimes it is a hit or miss with Bowen, he usually doesn't stay in one place too often. Though lately he has stuck around the Draorethien Kingdom. Which has been helpful for myself, and my cousin's when they are in the area."

Her attention shifted around the general area as he spoke about food and such, then Falathiel looked back to Bel-Urvon.

"What do you suggest or have in mind?"

There were a few other female dwarves in the tent. One was the aforementioned blonde cook. She worked the line alongside several particularly haggard looking male dwarves. There were a few other dwarven women in the tent. One had dark hair worn in two long braids. She was a blacksmith known for her chain mail armor.

He smiled and nodded into a bow as she mentioned not playing an instrument. It seemed that not many dwarves played traditional instruments. He would have to start studying one at some point. Part of why he asked was his own search for a mentor. “I had you pegged as a vocalist”, he said when she mentioned singing.

As she spoke of the long trip, Rin motioned for a server to bring her steak and ale. A young male dwarf rushed to fill the order.

It was shortly after that when the song broke out. Rin joined in to the beat with his own hand and his wooden mug. It matched Rockbreaker perfectly. Others also joined in until the beat was loud enough to reverberate across the fairgrounds.

“Well done”, Rin said to Rockbreaker at the song’s conclusion. “Right bit a culture to remind us a home, aye?” Rin turned to watch the server drop a large piece of thunder lizard steak down alongside a glass of ale for Amethyst.

“Say.. Any of ye know where I can find a sturdy tankard? One I can clip to me belt as part a me kit?”

"Aye, Rockbreaker be good like that for sure." Bowen agreed with Rin, about the part reminding them of home.

Upon the question Rin proposed about the tankard, and for it to clip to his belt, Bowen would take his free hand to stroke his beard.

"Mmm. I don't personally know where to find one. But perhaps I could fashion one. It shouldn't be that hard to do. I just need some material, and a place to work at. What would ye be wanting the tankard fashioned out of?"

Before Bel-Urvon could answer Falathiel's question, her hearing picked up on the reverberation from the drwarf tent without realizing that was where it came from.

"What in the name of the Goddess, was that?" Questions curiously.

She was not upset with the whole thing, just caught a bit off guard while being curious.

"One gotta try his best" smiled Rockbreaker, humbled by the praises his modest song had garnered, downing another mug of mead as though it were water

While Bowen was waiting on an answer from Rin, he looked to Rockbreaker a moment.

"AYE! YA BEST BE SAVING SOME OF THAT MEAD FER ME, ROCKBREAKER! YE ALWAYS ARE DRINKING IT LIKE IT'S WATER, WHEN YE KNOW IT'S NOT!"

Bowen wasn't mad, it was all in fun with Rockbreaker.

Rockbreaker let out a loud hearty laughter

"Ye be needing a rounder belly to out drink me, me friend. ' Tis mead be too good to down slowly or sparingly" assured the dwarf, raising another mug to savour the mead further as much as tease, looking at Rin briefly

"Put his on me tab 'n keep the change" prompted Rockbreaker happy to pay for his and Bowen's expenses, dropping a heavy fat bag that contained gold pieces and well carved gemstones from the earlier mentioned song

"Me friend got me me new axe after all. I be needing that for sure 'n certain" trailed off Rockbreaker giving the good reason for shouldering all the costs, not that it was any financial trouble for the treasure finder, he certainly had a knack for smelling and digging up wealth, one could put it down to innate skill or simply experience

"I still say that ye need ta drink it slowly so to savor the taste. But that's just me." Bowen says with a nod.

It showed while he might not always agree, he was a good sport about it. Rockerbreaker might know better than Bowen, but that was fine. Bowen didn't mind learning from other dwarves.

Chaucer was quite a unique quirky character, well used to improvising and stealing the limelight, bold when addressing others above his station, unafraid of the crowds at large, known and unknown. He was a bard that enjoyed putting on dramatic attention-seeking performances and entertain passers-by with grand gestures and pomposity for a coin or two in return, even for a plate of food, or as little as a good round of clapping and clamour.

He was a charlatan, a playwright, a jester who had arrived to liven any gathering he encountered. Having finally arrived at the festival he made his way to the king with a grand, dramatic gesture and stood in his presence to address those attending the gathering



"My lords... my ladies... and everyone else not from the nobility" greeted



"Come, come forth, ye people dearest to my heart. Come hither to hear my words from afar, for I travel long and yonder even, to bring ye with the sound of my voice, word of adventure and fortune, tales of great bravery and heroic deeds, stories of warriors greater than history itself knows them to be" announced Chaucer loudly

"Lend me yer ears for all but an hour that I may tell ye of wonderous things I have learned along my journey.
Far beyond these woods, in the heart of the forests there be the elves, creatures of great nobility and courage, lead by none other than a woman warrior! Captain Falathiel they call her... and captain indeed she is for when the orcs attacked the travelling caravan I was tagging along with... she slew them with her wits and sharp steel" related Chaucer as if speaking fairy tales



"I have it on good account her sword... her mighty blessed sword that slays creatures of darkness, was forged by a mighty dwarf blacksmith, whose skill is spoken of even from the furthest ends of the known living world. Should ye ever meet the great Master Bowen, be sure to procure yerself a sword of his for yer very own, for such perfectly balanced and beautifully crafted steel shall not fail ye in battle against mighty foes" proclaimed Chaucer

"Together, like light and shadow, doeth this elven warrior of mighty deeds and the ever friendly master of the anvil, are said to travel to and fro peril and adventure to another" explained Chaucer "and ye be blessed if ye were to encounter them in thine journeys for perils won't befall ye with such companions at hand" commented Chaucer taking the lute to add tunes to the narrative

"Ahhh the wilderness... such a deep and dark and menacing place at times, shrowded in legend and mystery... it is said that in its deepest cavern it conceals the greatest of all treasures, the equally cursed and blessed Cup of Life.... a goblet guarded by mages till a brazen traveller demands it off them. It is said to grant healing and immortality to any bold enough to dare collect rain water fallen from the heavens and drink from it under the moon light." revealed Chaucer playing the strings some more

"For those adventurous enough... there's much to be found in out there in the rocky caverns, for that is where great treasures of olden times lay buried, forgotten beneath the bones covered soil. A dragon is said to rest near the gold, guarding the entrance to this large treasures but... were ye smart as a dwarf.... ye could carve access from the other side without ever disturbing the sleeping beast till the gold was all but gone" told Chaucer telling tales

(LMAO! O.M.G! I just re-read your post, Tusi. I love you, my friend!)

Said Captain just happened to be in elvin hearing distance of Chaucer, and heard her name pass his lips. Falathiel excused herself from Bel-Urvon, leaving it up to him if he'd follow or not, then would causally strode her way over to Chaucer.

"Well now if it isn't Chaucer. To what do I owe the pleasure of you singing mine and Master Bowen's praises? Really I don't see what I've done to earn such a thing."

Thank goodness Lionel wasn't around, else he'd be giving her that look of his claiming she was doing herself a disservice.

Master Bowen excused himself from his dwarven companions, thanking them kindly for the attention and the food along with good ale. The dwarf would make his way over to where his Captain friend was at, and listening to Chaucer go on about his tale.

"Wut he be goin' on about now?" The Master asked Falathiel.

"You know how Chaucer is, he likes to tell tales. We are the subject this time." Fala answered.

"Oh, aye?" Master Bowen asked as he took his pipe out and lit it.