Briarbeard Tavern (Vaul) - III

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram chuckles when he first hears Fangir's name, "Fangir killed the black beast? I knew that old codger was too tough to be dead. When we couldn't find him in the tomb, we went looking for him and his trail lead off towards the mountain."

But his face darkens when he hears the rest of the story. "Fangir asked our group to help him kill the beast. Quirin politely declined of course, he thought there might be easier marks eastward and we accepted another job from the Thane. I had offered Fangir my help, but he wanted more than myself if he was to challenge the wolf. It seems we missed our chance, the wolf burned them all out...women and children and all. It's a ruin now, but Fangir got his revenge in the end it seems. So now he's after me?" Bertram ponders this for a while, kneading his temples as if this is one more problem he does not need.

"There's not much I can do about that now. Adrienne is missing, captive or dead, I don't know which. I was hoping Orrin could tell me more. But if what you say is true, he might not be all that friendly towards me either. If he is my enemy, it is better to find out now than later."

"Be careful out there, Rhodri. The hobgoblins have started moving in from the east. Ironically enough, it might be that the Black Beast was the only thing holding them back."

Bertram will leave word with Ghrym that he is looking for the dwarf called Orrin.

[Zorroroaster]

Im going to be schizophrenic keeping all these conversations and timelines going, so bear with me!

Orrin turns to Remus. "Bounty hunting eh? I suppose some honest work would probably be best, right about now. When do you want to leave?"

In another timeline:

He looks at Ulf, a growing suspicion in his eyes.

"Aren't you all buddy buddy with that Bertram? I'm...I'm not sure I can deal with you just yet. It's clear Orrin is having a hard time finding the right words. "I'm admittedly a bit of a stickler when it comes to honour and propriety. I'd like to buy the armour, God knows I could use it. And I have the coin. I just have a bit of an issue at the moment. My beef isn't directly with you, and I have no quarrel with a man who sets out on a job not knowing exactly what he's signed on for, but at some point one has to consider...morality. Doing the right thing, and all that."

Aaaand in our third and final timeline:

Orrin spies Bertram entering the tavern. He takes a deep shuddering breath, as if he's steeling himself for something he doesn't really want to do. He stands and stalks over to Bertram, his face dark and angry.

You. Outside, now. We need to talk, and if there's bloodshed I promised Ghrym I wouldn't dirty his floor again. Let's go."
He opens the door to the tavern and motions Bertram out with a nod of his head.

[KingOfCowards]

Is there a just outside of Briarbeard Tavern thread?
Bertram nods in agreement, "You're Orrin? We do need to talk. Outside or in, it makes no difference to me." He doesn't quite know what to expect, but mention of bloodshed will surely put him on edge. He follows the uncomely dwarf outside.

[Zhym]

Let's just wait on Ulf's timeline with Orrin (May 3) until we see what happens between Orrin and Bertram the day before. Maybe Orrin will be less hostile to Bertram, or maybe Ulf will have even more to explain. Who knows?

[Zorroroaster]

Uncomely is a very nice way to put it.

Once outside, Orrin wheels on Bertram.

"Someone wants you dead. I have half a mind to do the killing.". He takes a deep, shuddering breath and calms somewhat. "Luckily, my mother was a wise woman and beat some lessons into me that prevent that from happening. For now."

"Answer me one question. Did you loot Fangir's ancestral tomb literally moments after you thought him dead?"

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram bristles at the suggestion, but answers directly. "We took nothing from the Firedeep Tomb when we left Fangir there. He told us to run and we barely escaped with our lives." With some brief soul-searching, the warrior realizes a further explanation would be in order.
"I'll admit we returned to the ruins, but it was to seek revenge on the ghouls who had killed my friends. We found the tomb empty and then, yes, we took what we had found left behind by legal salvage rights. You want to kill me for that? The Firedeep treasure would either be in our hands or the hobgoblins."

"Now I have question for you..." I fully expect to be interrupted here. I just want to portray that Bertram has more important things on his mind than crazy dwarves, or treasure hordes or wolf druids.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin grows quiet. His words come out cold and even.

"He called you friend. You robbed his family tomb, and here you stand hiding your guilt behind fancy terms like 'legal salvage rights.' When he saved me, I recognized that he'd gone insane from the grief of losing everything. I lost my mother in a fire, I know well that particular pain. But he was lucid in his expression of utter betrayal by people he had once held dear."

"There are no words in my tongue foul or dark enough to describe what you've done. How can you truly justify your actions?" His last words come spitting out of his mouth, like he can barely stand the taste of them.

[KingOfCowards]

"Fine, Orrin. You tell me what I should have done. The Firedeep clan is dead and not by my hands. Who should this treasure be turned over to? I went into that smoking tomb while it was still ablaze, looking for survivors. I saw good men, men you knew, ripped apart by the ghouls that came out of there. Would you consider Crivit to be an evil man? Did he deserve that fate? Fangir walked out of there, and if he is as crazy as he sounds, I pity him. But two of my friends were not so lucky."

"Whether you admit it or not there is a word for what I do, and it may sound dark and foul to you, but its honest. We're treasure hunters, all of us. I've seen the company you keep. You think any of them wouldn't take what they could if Vaul should be burnt to the ground. How cold was that Lars boy's body before you relieved it of his gold?

If you want to fight for the dead-dwarf clan like Fangir, you go right ahead. Me, I'm on the side of the living."

[Keehnelf]

There's a really distasteful Lars joke Hidden in there...

[Marullus]

Bromric sits on the stoop, nursing a mug of beer, some of it steaming from the heat of his beard while Bertram and Orrin argue.

He smiles.

[Zhym]

Bromric sits on the stoop, nursing a mug of beer, some of it steaming from the heat of his beard while Bertram and Orrin argue.

He smiles.

See? EVIL.

[Zorroroaster]

"Yes, we are treasure hunters. Sack a lost civilization looking for things of interest? Count me in. Delve into an ancient barrow of tribes long past? Sign me up."

"This is different, and you know it. No verbal dancing changes that. Fangir was your friend, and you desecrated his memory with your actions."

Orrin grows very quiet.

"Lars had no body left when he was incinerated in front of me. What did we do with his coin? We came back to Vaul and tried our best to raise a memorial to him."

"What will you do will your spoils?"

"I will not deal with you further. You have no honour, no scruples. If this is how your friends are to be treated upon their death, I'm glad not to be among them."

[Keehnelf]

Bromric sits on the stoop, nursing a mug of beer, some of it steaming from the heat of his beard while Bertram and Orrin argue.

He smiles.

Love It.

[KingOfCowards]

"Then talk to me of your friends, please. Where are they? Where are Jem, and Naila, and Adrienne? That is all I want from you. You escaped, so you know their whereabouts, and I intend to bring them back."

[Keehnelf]

This is starting to feel a little bit like the end of The Empire Strikes Back in terms of where we are in the swing of triumph to tragedy.

[Zorroroaster]

"Can you raise the dead? Jem is gone. A ghoul. I saw him with my own eyes. Adrienne exists physically, but her mind and soul had been taken from her by Zyggmaur, a foe of unspeakable power and evil. I don't know what became of Naila. I had nothing but a steak knife against an army."

"As far as you, Fangir lives. Do you hear? He is there, at the mountain. You can explain yourself to him when you next meet."

[KingOfCowards]

"Then my business is with Zyggmaur first. Fangir and you can have what's left of me. And if that's how you treat your friends, they are better off without you.".

Bertram starts to walk away, when Bromric catches his eye, "What are you smiling at demon?"

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin shakes his head sadly.

"Don't you dare question my loyalty to my friends. If there was anything I could do to rescue them, I would do it. As it is, Lug is still out there looking for us. I don't know if he'll make it back either."

He looks off into the distance.

[Marullus]

Bertram starts to walk away, when Bromric catches his eye, "What are you smiling at demon?"

"Bromric was certain, so certain, that you would aid him if he appealed to you himself. It seems your notions of loyalty and friendship are misunderstood by dwarves writ large," says the visitor in Bromric's body. He rises and takes a long drought of his tankard and waves off-handedly. "Do not worry... I understand you. You make perfect sense to me." He smiles kindly, offering a polite nod to Bertram before turning to re-enter the tavern.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram snorts off the demon's attempt to trick him.
It seems that dwarves are the ones with odd notions of friendship and loyalty...they seem to think that it only flows one way, toward them.