[2005/10] Tricks and Treats

[Ziv]

[turbine]

http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=414

Ulgrim checked the tower room once more. Cold brew still stood on the icebox and a pile of Pyreals and other trinkets sat in the corner. He had enough stout and food to get him to where he was going, but he didn't expect he would need it. Dereth seemed smaller these days. The vast portal network could almost always be used to get within easy walking distance of where you needed to go.

He turned and walked down the ramp to the courtyard, sliding his hands along the stone walls of the keep.

"Hey you!" he pointed gleefully to the Merchant. "Don't take any wooden Pyreals!"

"Watch those late night hunting excursions! Don't forget how we were almost gored by that Mattekar," he said shaking hands with the Wandering Bowyer. The fact of the matter was he didn't know any of these people's names. He remembered introducing himself on the day he arrived and handing out a friendly round or eight of his personal brew, but in the happy celebration of meeting new friends he had completely forgotten their names. He would be too embarrassed to ask them now.

"I'll be in Glenden Wood at the Festival if you need to reach me or just want to come by and raise a toast to the Season." He called out, waving and grinning like an Eater.

Ulgrim took one last look around the keep that had been his home for the past few months. Well, duty calls, and what would a Festival be without him?

"Farewell everyone!" He waved once and twisted his wand in the symbolic gesture, mumbling the words he never seemed to forget even after he was deep in his cups. Portal space wrapped around him and the keep receded in a purple blur of tunnel vision. He had a few stops to make before Glenden Wood, and he was looking forward to them.


The Drunken Madman laughed to himself again. If you couldn't laugh at things then you truly were mad. He snorted at this thought. He wasn't mad, he was free and probably happier than most of the inhabitants of Dereth. He had left his worries behind and now he lived a life free of restrictions. No more of the pain and fear that had plagued him in the early days after arriving here. The horrors he had seen in those first days& well that wasn't his problem anymore! Now it was time for a drink and roll in the mud.

He had just started to get into his mud pool when a familiar robe and mug came out of the woods waving to him.

"Ulgrim! Long time no see old friend, come and join me. I was just about to go for a dip and have a drop of sake."

"No thanks Jeremy, I never touch that sake stuff. It gives me nightmares and I don't need more of those. Have you been seen many people lately?"

"No, no one wants to follow the Path anymore. They all run around with that silly spell now. The one that lets them play at kill each other without consequence. Asheron's protections make us weak and soft. We won't be ready. If I had my way I would show them how to really fight."

"They just need a form of release, you and I should understand that better than most. Besides, they become better fighters in the process and anything that makes us stronger is a good& well they are becoming better fighters, there's that." Ulgrim shrugged.

"Yeah, but they don't have to sacrifice anything. They put no weight on their own deaths. How can they become real fighters without sacrifice? Bah! Let them wear pink for all I care. Say, you should hear this joke I just thought up."

Ulgrim passed the time drinking and joking with the Drunken Madman, watching him play like a child in the mud. Jeremy had been one of the first to arrive on Dereth. Something other than the Olthoi had found him in the first few days, something that had driven him mad. He never talked of it, but he didn't talk to many people anyway. With the exception of Ulgrim and a few powerful fighters, no one even knew his name. If things got really, really bad, he knew that Jeremy would be a powerful ally, if he chose to fight. Hopefully it would never come to that.

"Well, my friend, I have to be going. Could you perhaps summon a portal to my island for me? I've tied somewhere else and I don't relish portal jumping all the way there."

"Sure, watch your back out there Ulgrim. Don't let the red eyes get you." Jeremy drew an arcane symbol in the mud and giggled something beneath his breath.

Ulgrim waved to Jeremy and stepped through the portal.


Ulgrim the Unappreciated tilted back the giant mug and finished his lunch. It had been a pretty dull day at the house. No visitors had come by yet, but they usually didn't start pestering him until after lunch anyway. He had read a book he had borrowed from the Library in Rithwic, some story about a little girl and her cow. It was kind of touching, but it was written a little oddly and left him feeling uneasy. Lunch had cleared all that up. Now it was time to do a little gardening. He went to the window and stood on the tips of his toes to see over the windowsill. At least no one had taken any of his lawn ornaments. Some people loved to play tricks on him, thinking it was funny to play with the Little Guy. They often didn't think it was so funny when they were plummeting to their deaths over Fort Tethana!

"What are you looking at? Those statues didn't start walking around again did they?" a familiar voice behind him said.

Ulgrim turned around and looked up. Standing behind him was himself, only bigger – and, he had to admit, damn handsome.

"Big Guy! Where've you been? I thought maybe the Virindi finally got you!"

"I was visiting some friends in the mountains. You know how it is, I needed to get away for a bit after Jaleh's death. I may not have acted like it, but I respected him. But you know that don't you? Of course you do, you're me after all. And damn handsome if I do say so!"

"So, Little Guy, you have any of the home brew for your thirsty brother?" The two Ulgrims had given up trying to call each other by their name. It was too confusing and it always sounded odd.

"Sure, here you go." The smaller Ulgrim passed a large mug of homebrew up to him, raising an eyebrow knowingly. "Are you staying the night or are you off to Glenden Wood?"

"Ah, you know me too well. It wouldn't be a party without one of us around would it? Bye the way, I have a challenge for you. I'll bet you I can drink more stouts than you can in one minute." He looked down expectantly at his smaller brother. There wasn't a chance that a man that size could out drink him.

The smaller Ulgrim considered this for a moment and then to his brother's surprise nodded "Ok, but let's make this interesting: if I win you have to dress up as Elysa, dress and a tiara, no armor."

"All right, you're on little brother. But if I win you have to dress as a Pack Ursuin."

Both Ulgrims grinned and shook hands, sure the other would have to suffer the humiliation of dressing up in a silly costume.

One minute and 56 home brews later they both stood trying to catch their breath.

"Admit it! You are beaten! Look you're still holding beer in your mouth!" the smaller of the two pointed.

The larger Ulgrim swallowed and looked offended. "I drank it! Besides, you didn't so much drink your brew as shower in it. Look at your robe!"

Now it was the smaller Ulgrim's turn to look offended. "It's not my fault these mugs are so big! Look, let's settle this fairly. Each of us will consolidate our empties and we can see who had the most left."

After more arguing and careful pouring, each of their mugs stood side by side.

"Yes! I win! Me! Ulgrim the Magnificent! I am a drinking god! It's Festival time my friend, and you are dressing as an Ursuin! Pack Doll that is. You're gonna be so cute!" Ulgrim reached out and ruffled his smaller brother's hair.

"Ah! Get away from me! The only reason you won is because of these stupid mugs. If we were going by body weight I would have won hands down!"

"Now, now, I won by the terms of our bet and you know what you have to do." Ulgrim smiled. "If I had lost you know I would be stuffing my undershirt right now."

At this they both broke out laughing.

"All right, I'll do it, but next time you're going down!"

The smaller Ulgrim passed his brother something wrapped in paper. "Don't open that until you get to Glenden Wood. I want it to be a surprise."

Ulgrim took the gift and knelt down and gave his brother a huge Ursuin hug.

"Let's meet tomorrow night. We can drink some lightweights under the table together," he laughed. They waved to each other as he recalled to the Abandoned Mine, from where he would hop a portal to Glenden Wood.


Ulgrim sat down in the Overlook pub and pulled the package from his backpack. He laughed to himself. The present was wrapped in Scrolls of Ketnan's Boon! Funny, very funny. He tore through the wrapping and his eyes lit up. A broad smile stretched across his face as he stared at the present.

"It looks like Asheron will be visiting the Glenden Wood Festival this year! Haha!"

[Ziv]

[turbine]

http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=417

Ardry stepped through the doors of the Four Shields tavern. He dropped his pack and bow wearily on a table, then slouched into a chair. There was one other person in the tavern at the moment, standing by the bar, nursing a goblet of something. He was a Gharu'ndim, dressed all in plain grey, with an eye patch covering his left eye.

"Red wine, please, Iquba," Ardry called to the bartender. She nodded, used to his late-night entrances, and poured out a cup of the house red.

The stranger laid a handful of coins on the bar and took the cup of red wine to Ardry's table. He set the cup in front of the weary scout. "You're Ardry the Dubious, are you not?" the stranger asked.

Ardry took the wine, sniffed it, and took a slow sip as he appraised the stranger. Finally, he gestured to the other empty chair at the table. "That's me. Who are you, and how do you know me?"

The stranger smiled as he sat. "Forgive me, my name is Qath. Qath al-Haddash. I know of you, because you have acquired a reputation as an intrepid scout. Your uncle Aliester speaks highly of you."

Ardry laughed. "Ah, Uncle Aliester. All right then. By the way, you're going to need a better costume than just an eye patch if you want to get into the proper spirit of the festival. I mean, look at the Town Criers out there..."

All the humor dropped out of Qath's face. "This is no costume."

"Oh. Uh, my apologies, then, Qath. Can I ask how you lost your eye?"

"Icepick. Baionna. Fifteen years ago, in Ispar. Any other questions?"

"I guess not." Ardry sipped his wine cautiously. "So what did you want to talk about? This isn't just a social call, is it?"

"I was hoping to be able to compare notes with you," said Qath, recovering his coolly pleasant tone. "I am also a scout, and a scholar of sorts. A merchant of information. And I believe we have a mutual interest in tracking Viamontian activity..."

Ardry frowned. "You make yourself sound like a spy."



Qath shrugged. "No more a spy than you, I think. I read some of your earlier reports, back in the days of the Virindi Schism... Not to mention your detailed reconnaissance in the matter of Zaikhal, not too long ago."

"All right then, Qath, I'll play along. Let's talk Viamontians." Suddenly nervous, Ardry looked around the room to see if anyone else could possibly overhear their conversation.

Apparently pleased to get down to business, Qath leaned close and spoke softly. "The invader King has dispatched his dogs throughout the known lands, ransacking tombs, catacombs, long-lost libraries... I have been studying their movements for some time. I think I am close to discovering what they are truly after."

Ardry laughed. "Varicci's looking for something to help him win the war. They don't even know what they're looking for – they're just hoping they'll recognize it when they stumble over it."

Qath shook his head. "The Rouleans underestimated the Viamontians thus. Do not repeat their mistake. Then again, who am I to speak to an Aluvian about underestimating Viamont?" His smile had turned sharp, and there was a gleam of cruel amusement in his eyes.

Ardry gritted his teeth. "All right, fair enough. What do you want from me?"

"I need you to help me, ah, investigate another Viamontian installation. Quickly, before they can make further progress."

Ardry gulped down the last of his wine. "All right, this is where we stop talking about this in public." He stood, shouldered his pack, and picked up his bow. "Let's pay a visit to the local lifestone, and then we can go for a walk to discuss this proposal of yours."

Qath nodded silently, finished his own drink, and stood to leave. Ardry stopped suddenly and turned to Qath. "Just so you know, I don't trust you a bit."

Qath laughed. "I would be disappointed if you did." They looked each other in the eye for a long moment, then nodded simultaneously and headed for the door.