Adventures in Everlund
Chapter 3 - Duet and Dalliance
16th of Mirtul, 1492 DR
The Silver Stag Inn beckons under the starry sky above, the light from the arched windows flickering with warmth and comfort. As they arrive, Darian greets Nimly, waving him over to the bar. "I see you’ve found some others along the way. I do hope they’re thirsty!"
Yávië grins. “Are we ever!”
Darian tosses his towel over his shoulder. "What'll you have, my friends?"
Valeria adds vigorously, "Aye! Bring the ale!” Yávië chimes in, “I second that.”
Nimly nods. “Quite. Is there a private room available?”
Darian gestures to a room toward the back of the inn, tucked away behind the stairs. "Make yourselves comfortable and I'll bring ye some ale. Any other drink requests or food?"
Yávië peeks around the door toward the kitchen. “Meats and cheeses would be great, please!”
Nimly grins. “I’ll take that mug of Honey Pine Dew, now. Thank you, Darian. Put it all on my tab, please.”
“Oh… wow. Thank you!” Yávië says graciously.
Darian beams and winks. "Very good, Specialist Sparkleshine. I'll bring it around as soon as it's ready."
"Keep that up short stuff and you'll be broke, I'll be drunk, and we'll both be naked!" Valeria winks mischievously.
The group heads off to the private dining room and sits down to begin discussing .... well... everything: falling women, mysterious stags, bandit problems, escort missions, and rumbling stomachs.
Nimly speaks in a low tone, “I may be overly cautious here, and Darian is the least suspicious of anyone in Everlund, but… I think we should keep the rescue mission secret until Thorne’s family is safe.” Nimly reads through the list of compromised guards given to them by Thorne. “The bandits could have listening ears in that common room we just left.”
Yávië nods and adds, “Definitely keep things private, yes. Agreed.”
Darian sweeps into the room and begins setting items on their table. "Here's one pitcher of ale, one platter of meat & cheese, and one grand mug of Honey Pine Dew. Would you like anything else?"
Valeria lunges for the jug of amber liquid. "Another pitcher of ale!"
When the pitcher is free and half gone, Yávië pours herself a glass. Shaking her head at the antics of her new friend, she turns a sweet smile on the innkeeper. “Nothing more for me, thank you.”
Darian winks at Valeria. "My, you have an appetite, don't you? I'll be back shortly." With that, he heads out toward the common room.
Nimly looks sideways at the heavily armored woman. “Valeria, I appreciate your enthusiasm. I won’t be getting sauced tonight. The news of bandit infiltration into the city guard already has my head spinning.”
Nimly flips over his menu and begins writing notes and drawing Xs on the cartoonish map of Everlund. “This mission to foil the bandits could get quite dangerous and you probably didn’t get that plate armor by collecting pine cones. You said you drank something? From a stag? And fell through the ceiling of Thorne’s office? I’ve seen a silver stag in the forest in the past few days, but I haven’t gotten to the point of being offered beverages from the creature.” Nimly flips the menu back over and looks through it. “This fried pickle appetizer looks really good. I believe I can get Captain Anara to cover a reasonable amount of per diem expenses, including your dinner and rooms for the night.”
Valeria’s eyes squint, recalling the grove, “Oh, I didn't get a drink from the silver stag. I got the drink from a talking stag at an altar in the forest. The stag at the altar wanted me to protect the silver stag.”
Yávië sips her ale, adding, “I’ve seen a stag too… while I was meditating just before I met you, Nimly… in the temple. It, too, wanted me to protect it.”
Nimly makes more notes on the back of the menu. “That’s very interesting. My patron, an earth elemental, has told me of its importance, though I can’t be sure what they want with it. The plane of Earth wouldn’t normally be concerned with a woodland creature. There must be something special about that stag.”
Nimly scratches his head. “Hmmm. This question may seem pedantic, but… um… what color was this talking stag? The stag to be protected, the silver one… is the stag a living creature or is it this constructed wood affair in which patrons such as ourselves might dine over cheese and ale?”
Valeria grabs up the pitcher of ale and drains half of it in another big draw. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, and in a muffled voice says, "Whew! Bandits, wolves, and trials sure make a girl thirsty! Well shoot, come to think of it, maybe it was silver... it was stone, and then it came alive. I was more in awe of a talking animal and worried about the plight of the spirit warriors to really pay much attention to what color it was. Just kinda figured it was probly just shiny stone come to life."
Darian comes back into the room holding another pitcher of ale. "Here you are, my friends! Is there anything else you're craving at this moment? Enjoy the quiet while you can; we have a minstrel that will be starting up here in about an hour!"
Nimly turns to Darian and asks, “Ooo, could I get some of those crunchy fried little pickles that you have and some iced tea to wash them down. Thorn is feeling like you might have a rack of ribs for him to gnaw on? And if you are able, could we get rooms for all of us for the night? My tab is fine.”
Darian chuckles. “Very good, Nimly. I will be back shortly with your order. Rooms will be no problem at all.” Darian heads out, giving Valeria an appreciative look as he leaves.
"I may have to ride that silver stallion..." Valeria muses.
Nimly sputters on a drink of his Honey Pine Dew and grins. “He’s been throwing enough winks to start fires here and there. I think you may have a shot.”
Clanging her hand onto her armored hip, Valeria says confidently, "Hahaha! Oh, I got more than a shot!" She winks. "There's a lot more here than a pretty face and this metal shell."
Darian walks back in with the fried pickles, iced tea and a plate of well-sauced ribs. "Here we are! Would your party enjoy listening to Lirael play a bit while she warms up for tonight?"
Nimly mumbles through a bite of food, “I think that would be delightful.” As Nimly devours his meal, he takes out a ring and begins to examine it. He peers at it closely, tapping it on the table, then carefully licking an inscription on it.
Darian looks at Nimly sideways, then shakes his head and smiles. “I’ll send her in, and if you need anything at all, I’ll be up at the bar.”
After a few more minutes of the sort of chatting people do while eating, a lovely elf walks in. Her long red tresses are held up by pins and tiny colorful flowers. She has a cittern in one hand and holds her long green skirts up with the other. Her vibrant green eyes glitter impishly. In an excited rush, she says, "Ooooh, you look like a fun group! Would you like some entertainment? I'll be playing in the common room a bit later tonight."
Nimly smiles enthusiastically. “Oh, entertainment sounds lovely!”
Yávië flashes a dazzling smile. “Awe, you’re so pretty! We could almost be twins.”
Lirael giggles. “Oh yes, we could be! Do you play an instrument perchance? We would be quite the beautiful duo.” Yávië shrugs and says, “I do… though it may attract some wildlife!”
"Fantastic!” Lirael does a little twirl followed by an excited prance. One more twirl and she gracefully lands in a comfortable looking chair in the corner; she begins to play. Yávië seats herself nearby and begins a playful counterpoint to Lirael’s warm up routine. As they play, animals slowly trickle into the room. Over the next ten minutes, a squirrel, two bunnies, a fawn and a large barn owl make their way in, called by the powerful allure of Yávië’s pan flute.
Nimly uses Silent Image to transform the ceiling into a starry night above them, framed by silhouettes of trees. “It’s a wild life, indeed.” He relaxes to the sound of the music and continues to study the ring.
After a few songs, Lirael beams, an excited twinkle in her eyes. "This has been enchanting, Yávië." She rises from her chair, holding her cittern with a casual grace. "It is time to go play for the masses. Bye!" Once she leaves, there is a much quieter atmosphere for the party, with only the remnants of her music drifting in from the common room. The animals take their leave, no longer enthralled by the notes of the pan flute. The deer looks around as the illusion of the night and the magical charm fades, quite shocked to be indoors and surrounded by people; she carefully and quietly tiptoes her way outside.
Yávië resumes eating her meats and cheeses and drinking her glass of ale while listening to the parties discussion. She says quietly, “So, just to summarize… we need to find a way to rescue Thorne’s family, somehow stop the bandits that have infiltrated the town, protect Haggard’s shipment on the way from Olostin’s Hold, and then figure out this stag issue?”
Valeria cracks her neck. “Now, bandits are a particular favorite of mine. Filthy scavengers.”
“Yes, Yávië, that’s a good summary.” Nimly pushes the map he annotated towards her. “I’ve made some notes on the map where our guard friend described those he knew.” Yávië looks over the map, her eyes quickly taking in the information.
"Well! Ahem... I'd say that little number calls for more ale! Darian! You silver fox! We need more ale!" Valeria calls out before taking a large pull from the pitcher.
Darian appears in the doorway with another pitcher of ale. “Ye called, m’lady?” At his heels is a hyper little creature, covered in fur and spikes. "Come on, Fenlee, meet the nice folks." The innkeeper walks in with a swagger, directly over to Valeria. He sets the pitcher in front of her, leaning in close. "Is there anything else you might need, lady knight?" He takes the empty pitcher and stands there waiting for her response, maintaining eye contact all the while.
"Keep lookin’ that good and I'll be needing a sturdy bed for two. Or even the stable if you don't mind a lil hay in strange places." Valeria winks lasciviously.
Yávië lowers her hand to Fenlee’s level. “Does Fenlee like chin scritches?”
Darian smiles at Yávië. "Yes, he does indeed love chin scratches. Along with any scraps of food that may be found." He turns his attention to Valeria. "Beds I have a’plenty, lady. Your company would be most eventful in one, sturdy or not."
Yávië offers a crumb of meat and cheese from her platter, followed by good boy pats and chin scritches. Fenlee comes over eagerly, taking the treats from Yávië's hand. He sniffs her appreciatively and gives a lopsided grin, with his tongue hanging out.
Nimly waves a hand toward his rat companion. “Hello Fenlee! Meet Thorn!” Moving over to Thorn, Fenlee scoots around in a few circles under his nose. Thorn tilts his head and chirps at the little creature. With a playful lick, he turns and scampers back out of the room, his little floppy ears bouncing.
Darian shakes his head at the departing quilldog. "Would anyone else like something besides ale? I can offer Mawxie, Frost Mead and I just recently got in a drink called the Queiker."
“Surprise me,” says Yávië, as she drains the remnants of her ale.
Darian laughs. "Ah, my favorite order! One surprise, coming up for the lady."
Valeria sets the empty pitcher back on the table. “I'll try the Queiker and a bowl of stew, should you have some. Extra meaty, hot stuff.” Yávië facepalms and slowly shakes her head.
Darian grins at Valeria. “I'm afraid the stew is vegetable. You'll have to find your meat elsewhere."
Yávië giggles. “She has clearly already located the meat, Darian.”
"Oh, I'm sure I won't have any problem finding meat." Valeria eyes Darian up and down. "But, I'll still gladly take that bowl of stew."
Darian lifts an eyebrow at Yávië and lets out a snort. Chuckling, he walks away to get started on their order.
Intrepid adventurers and DMs, I hope you enjoyed this tale!
May your rolls be critically high or dramatically low, adding flavor and excitement to your campaigns!