In the late afternoon, Samuel Prospero Mallbeck, born 1478, died in the twenty first year of the Gods' Dawn, 1551, is committed to the earth in a hastily constructed coffin. surrounded by the entire staff of the High Road Inn. The guests, including Elendil, Talia, the Countess' coachman and maids, and the five boys (now quite sober) watch respectfully from the periphery. An aged and dignified priest of Kronnor conducts the service in the little graveyard above the horse pasture.
Later, back in the great room, someone produces a mandolin and someone else a flute. All through the evening, and far into the night there is music, song and poetry. Much of it is an old form, seldom heard in the lowlands, in which a speaker reciting poetry takes turns, line by line, with an instrument which attempts to repeat the meaning of the poem in music. The doors to the inn are barred, but no guard is posted.
In the morning, Thumbs still seems to have no intention of making Talia and Elendil pay for their lodging, so long as they plan on investigating the goblin threat. They while away the day, looking out constantly for the return of their friends and pacing the grounds. As evening falls and a storm gathers, the Countess and her company can be seen picking their way down the slope to the inn. Everyone seems to be in a foul mood.
As Med suspected, the horses had been spooked by the scent of the great mountain lion. It took an hour to get them rounded up and ready to ride, and they remained skittish all the way down the ridge. To make matters worse, Harwold seemed to have an least two cracked ribs, which made it very painful for him to ride. The pain made him surly. The Countess, for her part, became pale and withdrawn, her wide eyes darting around the mountain side. By the time the group reached the inn, she appeared to have aged ten years.
Over dinner in the great room, Med and Pral swap stories with Elendil and Talia. The rain hammers on the roof. The four talk about what comes next.
The goblins' cave is quite close and the inn seems vulnerable. Thumbs has made it clear that he would welcome the aid of bold adventurers in this matter with all the hospitality at his disposal. Word has come down from the Harmonic Brotherhood that Brother Landrau has consulted with his order and will be glad to accompany any excursion into that cave.
Meanwhile, the Countess has ordered Sir Nills to lead an expedition to The Scimitar to pursue the prophecy and report back to her. She seems to assume that Med, Pral and Clegg will be joining this expedition, since the goddess doomed them as well, but there hasn't actually been any discussion about it. She herself plans to return to civilization--at least as far as Featherstone--with Murton, Harwold, the maids and the coachman. It is true that the doom included her, too, but after the incident with the cat, there really can be no thought of her making such a venture into the wild. True to her word, though, she sends her coachman with a bag containing 45 gold pieces for Med and Pral to split.
To reach The Scimitar, one would first have to follow the road to the foot of Ferrill's Pass. Then, one would step off the road, into trackless wilderness to skirt--somehow--around the base of Gabbert's Peak. The Scimitar itself is much higher than Mount Dain, where Med and Pral have come from, and the top half of it is locked in snow and ice year round. Exploring the whole mountain without any further clue what to look for is a daunting proposition. There are certain to be other dangers, not least among them, elves.
And, of course, it's a big, bright world. A spirited little group like yours might have ideas of its own...
No comments:
Post a Comment