Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Alec takes the meat with a smile, and takes a nice bite out of the juicy poultry.

"Mmm, I do love me roasted fowl. *he chews up his food an swallows with a satisfied* Ah! *takes out a plain brown cloth, an wipes his hands an face, then looks to Hobin* Ye sure are perceptive mate. Yer right, the damned thing didn't die as it fell down the cliff. After it crashed to the rocky ground, the damn thing started to shift, an move... it's bones most likely comin back together. Then it indeed did start to swim west, out toward the Sea of Swords. Hopefully the damned thing drowned, er got eaten, er somtin... Dono if trolls need to breathe, I be assumin. *he shrugs and looks to the the moon elf* Greetins there lass. "

A short human woman wearing red robes with a golden trim strides up to the fire. Her skin is tan with jet black, short cropped hair and Mulhorandi features. A single, cryptic tattoo, in black ink, runs down the right side of her neck, the end of it obscured by the neckline of her red robes. Around her forehead, she wears a golden circlet with a red gemstone inscribed.

She pauses, not looking at anyone in particular, but instead simply seeking a place to sit. Spotting a barrel by the fire, she approaches it and takes a seat.

At first she pays no attention to anyone around her. She removes black leather gloves from her hands, setting them on her lap, and then rubs them together by the fire, warming herself up. She looks at the fowl. The delicious, roasting fowl. And her stomach growls.

She glances around the gathering, noticing more than one adventurer enjoying the delictable meat.

"Excuse me," she speaks in an accent that is unmistakeably Thayan - to those who know what such an accent sounds like.

"Who's fowl is' this belong to? Is' for share?"

Hobin is enjoying the taste of the bird, as well as the friendly conversation between the souls that have gathered around the campfire this evening. Content, he leans back on his stool.

With the arrival of the two newcomers, he makes an inventory of the rapidly disappearing meat. As the moon elf sits, Hobin offers her a bit, along with a slight wink. Simultaneously, the woman in red arrives, and as she offers a polite greeting and query, he returns with a smile.

"Lass, I be Hobin, and this here is a bit of the bounty of the Closkwood that I've brought to share, yes..."

As Hobin takes the few final pieces and offers it away, he carefully reads the expressions of all those that sit here and share in this impromptu meal, now that the woman in red has joined at the fire.

"Well elf maiden, and you as well lady in red, it seems tonight's meal is accompanied with tales of glory, be it through strength or wit...have you something to offer?"

Alec looks to the lady in red with interest, knowing fully well what traits she holds. He bites into his share of meat before addressing the others.

"Hehe, what bout yerself there hunter Hobin? Spose a woodsy kinda guy like yerself would have a few excitin tales to tell. *he smirks and looks around the fire* We be graced wit all this lovely company, ye might aswell show off some of yer deeds."

The moon elf takes the bit of the offering and returns' the man's wink with a smile on her lips. Then her eyes look to the Thayian with dislike and distrust, but for now she says nothing. Instead she keep her mouth wisely distracted with the bit of fowl, the rest of her apple, and a new pouch that which she pulls from her belt that seems to be bursting with nuts and berries. The pouch she offers to share with the others as well as a bottle of hafling apple cider.

While she eats neatly and with as good as one's manners can be at a campfire, the appetite itself however seems to be a out of place... as if more suited to be the appetite of a hin rather then that of an elf.

The small blue gems woven into her silvery white locks of hair make a small clinking sound as she bobs her head vigorly in agreement with Alex in his attempt to get Hobin to share a tale of his own.

The Lady in Red takes the piece of fowl from Hobin eagerly in her bare hands. She bites into it slowly, savoring its meaty taste.

"My name is Kadri. Is pleasure to meet you, Hobin."

"Eh...Tales of Glory? I am not so, eh..good with this. I have one though, but eh....is not very good. Is eh...kind of tall tale, yes? Yes."

She breaks another piece of the fowl off, munching on it slowly and merrily.

"But eh..is look like group prefers yourself..to tell theee tale, yes? Yes."

And with that she gestures politely to alec and the moon elf. Then she notices the nuts, berries, and apple cider being generously shared and a small smile crosses her face. If she had noticed any look of disapproval from the offering moon elf, she did not show any sign of it.

When the nuts and berries reach her, she takes a modest amount.

"Thank you, miss," She says with a nod to the moon elf. "Also if anyone wishes for some strong drink, I have fine Rashaman fire wine..is diluted, but is still good. Yes."

Alec waves a hand at the berries and nuts being passed around, though he raises a brow at the mention of some exotic drink. Takes another bite of the roasted bird and looks to the Thayan.

"So ye got some fine drink then? Unfortunately ya missed my own tale, but I'd sure be interested in sharin in some of that wine ya got. *the man smiles to the lady in red*"

The red robed mage gives a small nod and a knowing smile to the Ilmarite, her form now growing even a bit more relaxed.

She then turns to the man with the hat.

"It is sure shame I have missed 'that' pleasure, sir. Perhaps you would be gracious enough to give me pleasure of name?"

She smiles naturally at his request for drink, rummaging through a rather fancy, maroon dyed pack. She then produces a plain glass bottle filled with a majenta colored, solid (nontransparent) liquid. She removes a small blade from her right boot and uses it to unquark the bottle. She then produces two glasses, pouring the liquid into each.

"Firewine at full strength is strongest drink I ever had, and I only had it once. I was young and stupid enough to be pressured into it. Is experience I do not want to repeat." She pauses a moment, reflecting. "I guess that would be good story, eh?"

She then briefly looks to the rest of those gathered around her, searching for any other requests, before handing the man a glass.

Alec looks over the red robed lady, looking to the glasses prepared for them.

"Can't say I have had Firewine before, but I cna handle my drink almost as good as a dwarf, I'd say. *he chuckles and extends a hand for the drink* Sure wouldn't mind hearin a tale of some drunken venture either as that can be some of the more exciting stories to hear... that is if ya can rememeber them. *he smirks* Oh, an the name is Alec Snyder."

The red robed mage tilts her own glass back, drinking most of her wine down as if it were a shot. The substance is thick and really 'slides' down her throat. The stuff is strong and she already feels her face going a bit warm from the rush of blood. Otherwise, it tastes a little like grape flavored wine - just thick and strong.

She looks back to Alec and for a moment she hesitates. Then she suddenly smiles, genuinely amused,

"Sometimes not remembering is what makes fun, yes? Makes one improvise. Is pleasure to meet you Alec. But eh...I do not recall this story so well. I was much younger, I remember this...I was eh...late teens..and I was still in Academy of Fire and Thunder, in eh, Bezantur...it was eh, wizarding school."

She pauses a moment, not wanting to go into much detail for fear of sounding like she was trying to impress.

"So, anyway, part of our training...is how one has to best a fellow mage in eh...'friendly' mage duel. So eh, non-lethal spells only, yes?"

She knocked back her second glass, downing the rest of her firewine. Despite being called a 'wine' and being diluted as it was - the stuff hit hard like hard liquor. Her face began to visibly blush and she mentally told herself now, Okay - thats two. We stop there.

"These tests help us assert our worth...and eh is stressful because if you don't have so many victories by the end of your training...you can eh, get held back..or just not graduate. So anyway, these are serious tests, right? But they're exciting, too...because of course, you get to take out all your frustration on your fellow rivals and show them how much better you are than them. Everyone is thinking that, all of the time."

She sits back a little, her tense form now completely relaxed from the soothing effects of her drink.

"There was one student I particularly hated..'is name was Do'crae. He was eh, beast of a man...6 ft 5 in..250 pounds...not your typical thin Mulan build, right? Not very bright though..."

She smirks. "No, I don't really hate him, is all in good jest. Anyway, here I am drinking at bar night before mage duels, and a few of my 'friends' come up with bright idea for me to challenge him to drinking contest using full strength firewine. I told them it was stupid idea! Man was four times my stock, right? I would lose. But they had sinister idea. One of my friends, from a different academy, said she would use a Transmutation charm...eh, magic, ...that would change my own wine into grapejuice before the contest would begin. The drinks would look identical, but only his would have any alcohol. I don't know why I said yes...I think I just really wanted to show Do'crae off. And it would be funny to see big man like him lose to small girl like me. So I agreed."


"Of course, you see where 'this' is going, right? The joke was on me, as my 'friend' purposefully caused her own spell to fail, and I was none the wiser. And so, the contest was on...and to my ignorance, 'both' Do'crae and I had full strength fire wine. However, what no one expected..."

She smiles widely, clearly amused at the recollection.

"Was that both of us went down after first drink! It was tie. That is firewine for you."

She sits up a little, coming to the end of her tale.

"So next day there are contests, right? Now, thing you need know about firewine, is if its strong enough, it lasts. Another detail that my 'friend' forgot to mention. I had trouble enough just getting to chambers on time. On top of that, I was drunk. I would not have found my way to Chambers at all if my 'friend' hadn't escorted me there herself. I think she just wanted to enjoy a good laugh, you know. I got there, and Do'crae was drunk too. And as if this were some 'orrible play we were trapped in, with bad script, fate would have us chance a match against each other! Drunk vs drunk."

"Eh, I do not remember details of mage duel. I remember lots of dancing, and bright lights. And then it was over. I was told that Do'crae had simply stumbled outside the arena boundary early on in match, and was disqualified, making me the winner. And that I was simply having a good time, oblivious. I was also told I had casted a Color Spray spell..one I've always had difficulty with, for first time - but I'm pretty sure that just a jest. Regardless, these schools are very bearocratic...enough to put shame to the Dukes! And rules were rules. Regardless of condition, I had won."

"And so there you have it. Probably my least dignified victory in all my life. Just goes to show that it isn't always about how well you perform. Sometimes, is just how you perform compared to your opponent."

Hobin sees that all eyes are upon him for a tale of glory or wit, and seeing the opportunity to take center stage, he stands up from his stool, and places one foot upon it.

"Well my companions, it seems it's Hobin's turn to entertain you with a bit of personal lore...but what story shall I recite, hmm? I could tell you the tale of The Split, Blinding Arrow...or maybe, the experience I had of The Lost Longsword in the Gullet of a Shambler...or maybe, if it suits the ladies fancy, the romance story of Escaping the Dryad's Embrace....tis all fine tales, assured you can be."

Hobin can be seen smiling, and thinking fondly of each tale, as his gaze drifts towards the roaring fire...obviously prematurely reminiscing about each tale in his own mind.

He quickly recovers from this absent mindedness, and looks back to the group.

"Why don't you pass me a bit of that fire wine my dear...nothing like a bit of the spirit to loosen one's tongue...so, which tale shall it be?"

The moon elf reclaims the pouch after it is passed around and gingerly plucks up a berry from the pouch and lightly pops it into her mouth. A blissful sigh escapes her lips, her eyes closing briefly, as she savors the taste of the delectable red berry. After the flavorful moment passes she opens her eyes and looks to Hobin from across the fire. "Either the one about the sword or the Dryad sound interesting enough. One of those should do."

Reaching up with her left hand she pushes a few stray strands of hair from her cheek and tucks them back behind her pointed ear. Then not being able to restrain herself so goes back to happily munching on the nuts and berries while her eyes watch them in her normal curious manner.

Kadri goes to find another glass, rummaging through her pack. Her Circlet slides down a bit on her forehead, and she has to push it back up.

"Truth be told, sir...if they're all fine tales, why not tell all of them? But eh...if is only time for one, my vote is for the Split. Is sounds mysterious to me."

She then finds another identical glass and pours some of the diluted fire wine into it, filling it to about three quarters of the way. She bends over and reaches around the fire, handing it to hobbin. She leans back onto her choice barrel for sitting and seems to make a point of quarking the wine bottle and slipping it back into her pack. She did not want to succumb to a third drink, tempting as it was!

"Two stories for the price of one, eh? You sure either of you ladies aren't a merchant?"

Hobin laughs at his own joke. He considers the requests for each tale to be told, and replies.

"I will tell ye all two tales. They be short and sweet, with not one single embellishment..."

Taking a sip of the wine, he slightly grimaces, but after the alcohol reaches his gut and begins to warm, a satisfied smile crosses his face.

"To begin, let me compose the series of events. As I said, this tale be called The Split, Blinding Arrow, for is what happened against a dire foe, and saved me poor hide from certain death. Ye see, I spend plenty of time in the Cloakwood, hunting, camping, watching the lizard folk go about their business, trying to avoid the treants when me can...but anyway, one day I stumble upon a whole army of lizards on their way to one of the local villages. I knew I did not have the speed to get around the group and warn the people, no...but I did have the idea to pick off as many as my arrows could down before they arrived.

So as this lizard army slowly made their way through the forest, I crept alongside them. Knowing the woods as well as I do, I would wait in key places where I could get a clear aim at the last lizard in the march, and when the timing was right, I release a rapid volley of arrows, and no lizard ahead of the newly fallen would notice. Tis a trick I learned over the years, a fact indeed, that the lizard folk have no ears, and if theirsmell and sight is focused in one particular direction, as in forward, they really have no idea what happens behind them."

Hobin is quite proud of sharing this knowledge, and looks directly in the eyes of the gathered, hoping they realize the importance.

"As the lizards' march to the village was quite a distance, it gave me time to pick them off slowly, maybe taking down twenty, nay, twenty-five or so warriors...and I was losing arrows fast! To my reckoning I had only one half a large quivers arrows left, and that left me concerned, for as I had managed to reduce this army to a quarter of its size, I knew that at the head of the march was the lizard chieftain, and I knew that he alone would require far more that one or two arrows.

Nevertheless, I was determined, yes. It was only I that could save this village from ruin, and I made a quick look at me gear: I could fell the remaining warriors, but it would leave me with a single arrow!

My gathered friends, this was but one arrow! I may have a healthy ego I do, and confidence in my skills as and archer and swordsman, but it was not my wish to have to fight sword to sword with the chieftain--a wise warrior should know when they are outmatched.

But I also knew that soon we all, man and lizard army, would reach a rather large clearing in the Cloakwood, and in the clearing would be my best and last opportunity to strike at them all at once.

The lizards reached the clearing before I, and made haste to cross it. I held back at the edge of the clearing, waiting for them to reach the other side, maybe 50 lengths of a man's arm in length. The plan, if you would know, was to strike at them at the full distance of the clearing, and as I'm sure you all know, once a lizard is aware of you, nothing will stop it from chasing you down.

Just before they reached the opposite side, I crept out to the clearing, and lightly dug my remaining arrows, tip down, into the earth and grass, within arms reach from my position; it would provide me with quick action.

When the time came, I notched the first arrow and let it sing through the air, and it embedded itself in one lizard in the middle of them all. As the lizard fell, his kin turned to me, most likely shocked to see their ranks already diminished!

I tell you, kind campfire friends, even from my distance, I could see their eyes turn an awful, blood lust red. But most fearsome was the the roar that emerged from the chieftains...well, beak? or maw, or...whatever you call that what they have that is a mouth. It was both a cry and a war chant by me reckoning, and the remaining lizards surged my direction.

With fear I was, but calm at the same time--tis not my skill I was worried about, no, it was the diminishing distance between them and me as they picked speed....the chieftain most of all.

So I continued my attack, launching one arrow after another, taking down each warrior methodically, while realizing that the chieftain would be upon me within seconds.

Tis true what I had thought, yes: one arrow to each warrior, counting upwards of ten lizards fell now, leaving only the cheieftain...and his mighty large axe. As I notched my last arrow, I knew that only at close range, very close, close enough to see my reflection in his cold, black and glassy eyes, would my last arrow even remotely sink deep enough into the thick, lizard skin hide.
The ground practically shook under his feet as he neared, and seconds away from me, he lifted began to lift the great axe...I knew it was now or never, and I released the arrow....

Now, my attentive friends, the most amazing shot I've ever made occurred. As the arrow reached him, that axe was being raised for a killing strike upon yours truly, and at that moment my fast flying arrow hit the edge of his axe, and with the velocity on it, it split right down the middle, but kept flying straight it did...those two half-shafts sunk straight and deep into each of that bastards eyes! Yes, blinding him in an instant...and probably pierced straight to his brain...if they even do have brains...

His body reeled backwards and his arms went instantly limp, causing the axe to drop only a few hands lengths from by feet, while his towering figure lurched to the side of me, landing roughly into the dirt. With a final breath, his body ceased to move, and I stood there, triumphant."

Hobin, again, smiles at his tale of prowess, confidant from his amazing feet of archery, and most likely luck.

"But, with the fight decided and the pressure of failure removed, I sunk right down there in the dirt beside that chieftain, and took a few long breaths. It was only fair that at the very moment, I could only think to say a small prayer of thank you to the lady Tymora, for granting me something special this day...the great Lady shares here gifts even to those that follow other gods teachings."

With all excitement of telling the tale—or maybe it was the wine—Hobin takes a quick seat, and stares at the fire for a few seconds.

"I think you kind people must allow me a moment to catch my breath..."