Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: rigler@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu (Michael Rigler)
Subject: Thk [in] the pub [to] Azzar, Colin, Kryalla, and others
Message-ID: <1992Jun1.055135.27454@news.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1992 05:51:35 GMT

{ Characters include those at or near The Shrouded One's table:  
  Thk, Kryalla, Azzar, Colin, Karmak and friends, Banner, Virgolt (?),
  Serene, Littlefair...}

The lizard man Thk stands near the table.  Azzar invites him to sit
and makes her introduction.  Kryalla turns her attention back to the 
runes on the Sea King's Swords.  Karmak smiles his charming enigmatic 
smile, while his pal Thrasha inhales the heady aroma of lizard.

So Thk bares his teeth in what you assume to be a smile, pulls up a 
chair, threads his short tail through the slot, and seats himself.
The chair creaks ominously under his ponderous bulk, causing Littlefair 
to roll his eyes skywards.

"Ssss...Well met, human female named Ladeeazzarrr."  Then, the lizard 
man's multi-lidded eyes blink and his brow ridges contract in concen-
tration.  Finally he speaks again.  "Sss...And I...I...am called Thk...
Yes, Thk!"

At that moment, Serene arrives with a plate of steaming fish.  Thk's
eyes open wide.  He clutches his abdomen and every sitting at the 
table can hear his stomach rumble.  "SSsss...thanks!"  Before Serene
has even set the plate down, Thk's tongue flicks out and flips the
fish into his gaping maw.  He does not even pause to give a cursory
chew, electing instead to swallow them whole.

"SSsss..More fisshhhh!"  He seems almost panicky about it.  "I am
vvverrry hungry.  Sssstarving!!!"  Serene glances at Lady Azzar
and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her approval, and then heads 
back to the kitchen.

Thk manages to get control over himself.  He address Lady Azzar
"You are right.  If thisss were the Ssspirit World, I would not
fffeel ssso hungry.  So I am still alive then.  I th-thank you
Lady Azzar, for saving my lifffe.  I owe you a great debt.  Any-
thing which is in my power to give...name it and it is yours."

He closes his eyes in meditation.  "Never waste time asssuming you 
are dead, becassse if you truly are, there'll be more than enough 
time to figure that out.  And ifff you aren't, then time is precious."

Colin introduces himself and places the white scale on the table.  
Banner approaches the table warily.

Thk's eyes widen.  "Sssuthru!  Where did you get th-that?!?  Jusst 
now, in one of the upper rooms of this large hut, I awoke from a 
dream.  It was a bad dream.  Many brave warriors died.  But our
trick worked!"  Thk clutches his head in confusion.  "The beast...
caught...but then..."

Serene wheels a huge cauldron containing a boulliabaisse up to the 
table next to Thk, who immediately begins lapping it up with his 
tongue (foregoing the use of the ladle and bowel).  The cauldron 
contains more fish soup than any human could eat...and even more, 
you would estimate, than a large lizard man could eat.  But Thk 
seems to be truly ravenous, and shows no signs of slowing down.  
And his table manners leave much to be desired.

While Thk is eating, Banner steps up and makes his speech about the 
terrible fate of his men and their ward...
--
Rigler  (aka Thk)
--