From: rigler@uhifa.ifa.hawaii.edu (Michael A. Rigler) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: Thk [Low City] On the way to the Scrappy Ram... Message-ID: <1992Jul4.104034.24171@news.Hawaii.Edu> Date: 4 Jul 92 10:40:34 GMT References: <1992Jul3.193452.8274@rice.edu> Chars: KroN QUEStors Thk inhales deeply and with great satisfaction. "SSss...thanksss for the healing potion Colin...I fffeeel much better!" The Kron Questors are moving quickly through the back Alleys of the Low City, keeping to the general direction of the Scrappy Ram, and occasionally changing course to dodge the itermittent band of looters and pillagers. The general unrest which took Generican citizenry by storm seems to be dying down as deep below the city the primary force responsible for stirring them up and maintaining their agitation shifts to engage in direct battle with the Priest of Fecundus. Above ground, the surface dwellers find themselves cringing without knowing the reason, whenever they sense the faint psychic richochets lashing outward from the conflict below. Though they do not realize it yet, the Kron Questors have embarked on a path which will carry them directly into the heart of this churning maelstrom of Evil... Enroute to the Scrappy Ram, Thk fires questions at Kron about the nature of this "quest". There is plenty of time for the two to talk, because the bulky lizardman runs extremely slowly and awkwardly, despite the extra energy provided by Colin's healing potion. While Kron is discussing the matter, and descibing his hopes and fears, the lizardman innate battle- computer switches on, temporarily displacing all other considerations. For the moment, tactics and strategy are all that matter, and those are Thk's forte. He looks around at the others, assessing their fitness and gauging the strengths and weaknesses of the party...Colin is damn good with his blades ...Azzar and Captain are temporarily incapacitated -- a set back...the darkskinned one, Malieu, has all but recovered from that wrestling bout ...Fenris looks hale and hearty with his huge axe...and HighFlyer no doubt has more sorcerous tricks up his sleeves...ah, but then there are his own annoyings wounds, which for some reason refuse to heal. Thk glances down at his stump, half expecting to see a new hand there. But there is not. *sigh* Let's any other assets? Of course, there is Kron.... The lizardman has also commanded good warriors in his time, and he quickly recognizes a kindred spirit in Kron. Once again, he forces himself to ignore the issue of what to eventually do with Kron. He thinks: Why do the Gods want me to destroy Kron now, after all these years? Why has my Sea God forsaken me, and left me to bleed? Is this a test? He shrugs off these worries. Best to roll with the flow, and wait and see. Perhaps if he can get Kron back to that *creepy* place, the Gods will make their meaning clear. The human Kron is speaking to him again: > "I know of this Inn. The proprietor, a chap named Verdigren, was an > adventurer once upon a time. He was a skilled and deadly warrior, but > he was impossibly short for a human. Consequently, Verdigren became > fierce and savage in temperment to compensate for his small stature... > > "I must warn you -- sedentary life has not made Verdigren any more peaceful. > He is still as fierce as ever, and inclined to fight at the slightest > provocation. He has been in trouble with the law many times.... > > ...he is unlikely to cooperate with us. He knows me from several > arrests I made on his premises, and there is no love lost between us. He > is likely to lose his temper if we are pushy, and when Verdigren blows his > top, somebody gets hurt. He has a lot of friends -- usually down-and-out > adventurers -- who might step in to assist him. We must take care. > > "Our mission: find the identity of the mute murderer who Natter spotted > at the scene of the crime...if he is a regular, Verdigren may know something > of him. Thk cuts in. "SSSss...but you sssaid he was a ssskilled warrior. There are certain traitsss all warriorsss have in common...and a sssertain knowledge we all ssshare...the most effisssient way be to appeal to the old warrior in Verdigren, sssmall of ssstature though he be..." The lizardman continues. "I gather that you are normally an enforssser of the lawsss of thisss City, and you sssay he hasss broken your lawsss in the passst. My advissse is that you do not approach Verdigren in any professsional capassssity. Inssstead, ssspeak to him asss a man trying to recover hisss blood sssisster and wreak vengeanssse on her abductorsss..." "By SSsuthru! Why not asssk him to join ussss? He may even ssstill possesss hiss sssword. Perhapsss he sstill thirssts for one lassst moment of glory in hiss old age. He might sssurprisse you. He might sssurprisse all of usss!" Kron absorbs this. Then asks the group: > "So, how can we deal with the occupants of the Scrappy Ram without bringing > about more needless bloodshed?" Thks replies "SSssss...I do not know the anssswer to that one, Kron. I have notisssed the sssitizenss of thisss City are prone to violenssse and unressst, and, as you well know, they don't like my kind much. Perhapsss it would help if I consssealed my identity..." The lizardman pauses to pull a large, tattered tarp of coarse cloth from a pile of garbage. The cloth smells strongly of fish, but Thk doesn't seem to notice, or care. As the company continues to jog down the alleyways, he fashions a crude poncho and hood combination. The disguise isn't great. Even a casual observer would see that Thk is not human; but one would have to peer more closely to determine exactly what race he is. --- Rigler ("Its not the size of your trident -- it's how you use it" --Thk)