Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: clayton@austin.ibm.com (Clayton Colwell) Subject: [Ayl] Eski joins Aylyra Message-ID: Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1993 22:01:51 GMT References: In article , zweldron@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Matthew Charlap) writes: > > Aylyra looked at the figure across the room. He seemed to float up, look > around until his eyes fell upon her, and then descend again, out of sight. > "It looks like we may have another applicant to join us," she said to the > others, "Hopefully he will be able to help guide us around here, as it is > apparant you are all just as new to Generica as I am." > Sure enough, after a minute or two, the figure of Eski emerged from the > crowd and approached the table. > "Good day, sir. I am Aylyra. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing? > Have a seat, there is one chair still open here. Care for a glass of wine?" > She called to the barmaid and requested another wine glass. "Thank you, dear lady," the little gnome said, as he hoisted himself sprightly upon the chair Aylyra had indicated. "I assume that you are the author of the note on the bulletin board? Good! The reason I came over here is that I have met and spoken with Ixnaphior not so long ago." Eski crinkled his brow in thought. "Although I cannot tell you *how* long ago it was; we had many difficulties in our brief companionship. Allow me to explain." He stopped for a breath and a sip from the glass of wine proffered him by Serene. His ruddy face grinned at the tart, yet tangy flavor of the wine. "Not quite like a good dwarven stout, but it has a nice lilt to it." Eski set the glass down and leaned forward on the table, the sleeves of his burgundy robes slipping down over his arms. He sat back, brushing them back almost apologetically. "First, let me introduce myself. I am Eski Boseni, Traveller and Shadowwalker, magician and trickster." A flare of sparks flew up from his fingertips, creating an outline of a great bird in bright neon green before dissipating. "I love a good adventure, a good story, and a good stout, not necessarily in that order." He brushed his fingers across the dragon embroidered with copper thread on his robe. They hesitated briefly, and a small shudder shook his frame. His face fell, a shadow crossing it, a darkness filled with pain, but he shook off the dark mood quickly, and flashed a white-toothed grin at Aylyra. "Anyway, I was telling you of Ixnaphior. Yes." He stroked his long black beard, toying with the white hairs that streaked their way up the center. "He, along with a woman named Moria Runecaster and me, were to help a certain small squirrelrider named Amachiak rescue his queen from a terrible evil in the swamps far from here. We were plagued by strange time lapses, though, such that days would go by in a wink, or the lifting of a glass. I tried to fashion a charm to deflect what evil intention was upon us, but it was ineffectual, and the three disappeared from my table while I was in the throe of such a lapse. That's all I know of him, but he seemed a worthy fighter, and I hate to think of him as entrapped by the blackguards you mentioned in the notice. Whatever I can do in way of help, I offer to you now." He stopped to sip more wine. As he lowered the glass, he asked, "What can you tell us of these captors, and how might they have taken Ixnaphior?" -- Clay Colwell "If homosexuality is a disease, then let's all call archmage@vnet.ibm.com in queer to work." - Robin Tyler IBM Austin, TX Disclaimer: This is *Clay* talkin', not IBM.