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From: stiltman@teleport.com (Stilt Man)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [Y't] A Clandestine Meeting
Date: 30 Apr 1995 21:49:59 -0700
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[ADMIN:  Well, Tanya Olsen and I figured that since . . . naw, the reasons
for why we got together to write are too long and might be misconstrued as
a slam on some folks who have less time to write than we do.  At any rate (tm),
Tanya and I basically have taken a trio of characters derived from ones we
use in RPG's and have plastered them together in a story, complete with a
villain originally created by the future Mrs. Stilt Man, who might even add
a hero character in here as time goes on and we finally agree to stop chucking
ballistic missiles at each other.  Kalirya Haladane and Thrud are a pair of
my characters, and Azzar is Tanya's.  I give myself permission to stick this
story on my web page (which will probably be done even before you read this
at your own site) and for others to archive, but all other rights, including
repost, recycle, and rewrite are reserved to the authors.]

[ADMIN2:  You're probably wondering how the heck we came up with a thread
label like the one we're using.  "`Y't'?!  What in the world does `Y't'
stand for?  What, did you randomly draw a trio of characters together out
of your line noise or something?!"  The answer is, Maybe.  :)   Roll tape...]


The ebon-cloaked woman who walked down the Avenue of Unforgotten Heroes
was not seen by those around her.  It was as if their eyes refused to
focus upon her presence.  Perhaps they simply had not the will to notice.
Perhaps the woman was invisible.  One way or another, she reached the Dragon's
Inn unseen.

She strode in to find another ebon-cloaked woman sitting in her preferred
dark corner of the Inn, her eyes and those of the hulking, war-painted
barbar glaring at several of the other patrons around the Inn.  The one
already seated wore a plain grey robe beneath her cloak, and bore a large
platinum pendant with ruby eyes, fashioned in the shape of a grinning skull.
She had eyes the color of stone, hair the color of dead leaves, and a
demeanor the color of impatience.  The man with her bore a simple bat-winged
design, colored light blue, over his eyes.  He had an axe stashed away
beneath the table, and arms as big around as either woman's waist.  It was
not that the women were waifs . . . no, they were far from such.  The man's
muscles seemed to be far larger than was normal for a human, as though some
curse had sapped the mind that was not evidenced greatly in his eyes and put
its strength into his muscularity.  He wore a simple pair of fur trousers
and leggings, with hard boots covering his feet.  Several areas of his upper
body bore scars.

The ebonclad woman with gray eyes looked about, also not seeing the ebonclad
woman with eyes and hair to match her clothing.  Kryalla Simuel appeared
abruptly, her face appearing true but her dress quite different.  She looked
as a noblewoman, with the modest dark blue dress expected of one.  The shape
she took bore a black scarf around her neck, and long velvet gloves of the
same color.  The only weapon she carried was the red-hilted dagger at her
waist.

The cloaked woman in the corner noted the appearance of this one, and nodded.
"You are late," she said.

"My apologies, Kalirya," said Kryalla, "but I had to make certain I was not
followed."

"Since when does anyone have an easy time following the great . . ."

Kryalla cut her off with an angry glare, the voice dying in Kalirya's throat.
"I have reason to suspect the Guild of Mages of this esteemed town," she said
in a low tone.

The man with Kalirya whistled, bringing a slap on the wrist from Kalirya.
"Thrud, sit," she said curtly.  The man with the abnormal musculature seemed to
pout, but he kept his peace.

"Might you need to throw this one out a window as well?" Kryalla asked with
some amusement.

Kalirya's eyes narrowed venomously.  "And just how did you find out about
that?"

"I have ways," was all Kryalla answered as she sat with the pair.  Her eye
went to Kalirya's shoulder.  "I trust I will not need to scratch?"

Kalirya's mood seemed to sour all the more.  --Why do we associate with this
one?  She just wants us to get involved in some goody-goody garbage and waste
our time getting ourselves killed for some ridiculous cause of hers.-- came
the voice of Sornulakh in her mind.

{If the price is right, we can serve} she thought back.

--Ever the mercenary, aren't we?-- came the sardonic response.

--You should dispose of that creature-- came another voice in her mind,
Kryalla's voice this time.  Kalirya inwardly thanked the Shrouded One for not
speaking aloud so, that her invisible friend could not hear her, even as she
resented the holier-than-thou attitude evident in the suggestion.

"You came here with a job of some sort, not to discuss the habits of my
allies," said Kalirya bitingly.

"Nay," replied Kryalla.  "I came here to collect the three of you so that we
may discuss particulars elsewhere."

"Three of us?" Kalirya repeated blankly.

Kryalla nodded.  "She should be along shortly."  The sound of the door opening
reached their ears.  "Indeed, this very moment."

Kalirya and Thrud turned to look as a figure dressed in a gray cloak
stepped across the threshold, closed the door, and drew back the cowl
which had obscured her face.  Her face was covered with the intricate
designs of butterfly wings colored the vivid blue of calm, shallow
seas.  A golden ring was set in her nose.  Her golden hair and fair
complexion perfectly complemented the designs, creating a stunningly
beautiful though exotic-looking woman.

Kalirya looked the woman over, recognized the general appearance
of the ranger sort, and glared over at the Shrouded One angrily.  If
Kryalla noticed the other woman's unhappiness, she gave no notice of
it.

Thrud whistled in appreciation.  Piercing blue eyes the same color as
the markings looked his way.  She headed toward their table.  Bob
LittleFair, the innkeeper's son, intercepted her as she made her way
through the room.

"Azzar!  We didn't think we'd see you again; it's been what ... two ...
three years now?  Welcome back!  Will you be staying long?" Bob gushed
with enthusiasm.

Azzar smiled at him, "I'm not sure how long I'll be here this time.
Truthfully, I didn't think I would ever be back this way, but
something has drawn me here."  She looked back at the table where
Kalirya, Kryalla, and Thrud sat.

"Well, here, let me take your cloak and your pack, and I'll get a room
fixed up for you."

"No, no.  That's quite all right.  Just send someone over to the table
to take my order; it's been a long journey."  Bob scurried away.
Azzar stared thoughtfully at his back as he disappeared.  She still
was not used to this sort of attention even though it had been 5
years.  She took her cloak off, revealing a simple green tunic with
breeches and not the fine dress that most watching expected.  The
designs looked as if they might be over all of her body, not just her
face.  She draped the cloak over her arm, heading once again to
Kryalla's table.

Kalirya sneered as she watched Azzar head their way.  "You expect me
to team up with this bimbo?"  Though slightly short and stocky, Azzar
was quite well proportioned and had this pampered and soft look about
her.  She had a large sword strapped to her back along with a short
bow and a quiver of arrows, but she did not look as if she knew how to
use them.

Kryalla responded quite seriously, "Appearances deceive."

Azzar reached the table and looked at Kryalla, recognition slowly
spread across her features.  "I remember you; you were here when I was
last here, but I don't remember even speaking with you then.  Why have
you called me here?"

"Good question," muttered Kalirya.  Azzar pretended to ignore her.

"We will discuss that elsewhere," Kryalla spoke over the other woman.  She
drew a coin from beneath her cloak and left it on the table, and stepped
out of the dark corner into the better-lighted parts of the Inn, finally
making her way to the door.  The other three followed, Thrud looked at
Azzar in a way he was not permitted to look at Kalirya, with Kalirya herself
seeming to look any direction but at Azzar.

The four of them looked somewhat motley walking through the square:  the short
painted woman, the moderately tall noblewoman with the black scarf and gloves,
the much taller spectre in the black cloak with the skull pendant, and the
hulking warrior towering over them all with the huge, gleaming axe slung over
one shoulder, looking around with a vacant look in his eyes.  How long they
walked, none of the three were quite sure, for it seemed almost as though they
circled around the town several times, each time their surroundings looking
different.  Finally, they found themselves standing before a hut, with the
Shrouded One stepping through the door.  There was nothing setting the hut
apart from anything else they had seen, until they actually reached the inside.
When they got there, they found that the inside was far larger than it appeared
from without.  Kalirya glanced around appreciatively, Azzar looked half-bored
and impatient, and Thrud didn't seem to notice the disparity.

Kryalla stepped a ways into the rune and then turned to face them.  As she
did so, the dress she wore turned into glossy leather fatigues, the scarf
lengthening into a cloak so black that Kalirya's seemed a simpler dark gray
by comparison, the knife seeming to lengthen before disappearing beneath the
cloak.  Her physical stature stayed the same, as did the gloves that covered
her arm up to halfway between elbow and shoulder, disappearing into bulky
sleeves that tucked into cuffs beneath the ends of the gloves.

"I called you here to serve a purpose," started Kryalla.  She was interrupted
by sarcastic applause from Kalirya.

"Oh, well said, Shrouded One!" she said with a sneer on her face.  "Now that
we're finished with stating the obvious, can we quit with the stilted nonsense
and get to the matter at hand?"

Kryalla's eyes narrowed, but she held her tongue.  Azzar spoke up, "Perhaps
if we pester her less, we might find out what that is without causing trouble."
Kryalla seemed to see something moving between the two women that Azzar
could not, and Kalirya's eyes widened when she saw the Shrouded One following
her invisible friend's movements.

{Hold, Sornulakh} she thought to the creature.

--Can't I make her itch just a little?-- came the whimpering reply.

{Only if you want to wind up a smouldering stain on Kryalla's floor} Kalirya
responded urgently.  A whimper more sounded in her head, and the imp fell
silent.

"Prudent," said Kryalla absently, making Azarr wonder what she was talking
about.  "A small grove of trees has appeared abruptly in the east," she
went on.

"So what?  You want me to whack it?"  Kalirya reached into a pouch at her side,
and the head of a scythe emerged.  She drew its impossible length out of the
small container, and held it firmly in one hand.  "This will be even easier
than I thought."  Azzar stared at her, aghast that anyone would dare
suggest such a thing.

"A group of elves and black unicorns has been spotted raiding the towns
near the grove," said the Shrouded One as though there had been no 
interruption.  "The numbers are far too great to possibly be hiding within
so small an area."

Azaar's eyebrows raised, as she took a glance a Thrud before speaking.  "What
do you think the grove really is?"  She shrugged as she considered.  "A portal
of some sort, to bring raiders here?"

Kryalla nodded.  "Very possibly.  It is likely that there is something far
more to the grove than meets the eye . . ."

Kalirya leaned over to whisper in Azzar's ear, "She's the expert on that
count."  Azzar smiled despite the glare from Kryalla at the remark.

". . . and it bears investigation," Kryalla finished.

"Meaning, you want us to go have a look and see if it represents a problem
that's larger than it looks?" asked Azzar.  She was rewarded with another
nod from the Shrouded One.

Kalirya smiled, suddenly all cheers.  "Great.  What's in it for us?"  Azzar
smiled again at the seeming discomfort shown on the face of the Shrouded
One as she tried to keep her composure in the face of the venom spouted by
the other woman.

Kryalla named a sum of money.  "Not enough," said Kalirya.  Kryalla named a
higher figure.  "Still not enough," Kalirya retorted again.  Kryalla sighed,
and drew a necklace with a small pendant on it from beneath her cloak.

"This pendant will allow the wearer to feel safe from any spells attempting
to divine their whereabouts or observe their activities," said the Shrouded
One.  "It is yours if you lend your aid to this cause," she said to Kalirya
directly.  "In addition to the rest I have already named, to be divided
amongst yourselves as you see fit."

"With the rest of us getting a larger share in exchange for the trinket to
her?" said Azzar.  Kalirya nodded agreement.  "Done," Azzar continued.

"We will likely need to get back to the Inn before Thrud's mount eats up too
much of the pasture I had reserved for it," said Kalirya.  She turned to Azzar,
"Have you a room at the establishment as yet?"  Azzar shook her head. 
"I'm sure Thrud wouldn't mind sharing his with you," Kalirya continued
suggestively.

Azzar basically ignored the comment and addressed Kryalla, "Do you
have a map or something to show us where this new grove is?"  Kryalla
nodded and handed her a folded piece of parchment.  "Also an estimate
of how many of what kind of creature has been involved with the
raiding would be helpful."

Kryalla replied, "Everything I know about the situation is written there.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."  She
ushered them out of the Hut.  They found themselves in the middle of
the main plaza of Generica with no sign of the Hut they had just left.
They headed back toward the Dragon's Inn.

"Give me that," Kalirya ordered Azzar as she pointed at the parchment
she still held in her hand.

"Let's wait 'til we get back to the inn.  I don't know about you, but
I've had a long, tiring journey getting here and a hot meal would be
nice before we settled down to business," she replied and strode off
down the street.

"Walking across the plaza would be a tiring journey for you," muttered
Kalirya.

They got back to the inn and found the table they had left earlier
surprisingly empty.  Azzar sat down, still holding the parchment in
her hand.  She looked around for a barmaid.  Instead, she saw Bob
making a beeline for her with a bowl of something hot, a mug, and a
loaf of bread.

"You just disappeared, but I had your favorite made up in case you
came right back," Bob beamed at Azzar.  He set the food down in front
of her.  "Can I get you anything else?"

He had brought her her favorite kind of chicken and vegetable stew
along with his father's best mead.  "I'm surprised you remembered.
Thank you," she replied.  "It looks like I'll be needing that room
after all.  Is something available?"

"Yes.  Of course there is.  Let me take your things up for you and
I'll be right back with the key."  Azzar let Bob gather up her pack
and cloak and run upstairs.

Kalirya was disgusted with the display.  Thrud looked crestfallen.
"She no stay with me?" he asked.

"No, she think she too good for us," sneered Kalirya.  Azzar just sort
of rolled her eyes at the ceiling as she sat down to her meal.

+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+
+     The [Y't] thread (who or what is "Y't"????  Who knows??     +
+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+
+       . . . scribed by the Stilt Man and Tanya Olsen,		  +
+      stiltman@teleport.com or tolsen@leland.stanford.edu	  +
+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+