Elendor - Tuesday, July 18, 2000, 10:38 PM------------------------------------------ Dol Amroth: The Golden Kraken Inn - Tavern The Kraken\'s tavern is not as large as the Common room on the other side of the Inn\'s entryway--nor is it as cleanly kept. Nearly circular, the room shares with its western counterpart the dark-fibred wood structure, black lebethron beams arching up to melt into the shadows of the ceiling. At their apex hangs a small, rather dingy chandelier suspended by a chain of black wrought iron, directly above a rather battered table. A small hearth is set in the northern end of the room, and on the southern wall is a horseshoe-shaped bar, behind which stands the hulking bartender. The room is fairly sparsely populated during daylight hours...a few die-hard drunks lounge around at the bar and at various tables, and in the shadows at the edge of the room eyes glitter as they focus on you. Oddly enough, this is one of the few places in Dol Amroth that is safer at night...Contents:Bregdail(#24410Vae)EaredailObvious exits:Cloakroom The tavern\'s interior is dark but not unussually so and there is no surprise from the patrons when a new face comes in from outside. His eyes are dark and his skin is lined with salt. His gate is recognizable as that of a sailors. Unlike many of the others though a symbol is embroidered onto his tunic. He wanders up to the bar and quietly speaks with the bartender for a moment ordering something. The only words that penetrate the haze of sound is the bartenders reply, \'Right Bregdail. Good voyage?\" A smile is the bartenders only answer before the other turns away. Entering in anyway he can and not draw attention to himself, is a tall, dark lad. Passing dark eyes over a few of the patrons, the lad slides to the nearest empty table and seats himself with little more than the sound of the chair against the floor. Folding his hands into a giant fist, the lad props his elbows upon the table and rests his chin upon the fist. In silence, the dark eyes probe the tavern and its patrons. Bregdail notices the lad coming in but doesn\'t really think of it to much. He turns back to the bartender as a tall mug is put before him and grins, \"Thanks.\" He lays some money on the bar and then turns looking for a seat somewhere in the people and for some reason seems drawn to the lad, his posture seeming out of place to him. Bregdail considers for a moment and then heads over to the nearly empty table and looks at the lad, \"Mind if I join you boy? You need not worry, I\'m not the talkative type. Just looking for a seat.\" The dark eyes pass to this one, this one that breaks the sphere of silence that engulfed the lads world. Simply, he unfolds his right hand, head unmoving, and motions silently to a chair on the other side of the table. Perhaps out of some kind of unkown curtousy, the lad turns his dark eyes upon the other no longer, content to continue a probe of other patrons. Bregdail nods and smiles, \"Thank you kindly.\" As the eyes catch his though something bothers Bregdail for a moment and he frowns in though. He looks closely at the lad and then takes a drink of his mug. He turns towards the patrons again and then looks at the clothes and then back at the boys eyes and face. He frowns again trying to place the boy as if he knows him. \"Tell me your name boy, you look like somebody I should know. Who be your father?\" \"A fair many call me Hemel,\" replies the lad in a carefree, monotone manner. He releases the giant fist in front of him and merely folds one arm over the other on the table before him. \"My father, the man who called himself father, that man was Inradale, a sailor if there ever was one, or so I have been told,\" explains the lad, Hemel, in that still carefree, monotone style. His dark eyes brush onto the man before him and flash him a cold look before returning to their emotionless gaze. Bregdail blinks and then nods, \"Inradale you say? Did he sail on the vessels of House Earendor lad? If so then I know you and I must say you look to have fallen onto hard times if your clothes be any indication. I had heard you had gone and fled from the one as had been taking care of you since yer father and mother died but if I didn\'t know better I\'d think you\'d taken on with a tramp ship. Or worse yet with fisherfolk.\" Bregdail picks up his mug and drinks some more from it and then back at the boy, \"And what are you doing here in Dol Amroth again ehh?\" Glaring, his eyes turned cold, Hemel fixes their stinging gaze upon this man who claims to have know his \'father\' . \"House Earendor, yes, Inradale sailed for that noble house, as did my mother.\" Raising his hands again, he cracks his nuckles before laying them once again on the table. \"A good many years did I spend from Dol Amroth, with, the fisherfolk, for none other would take in one such as I. Yet, I return, I return for reasons I shall not tell thee now.\" Bregdail shrugs his shoulders and says, \"So be it lad. Though I don\'t know why you never stepped forward and asked the house to take you on. They might not have taken you on young and all bu tthey would have taken you on none the less if you had but asked. And you\'d learn something of how to use weapons which isn\'t anything you\'ll learn from those fisherfolk.\" Bregdail turns back to his ale, \"It was a shame your parents deaths. Few ships as fine as those of House Earendor exist and if it hadn\'t have been for the storm there would have been no way for the corsairs to have caught them the way that they did.\" Bregdail spits after mentioning the corsairs, \"Them black hearted fiends have much to answer for. Should they ever meet with the Sea Guard they\'ll know it.\" Eyes losing their cold touch after hearing the words of this man, Hemel blinks slowly, veiling the dark eyes. Otherwise unmoving, he speaks \"The woman that vainly attempted to raise me, she would not allow it, vowing to never allow such a thing that happened to my parents to happen to me. She has perished now, poor wench met the corsairs as well.\" Bregdail looks at Hemel and nods, \"Hmm, it be a vain attempt to keep any of your family from the sea. And in truth you\'ve always served the Lords Earendor well. Those of the sea-faring families who have served House Earendor seldom leave except through death and even fewer leave the sea even if it be in death. Tell me lad, do you have a vessel yet?\" Abandoning the table, Hemel\'s arms cross about his chest and he leans back in the chair upon which his bottom rests. \"No ship of my own do I have, for that reason did I join the ranks of mere fisherfolk, to captain their ships. Yet, through all the voyages I partoke upon, in none did I meet corsairs. Tell me, what connection does thou have to the House Earendor?\" Bregdail nods and says, \"Ahh, I see. Myself I serve in his lordships Sea Guard. We\'ve met with the Corsairs on several occasions and beat them back. You\'re fathers hsip was running wiht a smaller number of the guard when they got hit by the storm and from what we can tell they lost about half their crew to the storm even before they got boarded by the corsairs. It was that as much as anything that lost us that ship.\" Bregdail looks at Hemel and says, \"You\'ve got the build and the strength to be part of the guard. If you can learn to follow the Lord\'s words. He and his son are stern men but fair. And neither be afrightened of sea or corsair.\" \"It is best if nothing further is spoken of the fate shared by mother and father,\" speaks Hemel in a cold voice, in the attempt to show the seriousness of his words. He huffs his chest before speaking once again. \"If the use of weapons and the chance to slay the foul corairs is part of the job, then in no way would I hesitate to speak with Lord or son, no matter temperment.\" Hemel\'s words have barely fallen to silence when a man who stands well over 6\' walks into the tavern. His clothes are much finer than any normally seen on sailors and yet his gate is the same. His face is worn and weathered by salt but still quite young for all of that. His hair is bleached almost to blonde from sun and salt as well. His eyes sweep the tavern and he speaks loudly, cutting across all th enoise the in the room with a voice that sounds trained for such volumes, \"All those of House Earendor prepare for departure. We leave on the morning tide again.\" Lord Earedail, for only one of the Lords of Earendor would speak such words in that manner. Earedail turns to leave but is stopped by Bregdail\'s words, \'Lord, a moment.\" Earedail turns back to the room, catches site of Bregdail and walks over to him, \"Yes Bregdail? What is it?\" Bregdail coughs and says, \"I was wondering if we could use another in the guard Captain.\" Bregdail points over at Hemel and says, \"This\'n here is the son of Inradale. He and his wife were sailors on the Tiranga when she was taken by Corsairs and sunk. He be looking to join the Sea Guard and well, seeing as you are here and your father\'s busy I wondered if you would allow him to sail with us and join the guard.\" Bregdail looks over at Hemel and then back at Earedail. Dark eyes sprint from the view of this, Bregdail, this man before him, upon this new man, this one he calls Lord. Slowly, Hemel begins to shift in his seat and after his eyes probe this man, he stands to his feet. \"Aye,\" he begins, shooting a glance at Bregdail, \"Inradale was my father, who perished upon a ship of your house.\" He pauses, gaining composure \"It would be an honor to sail upon the ships of the House that my parents served before me.\" Earedail looks over the lad before him and seems to think over the matter for a moment. He turns to Bregdail and then nods, \'If you think he\'ll serve well get him to the ship and get him a tunic with the emblem. He\'ll be yours to train during our voyage. My father and I sail to Minas Tirith. We have business there and it should be quiet so you can explain his duties to him.\" Earedail turns to Hemel and says, \"Welcome to House Earendor. Serve us well and you will have our favor and gratitude. And the Corsairs shall learn once again to fear our name so you will have the chance you long for to bring them justice for your parents. If you will excuse me now. I have to meet with my Lord Father.\" Earedail turns with that and walks quickly out of the tavern. Hemel watches the exit of Earedail, dark eyes still watching the exit through which he passed, murming a thank you as he passes out. After a moment, Hemel turns once again to Bregdail, a face of disbelief upon him and he speaks no word. Bregdail grins and says, \"Lord Earedail is a bit quick on his decisions. Come. Let\'s get you settled in to the Sea Guard. You\'ve got a long week ahead of you. There\'s a world of difference between our ships and those fishing vessels you\'ve worked on before.\" Bregdail finishes the cup, nearly forgotten, in his hand and then stands, waiting for Hemel to follow. Hemel shakes his head, whiping the look of disbelief off his face. \"Aye,\" is all he can manage to say before he pushes in his chair and follows Bregdail, eyes giving the tavern one last probe.