Dale News - 2013-05
| Date | Location | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 02 | ESGAROTH | A Quiet Meeting |
| 03 | ESGAROTH | A few words |
| 03 | ESGAROTH | The Cook, the Goblin and the Queen |
| 06 | ESGAROTH | Whistle while you work |
| 08 | ESGAROTH | Keeping track |
| 09 | ESGAROTH | Alea iacta est! |
| 11 | ESGAROTH | Making a splash |
| 15 | ESGAROTH | An Ereborian in Laketown |
| 19 | ESGAROTH | One good turn deserves another |
| 20 | ESGAROTH | Minstrelly concerns |
| 20 | ESGAROTH | Sly snowballs |
| 21 | ESGAROTH | Savour the flavour! |
| 22 | ESGAROTH | An Elf Arrives |
| 22 | ESGAROTH | Lords and Ladies |
| 22 | ESGAROTH | Karaths bearing gifts |
| 22 | ESGAROTH | Under the table! |
| 25 | ESGAROTH | An old chestnut |
| 26 | ESGAROTH | Of Elves and Women |
| 26 | ESGAROTH | Elvish has not left the building |
| 27 | ESGAROTH | Eaves-dripping! |
| 27 | ESGAROTH | Blades and Hearts |
| 29 | ESGAROTH | Ring of truth |
| 29 | ESGAROTH | All tied up! |
| Post Title: | A Quiet Meeting |
| Author: | Oriana |
| Date posted: | 02 May 2013 |
| Now the door was left open a crack see, so I heard this with pressing my ear to the door. The Lady Oriana had summoned Lord Gerik to her office for some reason or another. I was quite curious over this.
I tell you, it was sort of hard to hear but I did manage it! Turns out Lord Gerik was appointed as the new advisor to the Karath Steward. I'll be! Is that a promotion? Hard to say, the woman is a workhorse after all so does that mean she'll work him silly? Makes me wonder though, what's happened to Gailwyn? That old cook that was at the woman's side at all times. Hrm. Ah well who'd miss the cranky-pants anyway! Gerik will make a much better advisor than her, if you ask me.. | |
| Post Title: | A few words |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 03 May 2013 |
| Town's always busy at this time of year, with traders offering up the fruits of a summer's travel and farmers selling off their excess livestock before the winter ... though I've heard there are fewer of those than usual. There was a fellow in the Flagon complaining about his ewes going missing. You don't think ... bandits? Of course, maybe it's just some wild beast *shrugs*.
Anyway, I quit listening to him because Lady ORIANA was sitting all alone. I'd have offered company, you know, but Master BREV and his silent friend GIDON beat me to it (though the latter didn't look too happy about it. How unappreciative can you get?). So I kept an ear out for the conversation. An exchange of pleasantries mainly - Lady Oriana is back from visiting her mother, whilst Brev seems comfortable in his new marriage - but Oriana did manage to get a few words out of Gidon (mostly one at a time. You'd think he was losing coin for each syllable that dropped from his lips!). Mostly hunting talk, but still more than anyone else has ever got him to say. Do you reckon she's recruiting for House Karath? | |
| Post Title: | The Cook, the Goblin and the Queen |
| Author: | Isobel |
| Date posted: | 03 May 2013 |
| Last evening when I was on guard duty my stomach was rumbling something fierce, and I'll tell you why - cook had the day off and those two fool apprentices of hers couldn't cook dinner without burning it and having to start over! Damn lackwits. The children were all worked up but thankfully Master BREV turned up to distract them with a story and I must admit that it wasn't half bad. Was about a cook going into the forest to find some herbs and he ran into this goblin, and-- well, if you want to hear the rest maybe you ask the carpenter.
Anyway, it was a good way to pass the time and when he was done his wife lady ISOBEL (who crept in all quiet-like sometime during the story without me even noticing!) took her turn and told another, seeing as the food wasn't ready yet. The Greenshirt LOUSE (played by BREV) was hanging around brushing Conal, you know Lady Arla's dog, that great hairy beast, and she seemed none too fond of Brev, I tell you... oh, the story? It was pretty clever, I thought, but not as amusing as the first one. It was about some old queen who solved a good deal of head-scratchers and won the love of the king in the end. But there was this funny bit about two farmers and one of them tried to catch a fish off the roadside! | |
| Post Title: | Whistle while you work |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 06 May 2013 |
| The other evening as we were unloading some cargo down on the Docks, I heard this whistle that near made me drop a crate! When I glanced round I only noticed Lady ISOBEL, and I'd hardly have chosen her to wolf-whistle at. I mean ... she's a bit on the skinny side, no?
Perhaps others would agree. Turned out the whistler was only young LOUSE mucking around with a blade of straw. Lady Isobel winkled the greenshirt out of the cubbyhole she'd tucked herself into by means of bribery - a good dinner and some warm winter clothes in exchange for the whistling trick. Have to say, I can never figure out why Lady Isobel is so soft on the girl. Can you? | |
| Post Title: | Keeping track |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 08 May 2013 |
| Did you notice that farmer fellow hanging round town recently? From somewhere up north, I think, didn't pay it too much heed. Anyway, when he wasn't in the Flagon bemoaning the loss of his ewes he was asking round the marketplace for a hunter or tracker. Not much call for that sort of thing round here, but BREV overheard and insisted the man should employ his friend GIDON. Clearly favoritism is alive and well in House Taurdain.
So why did the farmer want a tracker? I happened to be walking along behind, so I heard the tale: some creature snatching livestock and ripping out a boy's throat. 'The Beast', the farmer called it, insisting whatever-it-was was 'evil' and 'nothing natural'. Likely he was just making excuses for his own lack tracking skills - no creature vanishes into thin air, right? Right? Stop looking at me like that! Gidon can't have taken the man's mutterings overseriously or he'd not have set off with the fellow the very next morning. What do you mean, 'we might never see him again'? | |
| Post Title: | Alea iacta est! |
| Author: | Isobel |
| Date posted: | 09 May 2013 |
| Cor, DELLING (played by ISOBEL) sure is a sore loser sometimes! He lost a few games in a row yesterday and I've not seen anyone look so put out in a long time. No wonder he decided to go watch as that Greenshirt LOUSE (played by BREV) tried her luck at craps instead - his own luck was notably absent. Must've been the girl's first time playing, I reckon, because she wanted to bet a copper at first. A whole copper, eh? Certainly won't make anyone rich!
She must have upped the offer though because in the end they let her play and would you believe it, the little brat won! And there I was, having lost a whole silver on the damn craps earlier in the evening! Guess Delling must've seen his chance to finally earn some money instead of losing it; he started telling Louse about a bet he's running, probably trying to get her to buy in. Eh? No, lad, you don't want to bet with /him/. There's something fishy about how often he wins, if you ask me... oh, the bet was about that foreigner Brev and his... prowess in the bedroom. Don't you remember that there was a rumour about it, a few years ago? That his wife left him because he couldn't... well. Poor man. As if being crippled wasn't enough, to have everyone know about it-- Louse is a clever lass though. Not only did she not take the bet, she turned the tide on Delling and ventured a guess that the man's not getting his leg over no more - and I think me she hit the nail on the head! He protested a bit too much, if you know what I mean. | |
| Post Title: | Making a splash |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 11 May 2013 |
| Did you hear that young boatbuilder RIOLAN Karath fell in the Lake the other day? Said he was checking a vessel for leaks and overbalanced ...at least he found what he was looking for, right? He was dripping wet, though, and insisted he be let into the Underdecks Infirmary to dry off. BREV relented, though young Riolan might yet regret it - I don't even want to think about what sort of diseases some of those Decks folk are spreading! Last I saw, the lad had been given a blanket to wrap himself in and instructed to turn some odds and ends of wood into a makeshift crutch. They say it right, nothing in this life comes for free ... | |
| Post Title: | An Ereborian in Laketown |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 15 May 2013 |
| Those Dwarves are back in town. A few days ago I noticed three of them heading into the Town Hall. Lord GERIK Karath was swift to spot them and offered his assistance though the eldest of the trio, who seemed to consider himself a person of importance (well, going by that fancy garb he was wearing), wasn't terribly specific about what they were doing here. I did catch that his name was GLOIN, though he didn't look that sparkly to me (get it? Glow-ing ... oh, never mind) and that he wanted to speak to the Steward. Except that apparently Lord Dedron is indisposed - or so some clerk (Isobel) claimed. Suppose it could be true, half of Laketown's coughing and sniffling at the moment *shrugs* Oh, and the Dwarf was also muttering something about wolves, I did hear they're bad this year. Not that it affects us townsfolk - if some folk choose to live out in the back of beyond, what else can they expect? | |
| Post Title: | One good turn deserves another |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 19 May 2013 |
| I happened to overhear a conversation between Lady KANYARIA Arathmor and Master Brev (I suppose that's 'of Taurdain' now) in the Training Yard some days back. Not, as one might imagine, on the finer points of dagger-use but something about 'favours'. Seems Brev wanted something from Lady Kanyaria and she was rather reluctant, going by the sour expression on her face at one point: I heard her mutter something about 'Karath'. Well, we all know there's no love lost between Arathmor and Karath - not much love lost between Arathmor and anyone else, come to that!
Eventually some agreement must have been reached, for I saw Lady Kanyaria nodding, then it was her turn to 'ask a favour'. Boy, but I'd have loved to hear what that was - but the Sergeant called me away to deal with some paperwork so I never got the chance. Maybe someone with sharp ears and eyes will figure it out ... | |
| Post Title: | Minstrelly concerns |
| Author: | Isobel |
| Date posted: | 20 May 2013 |
| I was freezing my fingers off in the cold the other day at the wharf when Master DELLING (played by ISOBEL) sauntered by, jaunty as cheerful as can be. It's alright for some, I guess, when they don't have to sell cold, slimy fish! He soon stopped whistling though as Master BREV (the one who runs that workshop thing; you know, I've half a mind to send my younger ones there to learn something useful) blocked his path for a word or two.
I thought old Dell looked oddly on edge but I can't fathom why; the carpenter was making mostly nice and asking about the minstrel's guild. Here, you don't think he's going to take up singing for a living? Then I thought I heard Alaric's name and isn't that passing odd? Must be at least two years since he skipped town. You don't think he's back? | |
| Post Title: | Sly snowballs |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 20 May 2013 |
| How I do hate the cold of winter! Winds that'd freeze your ears off, snow that seeps into your boots ... someone seems to like the snow, though. One snowy evening I saw young LOUSE hanging round the Market Square throwing snowballs at ... well, I'm not sure quite what at, but she narrowly missed Lady ORIANA. Undeterred, the girl challenged the noblewoman to a snowball fight!
Lady Oriana didn't object - if you ask me, she looked glad of a little relaxation. Some of those nobles need to unwind sometimes! Louse's technique was straightforward: pelt your opponent hard and keep at it until something hits. I think she did land a score with her third or fourth try. Oriana, however, favoured feints and dodges, waiting until Louse was off-guard to land her own well-aimed snowball. So who won? That I can't say - someone else hanging round decided Louse made a tempting target (or maybe that Karath honour needed defending?) and started lobbing snowballs at the Greenshirt youngster, who promptly took umbrage and ran off. Well, she /said/ she had something to do, but me, I reckon she just didn't want to be beat! | |
| Post Title: | Savour the flavour! |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 21 May 2013 |
| The Flagon's busy on these cold nights. The other evening, when it was starting to snow, the crowd was so thick that RIOLAN Karath couldn't even get to the bar - he had to resort to asking some old Dwarf to move up and allow him space. The Dwarf, who introduced himself as GLOIN son of Groin (I reckon I heard Riolan snigger), decided to do more than that and offered to buy the young man a drink. A lecture on beer types and another on the responsibilities of sons(!) later, Riolan looked like he might be regretting taking him up on it. Fortunately for him, Gloin left him in peace to seek some tardy companions.
So is one ale different from another? You tell me ... | |
| Post Title: | An Elf Arrives |
| Author: | Haruven |
| Date posted: | 22 May 2013 |
| Just the other day, I saw it with my own eyes -- a group of elves, not a lot of them, come over the bridge and into the city. What I heard is as they've dropped off a diplomat of their people, HARUVEN he's called himself. My daughter's good-sister's cousin works as a servant for the Taurdain and she said as visiting that House was the Elf's first stop, making his introductions to BREV and Lady ISOBEL. Making them a gift of a cask of wine, with it! Sure and it's no surprise, what with how Taurdain and the Elves have always been thick as thieves!
More surprising than that was how quick the Elf turned up outside the Merchant's Guild, and him in conversation with an Arathmor no less! I got close enough to hear in hoping that there might be trade talked, or better yet, insults wrapped up in fancy-talk! I was passing disappointed to hear FLETEN Arathmor be civil and even friendly, the elf back to him, and then both of them gone off to discuss the what-not and how-its of something to do with scholars. You'd think Arathmor goes on picnics with its foreign neighbors on the regular! How dull! | |
| Post Title: | Lords and Ladies |
| Author: | Isobel |
| Date posted: | 22 May 2013 |
| Lady ORIANA swung by the Suites the other day and she seemed in good spirits! Been a while since she came around, nice to see her again. Of course she sought out Lady ISOBEL and the two took some tea in the sitting room - and the last of the lavender cookies! I saw hoping to sneak one myself, but alas... anyway, when I heard Oriana mention a nasty prank she played on her advisor my ears pricked up and, I admit it, maybe I was a little bit sore about the cakes too, but.. to make a long story short, I crept up to the door real quiet-like and listened in for a bit and would you believe it, Lord Gerik's seen Lady Oriana naked! And what's more, she ordered him to strip in front of all the servants! ... or some servants? I dunno, other people anyway! And he did!
Well, I was so shocked when I heard it that I had to go back to the kitchen and sit down. Cook had to make me a strong cup of tea before I could gather my wits again! How have they managed to keep this under wraps at Karath place? Lord Gerik in just his skin in Lady Oriana's office at her orders? Scandalous what these nobles get up to! | |
| Post Title: | Karaths bearing gifts |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 22 May 2013 |
| Master Warden RIORDAN Karath is back in town! I saw him in the Taurdain Suites yesterday afternoon, asking for Lady ISOBEL or her husband Master BREV. In fact, he got both of them (the latter looking less than awake, he'd been working nights this week) and they led him off to the sitting room. Not before he'd presented them with a jug of fine wine - from Iach Celduin, I heard.
Lady Isobel insisted on serving the visitor another batch that lavender shortbread herself - wouldn't let any of us near it, I swear that woman /hoards/ the stuff! - but I happened to be passing the sitting room a little later and I'm sure I heard the name 'Lady Oriana' mentioned. More than once. After that, Master Brev, who must have stepped out, returned with three glasses and I reckon that very fine wine got sampled ... | |
| Post Title: | Under the table! |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 22 May 2013 |
| Did you see that little runt SIAN (played by Kanyaria) walking into the carpentry workshop on the Business Parade the other afternoon, bold as brass? That laddie can't be more than four or five summers, he's hardly going to be making any purchases, so what he thought he was up to I don't know. Master BREV and his prentice Ottar didn't throw him out on his ear immediately, but a little later the child emerged laughing fit to burst! When I asked him what was so funny I couldn't get a straight story: he kept going on about crawling under tables and 'Mister Bwev' and a bet involving a piece of string, before claiming excitedly, 'E may /never/ get out!' You don't think he'd tied the carpenter up? Even if Master Brev /is/ into those foreign perversions, I can't see his lad Ottar just standing by and letting it happen ...
Oh, and Sian said 'Missus T'urda'n' was there too. I wonder what Lady ISOBEL makes of that novel pronunciation? I nearly choked when I heard it! I'll wager /she/ wasn't crawling under tables. I did notice that someone had knitted young Ottar a very nice pair of gloves, though. | |
| Post Title: | An old chestnut |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 25 May 2013 |
| With the weather being so unsettled of late, it's scarce wonder that some have chosen to move traditional outdoor winter pastimes indoors. Like conkers, for example. That young Greenshirt LOUSE was wandering round the Great Hall trying to sell conkers at five coppers apiece and offering to play anyone who took her up on it. If you ask me, she was more interested in coin than in reviving a fine old sport.
Lady ISOBEL took her up on the offer, only for the conker Louse had sold her to fall victim to the child's bootheel after a few swings. Suspicious or what? I reckon that young scoundrel had been treating those chestnuts she passed on with something to make them soft and malleable. But that's Decks rats for you, those brats are born cheaters! | |
| Post Title: | Of Elves and Women |
| Author: | Oriana |
| Date posted: | 26 May 2013 |
| Seems the flagon had a pointy eared visitor! Some elf was there with a few bottles of wine and sitting with him was the Lady Oriana! Now we all know that woman is nothing but work but it seems here the pair were having some fun. Laughter was to be had, around some of the more serious conversation. Couldn't tell what it was half the time they were speaking some other language. But the topic of love came up through it! Is the Karath woman looking finally? Or is she being pressured into the idea? Hard to say. But when elves are involved strange things can happen! | |
| Post Title: | Elvish has not left the building |
| Author: | Haruven |
| Date posted: | 26 May 2013 |
| A few nights ago I had the rum luck to guard the bridge in the cold after dark -- I was standing there minding my own boredom when who should happen along but that elf HARUVEN? Well I asked him his business quick as you like, but he only said as how he thought the bridge would be a good place to look at the stars and the lake. I didn't half buy that suspicious excuse, but bless me, that's what he did, just stood there looking up, for blasted ages. It's not just him as has the habit either -- another elf came by some time later! I think he greeted her as ANGOLINN but that might be the word for 'horseshoes' in their tongue, for all I know. They talked in that sploshy elf-language of theirs, but sure as I'm born I heard them say the name of ISOBEL, and 'Taurdain' and 'Arathmor' too. What have they got to say that can't be said in common language like normal folk, that's what I want to know.
And you've already heard lady ORIANA has been incited to conversation in strange tongues with the Elf HARUVEN as well? What next, our will our blacksmiths and ferrymen insist on elf-words too? Someone ought to tell these foreigners that if they want to speak Elvish so bad, they can go back to the woods! | |
| Post Title: | Eaves-dripping! |
| Author: | Haruven |
| Date posted: | 27 May 2013 |
| Oh, but it was a wet evening a day or two past. Not weather I'd put a dog out in - but LOUSE had clearly taken the dog out, for I looked out of the window of Taurdain Suites and saw that child prancing past tugging a very bedraggled-looking Conal. They stopped to dry off under the eaves of the Elven Embassy: I felt sorry for the poor Elf standing in the doorway when Conal soaked him! Me, I'd have had sharp words to say, but he was all civil: seemed to be chattering away to Louse quite the thing until FLETEN turned up. Louse was giving the Arathmor scholar lip, judging by her posturing, and I don't think he was overly impressed either. One can hardly blame him.
Just as well Sergeant LOREN happened by to break up the little party. He paused to exchange greetings on his way into the Suites and collected Louse and Conal in the process (I'll wager Conal had sniffed out those fishcakes the man was carrying. Sent to buy fishcakes in the pouring rain? I don't know how he puts up with those cravings of Lady Arla's, I really don't!) When Louse passed me she was claiming she'd won a ring from the Elf in exchange for information - 'Mister Her-Oven' she called him. Funny, I'd have sworn it was HARUVEN, but there you go. Wonder what information that brat could have that's worth a ring? I hope the Elven visitor wasn't fool enough to believe her ... | |
| Post Title: | Blades and Hearts |
| Author: | Oriana |
| Date posted: | 27 May 2013 |
| Seems that elf HARUVEN was seen again. This time in the Weapon Shoppe. Wonder what this self proclaimed none fighter had to do there? Lady ORIANA then arrived and the two were seen talking. I didn't hear much but Haru had said a few things in regards to his late wife. That part of the conversation didn't last long till they were back on the topic of swords. That's when the lady had shown him hers, which left an impression on more than just the pointed-eared man.
They were then interrupted and parted ways after that. | |
| Post Title: | Ring of truth |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 29 May 2013 |
| The other evening in the Flagon, I saw the new Elven diplomat, the one the Greenshirts have taken to calling 'Mister Her-Oven' (HARUVEN), handing over a copper ring to that young tearaway LOUSE. Apparently it had been promised to the girl for 'something he'd never heard before'. Hah, Louse is full of /that/ sort of language - question is, does anyone want to hear it again?
Sharing the Elven diplomat's table for a while were Lady ORIANA Karath, who had slipped on the ice on her way here (truth be told, a few of us did that), though it didn't stop her imbibing whisky, and Lady ISOBEL Taurdain, who was sampling the beaver stew. Was the stew good? Well, Isobel's exact words were 'most interesting'. I leave you to decide for yourself. | |
| Post Title: | All tied up! |
| Author: | Brev |
| Date posted: | 29 May 2013 |
| According to LOUSE, that young boatbuilder RIOLAN (son of Riordan Karath, no less) has some unusual ... interests.
Here's what she said: "I was out spreadin' sawdust in th' Market Square when I came across that there Riolan botherin' one of the stallkeepers. 'E was tryin' ter look at ladies' trinkets - an 'im with 'is 'ands all over black with tar! Anyways, we talked 'bout this an' that an' I telt 'im 'bout that pretty stuff th' Elves 'ave - I was bein' 'elpful, see? Then 'e outs an' says 'e fancies a piece of Elven rope! Rope, I says? D'you wanner tie 'er up? 'An 'e didn't deny it nor nothin', telt me it was none o' my business! Did yer ever 'ear of such a pervert?" Course, /I/ can think of a few things a boatbuilder might want rope for, but sometimes it's more amusing to let that Greenshirt speculate ... | |
