I awoke in the dark of the room, breathing heavily.\u00a0 Voedle!\u00a0 Our family weapons-master, I hadn\u2019t seen him since shortly before joining the Cairn Jale \u2013 how did he end up in Vor Kragal?\u00a0 And how did he end up being sentenced to dissolution?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Too many names were cropping up from my past.\u00a0 This seemed too coincidental \u2013 Kaenig, Mahar, now Voedle as well.\u00a0 This could not be simple accident.\u00a0 What could be happening here?\u00a0 Was there something about my time in the force that wove all of us together?\u00a0 How could this be?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As I shook the globes to life, no answer was forthcoming.\u00a0 Strangely quiet after last night\u2019s relative talkative moment, the voice of my grandcestor was not to be found.\u00a0 I sat on the bed, stunned.\u00a0 Voedle had first trained me to use a sword and bow, all those centuries ago, in a class with the other children of the family.\u00a0 It was he from whom I learned military history, the chants and charms required to be bothan inspiring leader and an arcane warrior.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Of course, if he had been present in the Pool and retained consciousness, his would be the most fitting soul to accompany me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I dressed slowly, putting on my damp clothes with caution \u2013 I may enjoy the cold, and even be more resilient to its effects than most, but chilly damp on certain parts of the body will never be truly comfortable.\u00a0 I donned my armor and secured my weapons, then adjusted to make sure my valuables were safe.\u00a0 I picked up the bag and withdrew the key from the door.\u00a0 With a snick<\/em> the door slid open on its hinge, and I walked back to the common room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The hobgoblin pair were still present, though the human was missing.\u00a0 I turned my key over to the woman, and retrieved a cup of hot tea from the sideboard.\u00a0 Sitting to drink, I took a few moments to appreciate the feel of clean clothes, and a clean me.\u00a0 Probably wouldn\u2019t last, so I was determined to make the best of it while I could.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once done with my drink, I left the inn and walked down a level, through the tavern and out its entrance to the stairs leading to the canyon floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sight that greeted me was quite different from that which I\u2019d seen the night before.\u00a0 Where once the floor of the canyon had been an empty night\u2019s darkness, now canvas tents of all colors and sizes lined its length as far as I could see.\u00a0 A wide avenue ran down the center, occasionally broken by stalls set up in the middle of it, and a huge number of individuals walked in the street.\u00a0 Relatively few animals were present, and those largely were tethered to the sides of the tents and stalls.\u00a0 Smells of all sorts assaulted my nostrils, from the dung of riding beasts to strange and wonderful foods \u2013 at one time, disconcertingly close to one another, and from which I made certain not to purchase anything allegedly edible.\u00a0 The noise was tumultuous, hundreds of people speaking no less than five or six different languages, only one or two of which I recognized.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the people \u2013 humans, dwur, elves of various sorts, hobgoblins, there were dozens of races represented here.\u00a0 Even a few non-native creatures were present.\u00a0 I saw one giant, and at least one deva while walking through the market area.\u00a0 It was simply fascinating.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t even imagine where they all might have come from.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could see the walls of the gorge clearly now, crusted with structures carved into its sides, dark windows peering into the deep crevasse.\u00a0 Stairs descended from everywhere I looked, even in one or two instances in the form of a rope-ladder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n First order of business, I found a shop that wasn\u2019t too close to any loose animals and scored myself some food.\u00a0 A hefty-sized pasty stuffed with meat and greens came cheap, and I walked down the freshly-defined street wiping juice off my mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I bought a ceramic mug with a metal lid from another vendor, along with a leather strap to hang it from my belt, and had it filled with beer from still another stall.\u00a0 Thus equipped, I asked the tender where I might find Madam Garandes.\u00a0 He thumbed over his shoulder up the street, a direction I took at a reasonably leisurely pace.\u00a0 Practically everything one could imagine was for sale here.\u00a0 Glassware \u2013 real glass, too, perfectly clear, not the opaque dirty stuff in common use.\u00a0 There were cups and carafes and sheets of it.\u00a0 Ceramics of all sorts, ironworks, weapons and armor, clothes of linen and silk, prepared and raw foods, even magical components of all sorts.\u00a0 I bought several small bags of residuum dust and socked them away, for when I found myself a hireling Shaper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eventually I found what I was looking for \u2013 a booth constructed of many colorful silks, the inside of which was laid out as a comfortable little salon.\u00a0 A hugely fat woman \u2013 apparently human \u2013 sat upon a small stool before a table, and was filing the nails of a gith man.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t tell whether he was Githzerai or Githyanki, just that he had the corpse-like thinness and sallow skin common to both races.\u00a0 Pock-marks littered his face, evidence of an unpleasant disease or perhaps some kind of vicious tribal markings, either way it didn\u2019t look pleasant.\u00a0 The sign over the door read \u2018Garandes\u2019, so I stepped in out of the crowd.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMadam Garandes?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She looked up from the small finger of the gith.\u00a0 \u201cBe with you shortly, dear.\u00a0 Have a seat, and there\u2019s wine in the jug if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I looked over to the vessel she pointed to, and smiled.\u00a0 I swished a little water through my mug and emptied it in the street before helping myself to a small portion of the contents \u2013 a medium red, just dry enough for me to like it.\u00a0 I settled on a pile of cushions in the corner and watched passersby.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So many different types \u2013 I even saw a trio of minotaur, arguing with a goliath as they walked by.\u00a0 It was almost like home in its way.\u00a0 It reminded me also of the days spent in Erelhei\u2019Cinlu, though probably less overtly lethal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before long the gith stood, smiling at his hands.\u00a0 He paid the lady, who smiled demurely without getting up and stashed the coinage beneath her dress.\u00a0 As he left, she motioned me over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, what can I do for you, young man?\u00a0 Manicure?\u00a0 Pedicure?\u00a0 Those horns could perhaps use a bit of a polish, if you don\u2019t mind my saying.\u201d\u00a0 She grinned with a friendliness that was both genuine and very endearing.\u00a0 If I could remember my grandmother, I suspect this is how she would grace my memory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cActually, that might not be such a bad idea, madam.\u00a0 But first, I was instructed to bring you this,\u201d she squinted skeptically at me as I reached into a pocket.\u00a0 Shaking a little bit of black dust away from it, I proffered the small paper I\u2019d brought with me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her face brightened immediately.\u00a0 \u201cAhhh! Sweet Geria, that woman!\u00a0 Thank you, young man, for bringing this to me!\u00a0 It\u2019s lovely!\u201d\u00a0 She rose up with it pinched between two enormous rolling fingers, and took a deep sniff with her nose.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and it smells perfect!\u00a0 Could anything be better?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know exactly what to say here; it was, after all, just a paper flower.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gladdened to see it makes you happy, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 I bowed slightly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, but you don\u2019t know, do you?\u00a0 It probably just looks like a scrap of parchment, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 She held it forth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I shrugged, then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t see what it is that provides you with such joy, but I\u2019m happy to see that it does.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSuch a sweet talker, you.\u00a0 I see why she picked you.\u00a0 Here, come here.\u201d\u00a0 She motioned to me with her free hand.\u00a0 \u201cMay I?\u201d\u00a0 She asked as she reached toward me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Careful,<\/em> came Voedle\u2019s voice in my head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I leaned forward anyway, not sure what to expect.\u00a0 She settled that big hand on the side of my face and pressed her fingers into my hair.\u00a0 She then held the flower up to my face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It blossomed before my eyes.\u00a0 Somehow, it turned from a simple paper element into an entire bush full of bright white, pink, and red roses.\u00a0 I could still see her face, but the bush was there nonetheless.\u00a0 The smell wasn\u2019t overpowering, but it certainly was wonderful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She drew back, and the flower became just a flower again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a genius, that Geria,\u201d\u00a0 Madam Gerandes mumbled, smiling at the token.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAbsolutely.\u00a0 I had no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course not, that\u2019s her gift \u2013 she is one of the best at arcaniflora.\u00a0 Kings across the world cherish her work.\u201d\u00a0 As she said this she brought out a small shot-glass from behind her table and set it there, depositing the little flower into it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can see why,\u201d I agreed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you again.\u00a0 Now, what can I do for you?\u00a0 You were interested in polish?\u00a0 I think I can manage a discount for you, given the service you\u2019ve done me here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I smiled.\u00a0 \u201cCertainly, that sounds great, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I spent the next forty-five minutes leaning back against her table while she carved and filed at my horns.\u00a0 I smelled a pungent wax as she applied various substances to my head.\u00a0 She kept up idle conversation while she worked, talking weather and a variety of innocuous topics of the sort.\u00a0 The only point of note I had was while she was running a fine sanding-stone over the backs of my right horn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow did you meet Geria?\u201d She\u2019d asked me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was traveling away from Vor Kragal and passed through her village, hoping to find supplies.\u00a0 Was two days past now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u00a0 And she gave you my flower just on the strength of that meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI suppose I was very polite,\u201d I offered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPolite indeed.\u00a0 Where\u2019s your mount?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cKilled crossing the Hastwith.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u00a0 Yes, I remember when she settled in that place, though it wasn\u2019t there at the time,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was wondering how you met.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe used to travel together.\u00a0 Adventurers, we were, much as you yourself are, if your gear tells a true story of you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou read me right, Madam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust Garandes, please.\u00a0 Yes, we traveled together, but eventually she became homesick and returned to her village where her father lived.\u00a0 I\u2019ve known her for decades now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo what is this place?\u00a0 And what are you doing here?\u201d\u00a0 I turned my head up to get a look at her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis?\u00a0 This is the Overspill Market.\u00a0 I came here a few years after she left.\u00a0 I still had a taste for the strange, the different, but I was tired of living on the road and waking up in the rain.\u00a0 Here, I get all the changes and new faces I had as a traveler, but I can live calmly and not worry about knives in my ample gullet.\u201d\u00a0 She waggled one of her many extra chins between thumb and forefinger as she said this.\u00a0 \u201cSo, aside from seeing me, what brings you here?\u00a0 You haven\u2019t found much in Vor Kragal by the looks of your bag, so you\u2019ve nothing to sell, and you certainly didn\u2019t come just to deliver my flower.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI found exactly what I needed, I think.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking for supplies, really, I\u2019m on my way to Al\u2019Veydra.\u00a0 I hoped to contract a Shaper here, someone who could find me a quicker path there, perhaps through a portal.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI might be able to help you with that,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThough I\u2019m not a shaper myself, I know at least one here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat would be wonderful. \u00a0You called this the Overspill Market.\u00a0 What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, it all started when the Market Street filled up, and more merchants were there than there was space to have them all.\u201d\u00a0 She was digging with a small pick at something while she said it, exertion showing through in her voice.\u00a0 \u201cSo the city decided to contract new space, probably with your ancestors, now that I think of it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey opened a daily portal here, we\u2019re allowed dawn to dusk, and we set up in this canyon as our street.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see \u2013 but what city are you talking about?\u00a0 The largest I know of is Banner, and there\u2019s plenty of room there for markets.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell it\u2019s the<\/em> city, really, the City of Brass.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We talked a bit longer, and before much more time had passed she finished the job.\u00a0 As I sat up, she offered me a hand-mirror.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you look like a king,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cBest rack in the City,\u201d she continued with a grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I looked in the mirror.\u00a0 I have to admit, she was right.\u00a0 Aside from my clothing, I looked great.\u00a0 Clean, for starters.\u00a0 But what she\u2019d done to my horns was fantastic.\u00a0 They were polished to a fine gloss, deep black to match my hair, and filed to a sharp edge along their length with a wicked point at the end of each.\u00a0 My tail twitched with appreciation for the look.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIndeed, this is great work.\u00a0 I should have done this a long time ago.\u00a0 What do I owe you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNormally I\u2019d say a full ten gold for this, but I did promise you a discount.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say seven.\u00a0 That\u2019s a fair number, yes, seven.\u201d\u00a0 I retrieved the coinage and paid her, smiling as I did.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like a jar of fixer while you\u2019re at it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAn ointment, you rub it into the horn to keep the shine fresh.\u00a0 Helps make it easier to keep the edge as well.\u201d\u00a0 She held up a small jar, three inches across and perhaps the same depth.\u00a0 \u201cFive in gold each, if you like.\u00a0 You only need a little dab, so one of these should last you a good month, maybe six weeks if you make it last.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I took three, uncertain of when I\u2019d next find her.\u00a0 \u201cI do have a solution for that, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHere, look.\u00a0 Just take one right now.\u00a0 Watch,\u201d as she said this, she gave me the full jar I\u2019d bought, and pushed the extra money back at me.\u00a0 She drew a box out from under her table, as well as a similar jar to the one I\u2019d bought.\u00a0 \u201cWhen your supply gets really low, just put five gold in the jar.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took the money I\u2019d just paid her with, and opening the jar she\u2019d produced, put the coins into the empty container.\u00a0 \u201cThe money comes back to me,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She twisted the jar shut, and with the last twist, I heard a dull clinking sound coming from the box.\u00a0 \u201cI have it enchanted to refill itself when the money is passed through.\u201d\u00a0 She opened the jar back up, and showed me that it was full to the rim, smooth and fresh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s really quite ingenious,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded and touched the side of her nose with her forefinger.\u00a0 \u201cI found the trick while visiting a Dwur village deep in the tunnels near the Sapphire Falls,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI could perhaps show you the location some time on a map, for the right price,\u201d she offered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat would you consider the right price?\u201d\u00a0 This could do wonders for my whiskey business, not to mention cut down on the number of bottles and casks I would have to travel with.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She thought for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI think five hundred would be a fair deal here.\u00a0 I can have a map in a day\u2019s time, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I considered it.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to reveal that I carried that kind of cash around onme, but it was more than a fair trade, if I could find the purveyor of this trick.\u00a0 \u201cDeal.\u00a0 I\u2019ll come by tomorrow morning with the money.\u201d\u00a0 We shook on it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mentioned you might also know a Shaper, can you perhaps arrange a meeting for me tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded, her cheeks jiggling slightly with the motion.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I\u2019ll see to it that he\u2019s here.\u00a0 Would you like portal coordinates to go with the map?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes please, though I have separate coordinates for where I need to go in the immediate sense.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She sat up.\u00a0 \u201cNow, I suppose you\u2019ll be wandering on again.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI suppose so, though I\u2019m not quite certain where.\u00a0 You mentioned this market connects to the City of Brass \u2013 would there be a sage or a bookseller here somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She gave me directions, standing in the gap between curtains and veils in her stall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOne last thing \u2013 Geria, what is she?\u00a0 Is she really djinn?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The fat woman grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWe never really talked about that, but I suspect she\u2019s got more than a little air in her.\u201d\u00a0 With that, she ducked inside.\u00a0 A group of four or five gnomes \u2013 I resisted the temptation to throw a kick in their direction \u2013 trundled in behind her.\u00a0 As I walked down the strange alleyway, gales of high-pitched rodentlike laughter followed me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I found the bookseller a little while later, the stall actually more of a large wooden wagon parked in the center of the aisle.\u00a0 People flowed around it, parting like a river of flesh as they meandered on their way.\u00a0 Sitting in the doorway, smoking a long clay pipe, a humanoid creature sat.\u00a0 It wore robes of orange and yellow silks, and sandals made from leather with wooden soles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It had no skin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At least, none of the visible sort one would associate with the living.\u00a0 Every muscle, sinew, and exposed bone was visible, even some veins and arteries.\u00a0 Watching it sit there, smoking its pipe, it could have almost passed for the victim of a flaying \u2013 were it not for the movement.\u00a0 In its free hand, it held a small book, barely the height of my own hand, and it turned the pages with a finger while holding the book with the remaining digits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I noticed as it moved, it had extra joints.\u00a0 Everywhere.\u00a0 There were two elbows, two knees, extra joints on each finger, wrists and ankles, it seemed almost made of extra bends.\u00a0 Something about this made its motion so foreign, so strange, it almost nauseated me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRead much?\u201d\u00a0 It had noticed me; to my embarrassment I\u2019d been staring.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cApologies, yes.\u00a0 Yes, yes I do.\u201d\u00a0 I stepped up to the fellow, trying not to see how many finger knuckles went into its ear as it scratched.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNone necessary.\u201d\u00a0 It pointed over its shoulder and indicated a few small stacks of books I\u2019d not noticed when approaching.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m accustomed.\u00a0 Just so happens that this is your lucky day, reader.\u00a0 I sell books.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cParticular topics?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, only what I find along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026got anything on cooking?\u00a0 Particularly, cooking exotic things?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMight do \u2013 anything else while I\u2019m going in to look?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, actually \u2013 got any general information on angels?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLooking to cook an angel?\u201d\u00a0 If it had eyebrows, it probably would have raised them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I thought of Sered for a moment, then discarded the notion.\u00a0 \u201cNo, just curiosity.\u00a0 Their life is very interesting to me, and I wish to learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShame, that\u2019d be an interesting dish.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps, but not something I\u2019d want to see on my plate.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It nodded, and ducked inside the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cBe but a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I pulled out a cigar and lit it, puffing bits of smoke into the air.\u00a0 I watched around me while I waited, getting a feel for the market.\u00a0 The place extended as far as I could see, and although I tried, I couldn\u2019t see any dividing line where the market might connect with the City of Brass.\u00a0 Not that I doubted, I just couldn\u2019t pick up where the transition was.\u00a0 The cliffs that rose up to either side of the market were steep and sheer, in some places even overhanging, casting deep shadows on the multitude of people thronging about.\u00a0 Birds and other things flew overhead occasionally, most silent.\u00a0 I imagined most were scavengers, but some might have been familiars or pets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before too long, the strange skinless creature had returned with three volumes in hand.\u00a0 \u201cGot a few things that might be interesting for you here,\u201d he offered.\u00a0 \u201cMillikan\u2019s Field Recipes<\/em>, both volumes \u2013 great bits on cooking wild game, particularly dangerous and large.\u00a0 Also the Ephemerals of Ientary.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWho is or was Ientary?\u00a0 What\u2019s that one?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJournal.\u00a0 Ientary was a traveler, much like yourself, but spent a great deal of time in the Astral Sea, studying the wilds there.\u00a0 Supposedly been around since the Dawn War itself.\u201d\u00a0 He showed me the thick binding, packed with thin pages.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I looked through the cooking volumes as well, they were done up in fine workmanship \u2013 plenty of illustrations, and oiled leather covers to give some protection from spills.\u00a0 Perfect for the Inn, I figured.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Ephemerals<\/em> was an interesting volume as well \u2013 not quite as detailed as I\u2019d like, but it was a good start.\u00a0 After giving it a once-over, we haggled over price for a few moments before I finally paid him what was (to my mind) a particularly over-inflated amount of money for the books.\u00a0 I socked away the cooking volumes and went on a search for a place to sit and perhaps drink a bit with some food.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I found what I was looking for some sixty yards further up, a series of tables were laid down to either side of the area, with stools and benches.\u00a0 Two metal grills shot smoke and steam into the air \u2013 how those were mobile I hadn\u2019t the foggiest idea \u2013 and people of all shapes and sizes were seated around.\u00a0 I got a fill-up in my mug of a deep red wine, and a large carved sausage with mustard and brown bread.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I sat and worked my way through the book and the rest of my cigar for about two hours, refreshing my glass twice as I did.\u00a0 The wine was particularly nice, and had a warming sensation to the gut.\u00a0 Whoever Ientary was, he or she had traveled a great deal in the Astral \u2013 the book was full of anecdotes about the Gith pirates, and a large variety of strange beasts the author had encountered there.\u00a0 Or at least, claimed to have encountered there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Closing the book, the atmosphere around the tables had changed since I\u2019d sat.\u00a0 Fewer people were eating, and instead now there were several small groups playing cards.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure exactly what game was being played there, until I stood and moved over to view a group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It would seem that poker is a somewhat universal rule.\u00a0 Perhaps somewhere there is a god of poker, because that game is more consistent in its appearance than most religions I\u2019m familiar with.\u00a0 This was a version I recognized, with a board of community cards and small hands among the players.\u00a0 After observing a few hands played, I made motion to ask to join in, and was welcomed by the group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I played with them for quite some time \u2013 the sun was lowering by the time I stood up.\u00a0 I\u2019d lost a few gold at the table, but it had been fun just to play. \u00a0A fellow Shadrim across from me had been making a run of the entire table, and had done particularly well.\u00a0 I nodded my congratulations as I strolled off with my bag over my shoulder \u2013 I\u2019d been careful to keep it in sight and in contact the entire time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the shadows climbed the walls of the chasm, I slowly made my way back to the opening facing out to the Hastwith, and located the stairs I\u2019d taken when I first arrived.\u00a0 Returning upstairs, I ate a decent meal, established myself in a room, dropped off most of my gear, and retired to the tavern level below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I found it somewhat more popular this evening than the previous, each of the small rooms had anywhere from three to twelve people in them (the most populous being the one with the giant barrel, of course), all engaged in conversation and various diversions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leaning against the bar in a small room that served a particularly fine lagered beer, I was surprised when a voice spoke up behind me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDarts?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I turned around, and found a woman holding up a slim set of projectiles before me.\u00a0 She wore a cloak with a dark hood pulled back over her shoulders, revealing a head of hair so black it almost looked like a negative image.\u00a0 Her eyes were green, and her face angled sharply behind curves that barely took the edge off her looks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In short, she was beautiful.\u00a0 Astonishing, really.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t seen this kind of lovely since\u2026since leaving Ichaer, really.\u00a0 There may have been one farmer\u2019s daughter in Al\u2019Veydra that turned my head (okay, perhaps four), but this woman was like nothing I\u2019d seen before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And here she was, smiling at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUmm,\u201d my brilliance showed through almost immediately.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t want to play, not everyone does,\u201d she made to put them away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUmm,\u201d tongue-lock is almost as powerful when it\u2019s self-inflicted as when it arrives at the end of a fairy\u2019s blade.\u00a0 I usually sound much smarter.\u00a0 Often smarter than I am.\u00a0 Not right then, though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, wait,\u201d I finally got out.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I\u2019d love to.\u00a0 Is there a board here?\u201d\u00a0 I looked around, having not seen one when I entered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She rapped her knuckles on the bar and extended a hand to the bartender.\u00a0 He grunted and reached down below the bar, retrieving a well-stickered barrel top with rings painted in it. \u00a0I saw the hanger now, a nail sunk in the wall in the side of the room.\u00a0 I hung the board while the bartender fetched her a beer, and I extended a hand to shake as I returned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Goram.\u00a0 Nice to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She shook my hand as well.\u00a0 Hers was warm, with cold spots where she\u2019d picked up her mug.\u00a0 \u201cKineta,\u201d she said back.\u00a0 She smelled like raspberries.\u00a0 \u201cGold a game?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSuits me, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She wound up and began throwing, in practiced, careful arcs.\u00a0 She was good \u2013 I could tell she was very methodical about scoring.\u00a0 As we played, we slowly worked through our beers.\u00a0 Other people came and went while we did, once small group waving a greeting to her as they came in.\u00a0 A Halfling, a human, and a minotaur together all watched her while we stood there and I was shooting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLook out for her, Shadrim, she\u2019ll hustle the shirt off your back \u2013 not that you\u2019ll mind,\u201d the Halfling jeered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShut it, rodent.\u00a0 You three look like the opening line of a dumb joke.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t even look over at them while she said this.\u00a0 I almost blew lager out my nose, I laughed so hard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat was really, really good,\u201d I said when I got my breathing under control.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She grinned at me slyly.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 It\u2019s my way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow long have you been here?\u201d\u00a0 I took another shot.\u00a0 Her turn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust a few days, came to the Market for a few things, then we\u2019re moving on.\u201d\u00a0 She opened up a good lead with a rather nice throw.\u00a0 \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSame, only just discovered the place yesterday.\u00a0 Going to have to come back.\u201d\u00a0 I bought us another round.\u00a0 \u201cYour friends thirsty?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She glanced over at them.\u00a0 \u201cAlways.\u201d\u00a0 My turn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I bought a set of drinks for them, and took a clean shot to the bullseye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNice one,\u201d she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFind what you were looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, plus a good treatment for my headgear.\u201d\u00a0 Shot.\u00a0 \u201cAnd maybe a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHeadgear?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I tapped a horn with the tip of the last dart.\u00a0 She muttered understanding around a mouthful of beer.\u00a0 \u201cI thought that was you,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou were in the tent with the colored streamers, the big fat lady working on you this morning, weren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I nodded, a bit suspicious, though I didn\u2019t let that escape to my face.\u00a0 I think.\u00a0 \u201cYes, that was me.\u00a0 Madam Garandes is quite good at making things look good.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The drinks arrived at the table across from us.\u00a0 The minotaur let out a short roar and held up his mug to me in salute.\u00a0 I made a short bow and handed the darts over.\u00a0 The Halfling called over, \u201cHey Kineta, keep this one, I like him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I grinned.\u00a0 \u201cHe should try my whiskey,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her eyebrows went up.\u00a0 \u201cYour<\/em> whiskey?\u00a0 You drink a special kind or something?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, I have a distillery.\u00a0 Hired a great still-master to run the shop for me, and have a few that are getting noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u00a0 What\u2019s it called?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDeath\u2019s Head Distillery,\u201d I gulped down some of my beer.\u00a0 \u201cWe make beer, too, but not a lager like this.\u00a0 Not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd the name of your whiskey?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWinter\u2019s Fall<\/em>.\u00a0 Named after a gnome I knew, seemed like he had an aversion to bridges, he never could seem to get across one without going over the side.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She laughed at that.\u00a0 Listening to her laughter was like listening to a spring stream, it just made me brighten up inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHorace, do you still have that bottle of whiskey?\u201d\u00a0 She called over to her friends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The human, who had been chatting enthusiastically with the minotaur, pulled up and looked over at us.\u00a0 Recognition passed across his face, and he rummaged about in his bag for a moment.\u00a0 Finding what he sought, he produced a small brown glass bottle with a label I recognized utterly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I felt famous.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was Winter\u2019s Fall<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you saying about this stuff, Horace?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never had it?\u00a0 Oh shining lights, man, you must<\/em> try this stuff \u2013 it\u2019s the best whiskey I\u2019ve ever had. Probably the best there ever was, as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d\u00a0 He was so animated about it, uncorking the top and racing to the bar, I couldn\u2019t help but grin like an idiot.\u00a0 Which wasn\u2019t hard, with Kineta standing there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks much, Horace \u2013 I\u2019m Azrael, by the way \u2013 I\u2019d love a little bit, sure,\u201d\u00a0 I held out my hand for the offered glass.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kineta\u2019s hand gripped my wrist, fast.\u00a0 \u201cYou said your name was Goram,\u201d she looked at me with squinted eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I paused, glass in hand.\u00a0 \u201cHmm, yes.\u00a0 Well, one can never be too careful.\u201d\u00a0 I turned the bottle to show the signature pressed in the glass.\u00a0 \u201cSee that?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s made with a heated iron when the bottles are blown, and the iron was cast in a clay mold which captured that signature on the day the contract was inked with the glassblower.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I turned it away from me, so that Horace could still see it, but so I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 I carefully removed her hand from mine, then retrieved the dart-board.\u00a0 I flipped it over to its back, and drew Riftspar<\/em>.\u00a0 With quick strokes, I carved my signature \u2013 carefully, so as not to leave my finger there as well \u2013 on the surface.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Horace and Kineta watched while I was doing this.\u00a0 I finished the carving and slugged back the tiny glass of whiskey.\u00a0 \u201cOh yeah, that is definitely<\/em> the best.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Horace looked confused for a minute, eyeing the signature.\u00a0 Then his eyes widened for a second, and he looked at the back of the bottle.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re the same,\u201d he mumbled.\u00a0 \u201cWait a minute \u2013 that\u2019s you?<\/em> You\u2019re him?\u00a0 You make this?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I nodded, grinning while I put back my knife.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He raised the bottle up to me.\u00a0 \u201cSir, you\u2019ve done us all a great service, and I salute you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I brought his arm back down gently.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, though it was more out of self-interest than any intent to be a beneficent provider,\u201d I laughed as I said this.\u00a0 \u201cI like whiskey as much as the next person.\u00a0 Probably more.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t find the one I liked, so I had this made.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, thanks for making it anyway,\u201d he grinned, pouring himself a glass.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy pleasure.\u00a0 Where\u2019d you find that, anyhow?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLittle shop up the way today, they sell all sorts of good booze.\u201d\u00a0 He socked the bottle away after pouring Kineta a glass as well.\u00a0 She had been eyeing me silently through this, which I was trying not to be unnerved by.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I thought about this for a second.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re saying my whiskey is being sold by a shopkeep in the City of Brass<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOhhhYEAH!\u201d I jumped up in the air, and almost brained myself on a beam supporting the ceiling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I got up from my pained crouch, I looked at the two of them with a big wide grin.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I knew it was good, but I didn\u2019t realize it went this far.\u00a0 Whoo hoo!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo who is Goram?\u201d Kineta asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOld soldier, used to be a member of my unit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSpecial circumstances, I assume?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you assume right,\u201d I agreed neutrally.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, fair enough.\u201d\u00a0 She nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I looked around at the others.\u00a0 \u201cHmm.\u00a0 I think this calls for a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Halfling stood up with a wooden mug in hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat a good idea!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We drank and talked for a long while more, with lots of darts in between.\u00a0 Eventually, I decided it was getting late.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI have to get up for a meeting tomorrow \u2013 will you excuse me?\u00a0 How long are you all planning on being here?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kineta spoke up first.\u00a0 \u201cProbably a few days, but could be tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lotonna, the minotaur, interjected.\u00a0 \u201cAssuming we can extract Nemmy from Horace\u2019s pants in the morning, that is.\u201d\u00a0 He let out a great snuffling laugh at this, and Kineta also chuckled quietly from behind a hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat was nothing!\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t find my pants, and we were drunk!\u201d\u00a0 Nemmy jumped on the bench to emphasize his outrage.\u00a0 \u201cThey looked like mine!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, maybe I\u2019ll see you all at breakfast tomorrow.\u201d I backed up and bowed once, then walked to the door.\u00a0 I looked back at them, and saw Kineta watching me.\u00a0 Lotonna elbowed her, chuckling, and she looked away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I got back to my room and cleaned up again.\u00a0 A bath two nights in a row was an amazing luxury.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I fell asleep happy that night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t see them when I went out to breakfast, and was surprised at how depressed that made me.\u00a0 I ate slowly, reading the Ephemerals <\/em>while spooning hot oatmeal with honey and milk into my mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I was finished, I made my way back down to the canyon floor, where dawn was throwing its light on the various booths there.\u00a0 It was still early enough that the place was quiet, though it was quickly filling up with people streaming in from \u2013 well, I don\u2019t know where. People were everywhere, and they just seemed to be appearing without my really seeing where they were coming from.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I walked down to where I remembered Madam Garandes\u2019 stall to be.\u00a0 I got some coffee \u2013 okay, a lot of coffee \u2013 from another stall along the way, and took my time.\u00a0 I was wondering whether I could engineer a return to the Market quickly enough to find Kineta and her friends after completing my business in Al\u2019Veydra.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sure enough, the colorful banners were swaying in the breeze, and she was there, slowly aerating herself with a little bamboo collapsible fan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAh, there you are, perfect!\u201d\u00a0 She waved happily at me.\u00a0 \u201cMy friend is already here, just inside.\u00a0 Come along in, and let\u2019s get the two of you met.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took my hand as I walked into the little stall.\u00a0 Inside, a woman stood with her back to me, leaning over the small work-table and writing something.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRight here.\u00a0 Now, can I get you some wine while you two discuss business?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I stopped in my tracks as the woman turned around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPleased to meet you, mister Goram,\u201d Kineta said, holding her hand out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I awoke in the dark of the room, breathing heavily.\u00a0 Voedle!\u00a0 Our family weapons-master, I hadn\u2019t seen him since shortly before joining the Cairn Jale \u2013 how did he end up in Vor Kragal?\u00a0 And how did he end up … Continue reading