He was making veiled threats of large debts owed by my House - and who would that be, I wondered; Uncle Cal was now safely tied down by the Resident Human, neither of my brothers was wild enough to gamble, my sister Isilqueth quite frankly wouldn't have the brains to tell a heart from a spade, my poor Avon wouldn't have the heart to leave his King's side, my parents would have the sense and advisors not to go in debt to anyone out of the kingdom - well, that?s about all my close kin, so who could this person be talking about? I suppose the daughter of my tactics tutor, Alisande Kitiara or Liss for short, who I recently met up within a wayside tavern while I was travelling to Jurawicca, could theoretically be considered kin as we were raised together to some extent, but she assures me constantly she's never lost anything more than her clothes gambling on horses or Crown and Anchor.
When she admitted she was a bit short of kopeks and I ended up 'hiring her as a retainer' over the journey to Jurawicca and back, I felt it wise to confiscate her dice. However, I still can't think of anyone 'of my House' that could be in 'considerable financial duress'.
Nevertheless, I would attempt the quest that this lord proposed, if only for curiosity. This was to find a Tankard. I was also supposed to keep an inexpressibly evil Ring out of the wrong hands, and it was assumed that anyone asking about or trying to get this ring must be untrustworthy in the extreme. I was told to secure the Ring myself to keep it our of their hands.
After talking very circumspectly with a few other people, I came to the conclusion that someone or several people were trying to drive dissention between the people at the Coronation. Talking about my suspicions, I and several others discovered that we each had been asked to find an item, and warned that another one was evil.
Also several people had been threatened. The similarity in the letters, though we each stuck to the confidentiality issue in name if not in spirit, convinced us that we should work together and pool our information somewhat, and decide later who got what.
All evening little whispering groups formed and split up like fog clouds on a misty morning.
The first challenge was for a Helm of Leadership, between Snider, the vampire Kresenk, and nearly-King Silvermoon. It was a test of arms between the three. They both attacked and knocked out Snider, whom I healed again, but Kresenk seemed unable to raise sword or shield against his lord, even thanking him when Silvermoon struck him. Being a vampire of course he was not killed, merely knocked unconscious. Lord Silvermoon claimed the Helm.
Next was a challenge for the Ring: aha! I already knew the name of the Dryad was Xandra, but luckily someone gave me last-minute information that the Ring was called the Ring of Sorcery.(I can't actually remember who it was, sorry!) The contestants had to be mages. Apart from myself there was one other contestant: Gelda Prope. We were both White mages. The contest was to say our favourite spell. I thought of performing Whirlwind but I didn?t think it would be a good idea to blow all the candles out, so I just settled for a nice, easy Light spell.
"Orean i calma cala tinwe,
Siles vanya l�me huine,
Elvea ar calima av i hyelle!"
Away from me the lamp light sparkles,
It shines away the night shadows,
Starlike and bright from my hand.
Gelda lengthened the normal human light spell somewhat, but apparently the Eneldorean dialect of Elven pleased the Elven King and audience. So I at least completed the second half of my mission.