Chapter 11

Cael warily eyes the tonsured man and discretely tucks his symbol of Eho back under his tunic. No need courting danger. He heads to the bar, away from the stranger, and gets drinks for himself, Toshiro and Gwehn. He also lets Kvelti know what happened, in as few words as possible. "Well, we were able to help Thorn with her problem, but it seems we have a new trip to take. Guess we have to go visit some of my old 'associates'. Do you think you could give us a hand resupplying?" Cael looks at her hopefully.

The tonsured, portly man burps loudly upon finishing his soup. Then he falls upon a nearby sausage, little greasy crumbs falling from his lips. He is wearing a white shirt under a vest with black and gold brocade, depicting several glyphs, sigils, and symbols, gold and black trousers and sandals. He has a friendly rotund face (currently graced with a mint and eel soup moustache), talking out loud with food exposed and wiping the sausage grease on his robe. He wears a symbol of a blank scoll around his neck.

Now I have truely seen everything, Toshiro muses as he and Gwenh take their seats. A slovenly Ogman... I would not have guessed. Looking at Gwenh, he motioned with a brief nod in the direction of the bar. "Interesting customer, don't you think?"

Gwenh looks at Toshiro, apparently jolted from her daydream. "Hmmm? Yes I believe he is." She looks at the man for the first time since walking in. "Oh well yes, he is rather interesting now that you mention it."

Kvelti nods good-naturedly to Cael before bringing some food to Toshiro and Gwenh. "Best customer I've had in a while...fellow must have a hollow leg. Took a bit of doin' to track down all what he wanted, but I got it eventually... and in bulk, so yes, Cael, I think I've got plenty to help you stock up, vittle-wise. You can help yourselves to the bedlinens, too, if you want to make some of those burnt-nooses they wear down where it gets hot. What else you gonna need? Oh, hold on, I think a soup refill is needed."

She crosses the room to his table. "Brother Brygund, need some more soup?"

Cael stays sitting at the bar, drinking. Wrapped in his own thoughts, he completely misses the conversation Gwehn and Toshiro are having. His thoughts keep being drawn back to the forest, and the depredations that had been done to it in the name of his god.

At the other table, news of more soup is joyfully received. "Why certainly! Bless Oghma's foresight! A lovely soup it is! They never made soup like this at the abbey!," said between slurpings of soup, "Accolades to the cook!mmmm!!!!" The priest burps loudly. "Everyone should be so lucky to enjoy this soup! I can only image what other cooking delights the cook is capable of!!!"

Cael's head jerks up with a start when he hears the priest's exclaimations. Oghma. I know that name. God of.. of... that's it! God of knowledge. Cael looks again at the Oghman, then at Toshiro and Gwehn. Eho, have you recruited more help for our cause? For we three are too few to take on all of Ehosia alone. Perhaps I'd better find out.

Cael digs into his pack and pulls out a handful of papers; ones he took from the cottage in the forest. He gets up, walks over to Brother Brygund's table, and drops the papers on a clean part of the table. "Truthseeker, I think we need to talk."

"Greetings, Friend! What would you like to talk about? This lovely soup? It is fantastic! And you should really try the fried lizard on a stick with the outstanding hot sauce! Oh how rude of me... I am Brother Brygund Amersog!" said between scoops of soup. "Nice parchment! Looks like very high quality parchment."

Kvelti returns to Toshiro and Gwenh at the bar. "Don't tell him," she whispers, "but the lizard used to cluck and lay eggs. Honestly, where would I find lizards to fry?"

Brygund looks at the papers, which seem to him to be letters of some sort, written in Ehosian. The flowing script is quite distinctive, and often considered on par with written elvish in beauty. He also looks at Cael, seeing a man in cured leather armor and has a knurled walking stick, but no sword or heavy armor to mark him as a warrior. His clothes are all very plain, although his complexion would seem to indicate that he, too, is from Ehosia. Now, in Brother Brygund's mind, Ehosian clergy are usually marked by their elaborate robes in rich red dyes, embroidered with the famous red pearls and gold or copper threads. At least, that's how they are always described in the texts he's copied.

The fellow before him doesn't look like that. In fact, if he had to match him to a stereotype, he'd guess one of those poor but clever thieves who outwit high viziers to marry princesses in the desert romances some of the other texts he's copied tell about.

"No, not about the soup, Brother Brygund. About these." He points to the papers he dropped. "You Ohgmen are supposed to combat lies and deceit, are you not? Well, here is your chance, truthseeker. The man who received these letters, until a year ago, had been my friend, though I knew him as Brother Midu, not as this..." he glances at the uppermost parchment, "Calith. I thought he had died in one of the skirmishes the priesthood has with the elves of the Great Forest. As my compatriots can attest," he waves towards Gwehn and Toshiro, "until a few days ago, he was alive, and draining the life from the Great Forest. We retrieved these letters from his cabin.

"The people of Ehosia have been lied to. We had all been taught, had believed that the elves were the reason our forests were disappearing, draining its life to unnaturally extend their own. But these letters prove that the priesthood, at least the higher levels, are in fact responsible for our forests destruction, just as they tried to destroy the Great Forest."

"I am sorry for your loss, and yes, we are charged with gaining knowledge. As far as I know of the elves are friends to the forests and land. I cannot imagine why they would devastate such greenery when they love it so much. We can go to my abbey if you seek knowledge and speak with the abbot there. He may be able to aid you in your endeavor!" A minor symphony of bodily noises suddenly erupt. "Excuse me! ...Lady of the House, might I have some more fried lizard please?"

Kvelti, meanwhile, had poured herself, Toshiro and Gwenh drinks... elven mead for Gwenh, a tiny cup of sake for Toshiro, and a draft of ale for herself. "I think that's what everyone prefers... Now then, if you are all heading off to cause trouble to Ehosia, I might be able to help you with one more thing. Had a guest last night, she's heading that way to cause trouble for the priests...seems to be her job. She stopped in to buy information. I believe she's camped outside of town and will be back in later today...I told her I had some papers I'd have to rummage through. Looks like a pretty cool customer, but competent. Should I put you two in contact with her?"

Gwenh looks at Kvelti and smiles taking the wine. "I wont tell him." She takes a drink and listens to what she says about the lady. Glancing at Toshiro and wondering what the drink in the tiny glass tastes like, she then looks back at Kvelti. "If you think she would be of help then I think that would be a good idea."

Smiling at Kvelti's slight joke on the Oghman, Toshiro pondered her words about the woman camped outside of town. I wonder.... "Kvelti- this woman; does she carry herself like my cousin did, or like that duelist you slapped silly last I came though?" As she ponders this, Toshiro finishes his sake and motions for more. Glancing at Gwenh and catching her glance at his glass, he grins at her. "Rice wine- would you like to try?"

"Hold that thought..." Kvelti ducks back into the kitchen and returns with two skewers of breaded, fried meat which she takes to Brygund's table. She offers one to Cael with a wicked grin. "Fried lizard, Cael?" She hands it to him before he can reply and wanders back to the bar.

Cael calls out to Kvelti's backside, "If you think you can un-nerve me with food, try again. I lived on worse in the Great Desert." He takes the hot sauce Brygund profers and applies it liberally to the meat and took a bite. Hmm... not bad. Lizard tastes different, though. Must be 'cause we're further nor....!!!! Cael's eyes start to water as the hot sauce kicks in. Eho above! Where'd Kvelti get real Tachi chilies?!?

"Ugh... this is *cough* real good, Kvelti. *cough* Um, could I have *cough* refill?" He waves his empty mug. Kvelti gets him a new one before rejoining the elf and kensai.

She slides behind the bar and hefts the jar of sake in one motion. Carefully yet quickly, she pours a dollop into Toshiro's cup. "It's impolite to pour your own," she explains. She grins. "I might not know much about courtly manners, but I am familiar with the drinking customs of most of the world. Hell, I have some dried mare's milk back here if anyone wants kumiss. Here you go, lass." She pours some sake for Gwenh as well.

She looks at Toshiro again. "Like your cousin in his civvies. You know, 'Look at me, I'm perfectly ordinary and no, I'm not really walking like a cat, it's your imagination.' I mean, she's an elf. Any elf heading into Ehosia had better be good at being a sneak or a disguise artist or both."

"I see..." Toshiro muses as he sips at his sake. Looking at her Toshiro shrugged. "Those that act in such a way are always a plus... when on one's side. I think an introduction may be in order, provided all agree." Turning towards Gwenh, he asks, "What say you?"

Gwenh, still looking at the sake as if it was some great mysterious thing, looks at Toshiro. "Hmm? Oh yes, I agree. An introduction should be in order."

Toshiro replies as he sips a bit more of his drink. "That reminds me- I need to see if my horse used her sense and got back ok. How inconsiderate of me. Just a moment." He exits through the front door to check on his steed.

Meanwhile, once he has his coughing under control, Cael turns back to Brygund. With eyes still watering, he says "We do not need to travel back to your abbey. I have had *cough* the truth shown to me, but now, it must be shown to others still in Ehosia. These letters will help, as will this." He gently pulls a small, battered old book from beneath his leathers. Holding it almost reverently, he places it upon the letters.

"This is what started me on the path to the truth. It is something I have been slowly deciphering; the private journal of Brulie, one of the ancient Patriarchs, from centuries past. In it, on several occasions, he mentions meeting with an embassador of some sort. But the name of the embassador is not Ehosian, nor even human. This emissary, Thinsuldur, was elven. In fact, the Patriarch mentions inviting this elf to play a game of Mai-tu! Eho would not have allowed this association to occur, if elves were truely demon-spawned, as they are portrayed in Ehosia today." Cael stopped for a moment, considering his next words. He had to convince this Oghman priest to join them on this trip into Ehosia.

"Sometime in Ehosia's recent past, the last couple hundred years, the Patriarchs have been demonizing the nonhuman races, elves most of all. And for this to have happened... the Ehosian church had to, intentionally or not, abandon Eho's will, to subvert the truth in exchange for something. And now, it seems that they have exchanged it for the life force of the elven forests."

"Hmmmm...do you mind if I take a look?" Brygund picks up the book and thumbs through it..."Hmmmm...this is very old....roughly over 800 years...here see this? this is the date of the first entry...'Year of Eho's Light'...that seems right..."

Brygund scratches head in thought..."I think in an old text that I had copied three years ago, there was a mention of an elf by the name of Thinsuldur. If this is the same one I do not know but it is mentioned he was also a very ancient elf by the time of this text that was written nearly 150 years ago."

A few moments after Toshiro left, the tavern doors swung open again and a young elven woman stepped in. Her frame is small and slender, yet carries some strength coiled in it, and she moves with an easy grace. Her clothing is plain, neat, and well-cut, and she carries a minimum of gear besides her russack. She wears no armor and a short sword hangs at her side.

Her hair is dark and close-cropped, setting off two eyes as green as summer leaves. She glances about the room as she enters. Her eyes skim over Gwenh and Kvelti at the bar, pass over Brygund and rest, finally, on Cael.

Falling Leaf surveyed the room as was her habit. There was the barkeep (not a threat), a very unusual elf (unknow...possible threat), that slovenly human from last night (cleric...never underestimate magic users) and...Cael?

Her mind raced as she tried to take this in. It occurred to her that the barkeep sold her out. Called in this Ehosian priest, he's obviously trying to not look like a priest, waiting to grab her as she conversed with Kvelti...

Cael, in the nature of someone running from something, looked up when the doors opened and regards the figure at about the same time she loks at him. With longer hair, maybe, and a silk dress instead of traveling leathers... Falling Leaf?

As if in confirmation, the elf's eyes widen as Kvelti cheerfully calls to her from the bar. "Hey, glad you came in. I got..." Kvelti's voice trails off in puzzlement as the elf turns suddenly and bolts back through the door.

Cael glances up from Brygund momentarily when the door to the tavern opens, and quickly does a doubletake. Elven woman, green eyes ,hair's a little longer.... "Falling Leaf?" Cael's too stunned to realise he said the name out loud. He stands, his chair clattering to the floor behind him, just as the elf quickly turns and flies back out the door.

Cael turns and looks at Kvelti. ::What is she doing here? She... I... but....:: In his confusion, Cael reverts to his own language. His mind reels. Among the myriad feelings of love, lust and hate that seeing Falling Leaf brought back, another, darker idea pervades his mind. She's an assassin, specifically, an Ehosian cleric-slayer. What if she was after me? The elves wouldn't know I was excommunicated, nor would they care. And to use her... I probably would have let her get too close. But why did she run? And how did they know I was here?

Involuntarily, Cael takes a step back. ::What in the thirteen flaming hells is going on?:: His hands come up in a protective gesture, ready to cast a prayer-spell if needed.

Kvelti knows only a few words of Ehosian, but obscene expressions are her second specialty (after drink names). It's pretty obvious to her that Cael's very flustered and - frightened? - and is addressing something to her and is -

"Whoa, is that a spell? Calm down, Cael. If the thumps and curses outside are any indication, I think she's met Toshiro... I have no idea what just happened. She came in yesterday, said she was going to Ehosia to cause some trouble, as I was just telling Gwenh and Toshiro. You all came in this morning, going to Ehosia to cause trouble. I thought I could, you know, unite some common causes... but apparently there's something else going on that I don't know about here."

Cael eyes Kvelti carefully. It doesn't look like she's lying.... "Aye, Kvelti, there is more going on. That one, that... elf (he practucally spat the word), is the reason I was banished from Ehosia. She used me to get to my abbott, to murder him in his sleep." Throughout this, Cael's hands stay up, ready for any treachery.

Toshiro, meanwhile, had gone to the stables. Spying his mount, he noticed she had already been groomed and his tack stowed. Good boy; he remembers jobs and finishes them. Must remember to compliment him on good work. After going over to his mount and feeding her a sugar lump, he ventured back to the tavern.

As he approached the door, it flew open and a slight form slammed into him....

Her gods must have been looking out for her, 'Leaf thought. If it wasn't Cael, she wouldn't have known... That's her last thought as she bursts back through the door...and collides with a man on his way back in.

Hellrot! she thinks angrily as she tumbles down. Of course they'd send more than one... Her left hand draws a dagger as her right flies up block the attack she expects.

::Crap!:: snaps out of Toshiro's mouth as he tumbles to the ground as well. Deftly dodging the dagger slice from the other person... a female elf, his mind registers... he slaps it aside and encounters a talented return block. Surprised for an instant, he reaches out and grabs the offending hand and attempts a hold only to have it fail. None can slip that one unless they are trained... it's her.

Instantly, Toshiro's take on this little scap changes and a few heartbeats later, he manages to place the other in a varient of a hold learn way too many years ago. ::Enough is enough!:: he hissed in rapid Shou mixed with the cant of those who walk in the shadows... ::Keep going and I break thy arm- I know what and who you are. This is not a trap, simply the Fates dealing you help... understand?::

He maintained his hold as she made up her mind... the entire exchange of actions taking no more than six seconds.

For Falling Leaf, the fight went like this:

Damn as the knife missed. Damn! at the first hold...wriggled out, get away....

DAMN! as her arm was twisted painfully around her back.

Then just a cold calm as she heard him say something...it didn't sound Ehosian, but spells often have strange cadences. She waits, silently, for some icy finger of death to steal away her lifeforce... and is pleasantly surprised when nothing happens. His spell failed!

Unfortunately, his grip on her arm had not.

She slumps, a dead weight, attempting to make things as difficult for her captor as possible, to make his shift his grip or stance or something that will give her an opening to get out...

When no response is forthcoming, Toshiro tries again, this time in badly accented elven. Quietly he says ::Child, I know of who and what you are. Simply accept the Fates' help when you are given it... we have the same goals.:: And he lets her arm go and takes a step back, expecting nothing and yet anything...

The elf falls forward as Toshiro releases his hold, tucks, rolls, and comes up. She turns to face him, something shining in her right hand. She stops when she sees that he has drawn no weapon. It also occurs to her that Cael should have been able to make it out here by now, if it was his job to apprehend her. The shining spike disappears up a sleeve. She didn't know what was going on, but the immediate threat seemed to be gone.

Unless this was a different kind of trap... but why would he give up the advantage?

"Child," she says to the human who must be less than half her age, in Ehosian-accented Common, "who are you and what are your goals?" She keeps one wary eye on the door.

Smiling, Toshiro nods at the turn on words. "I am merely a traveling warrior that is attempting to correct few things and return them to how they should be... I am told that one of the things I and my associates are attempting is also one of your goals. My running into you was fortuitous as the idea of attempting to locate your camp outside of town was being considered." Giving a small bow, he continued. "As to my name, it is Toshiro. And yours, warrior?"

"My name means 'Falling Leaf' in this tongue. Been told by whom?... but I have spoken only to the barkeep. Then..."

Ah, perhaps it was not a betrayal after all! After all, how would the barkeeper know Cael was an Ehosain priest while he was wearing that disguise? He probably was posing as an assistant to that Oghman he was sitting with. But why?

The other question remained... was his presence in the tavern a coincident or not?

She smiled at Toshiro, yet another question lingering on her mind... why the dance around their supposedly shared motives?

Time to find out. She speaks quickly and cooly. "Then perhaps you can begin our acquaintance with some aid to me. Inside the tavern, there is a priest of Eho in disguise. The male in brown leather armor, sitting with the Oghman. Right now, I expect he is preparing some spell against me... I know what he is, he knows what I am, and he has excellent reasons to seek revenge. I prefer not to die, here or in Ehosia. Shall we deal with this here and now?"

::Ancestors, you never make it easy, do you?:: Toshiro mutters before replying. "Falling Leaf, I do not know what cause Cael may have against you but rest assured I shall not see blood spilled for no good reason... besides I would be compelled to clean it up for the Keeper is a friend. Cael is of good mind and heart, but the heart is a bit torn right now due to things he has been learning about his faith..."

Walking over to the door, he pulled it open. "Lets get this over with, shall we?"

Falling Leaf stands rock-still, her mind trying to encompass everything this human has just told her.

He knew Cael's name, therefore, he knows Cael. And is probably traveling with him.

Yet still somehow claims they can share goals...

Ehosian priest, good heart...how did that work? But, she did have to admit to herself, Cael was not the monster most of his brethren were...that was why he had made such a good target. It was a terrible irony, she thought bitterly. (Stop irrelevant thoughts, resume data analysis)

Then some cryptic comment about learning about his faith...most humans didn't speak in riddles like this, why did this one have to?

She sighed, a tiny exhalation of air. Oghmen were usually good-natured, and surely she could count on the other elf for aid. This strange human already showed a disinterest in killing her. The odds were good, and she would not be surprised this time.

For those in the tavern, the sounds of a fight give way to some sullen conversation. After a few moments, the tavern door swings back open. Toshiro is holding it open from the outside, asking, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

There is a slight pause, and then a soft voice answers, "We shall."

The elf that had just bolted from the room steps back in. She walks no more than two paces before stopping and standing still, regarding the obviously flustered priest of Eho. Her hands are in plain sight, hanging at her sides.

Cael's eyes widen, and his hands start trembling a little. "So, witch, prepare to meet your ancestors." Before he can do anything, however, Toshiro steps in between them, saying "Friends, I do believe we need to talk...."

At Cael's words, One of Falling Leaf's hands twitches oddly.

Behind the bar, Kvelti casually reaches down to pick up two large carving knives...unusually well-balanced for kitchen utensils.

Neither move, however, as Toshiro tries to talk Cael down.

"Toshiro, move. She must die. She... she must pay for... for what she did to me." Cael's voice wavers, as if he's unsure of what he's saying.

Watching Cael's hands and overall language of body Toshiro realizes the young cleric's indescision, he steps foward slowly. "Cael," He says as he inches closer, "what happened in the past between you two is the past- whatever she did through you was more than likely a part of her chosen profession." A quick glance behind to confirm Leaf's continued prescence." I understand you want revenge- very human to wish it; my own ancestors know I have had that desire many times. But there are times when one needs to look past revenge for a greater cause." Reaching out as he got close, Toshiro placed a hand on Cael's, gently forcing them down. "What's done is done- it is time to consider what needs to be done to correct the path of your faith. And one of her abilities is an asset of great help."

At this statement, he smiles. "Remind me to explain a few things from my past sometime; you may understand better then and realize I know what I talk of..."

Speaking to Kvelti without removing his eyes from the priest, "Kvelti- I don't suppose you have a room free of ears we may talk in? I love your tavern but it will get busy soon and the less known of our endevour the better."

Kvelti doesn't answer immediately, waiting to see if the priest is going to calm down, if the elf is going to throw whatever fell into her hand, or if her whole tavern is about to go up in flames as the disciple of the Sun God seeks revenge.

Gwenh watches all this from her seat, her gaze shifts between everyone in the room. Her right hand has dropped to the hilt of her sword, her left hand into her spell pouch, she tensed wondering if they would fight or talk.

Only half listening to Toshiro, Cael glances over the man's shoulder at Falling Leaf. It would be so easy. he thinks, and his fingers twitch slightly. One simple gesture, and Whoosh! The assassin dies. It would be so easy.

Even as he thought it, though, Cael knew it wouldn't solve anything. In fact, it would break him apart from his new compatriots. Like it or not, Cael, he thought to himself, you and she are on the same side now. Just be careful around her. He glances at her again. And don't let her in again. It will only bring more pain.

Having reached a decision, Cael shakes off Toshiro's hands with an abrupt motion. His eyes are narrow with anger and they never leave the elf as he slowly, reluctantly sinks into his chair.

Kvelti breathes again and sets the knives back down. "There's my rooms upstairs. Stairs are in the kitchen, that way." She points to the swinging half-door next to the bar.

Falling Leaf heads for the door without hesitation, her face as expressionless as when she first entered. She certainly doesn't expect any of them to trust her well enough to let her follow them up, and she expects to be able to detect any treachery from behind before it proves fatal.

The rest go up as well...