Chapter 14

Kvelti looks up in surprise as Cael thumps down the stairs, carrying the empty mug. Sighing, she draws another. This would interesting, to be sure...

Cael takes the beer Kvelti profers, and looks at it for several seconds. "Kvelti, it's going to take stronger than this to deal with that... that...." His voice trailed off, muttering disparaging remarks about Falling Leaf's geneology in Ehosian.

Kvelti sees Brygund coming and tosses some more skewers into the vat of oil. "Lizard sticks coming up, Brother." She shrugs and drinks the ale she'd drawn and goes hunting for something stronger. She pulls out a black, dusty bottle and blows it off. "Most deadly stuff I've got. Harder'n rotgut, smoother'n Evergold. And every problem in life deserves one free drunken spree, in my opinion."

She sets up two small glasses and fills them. "But, as far as tomorrow and next week goes, I gotta ask you, Cael... exactly how's this gonna improve her temperment... or lineage, for that matter?" She winks. "You can think about it tomorrow, when the headache wears off. But think about it, 'cause as much as I love this stuff, I can't say it's ever fixed many problems."

"But for now, we can get you drunk off your ass if you want!" She picks up the shot glass to toast him. "Hell, Brother, you want to join us?"

"Absolutely! it looks wonderous! Does it compliment this delightful fried lizard? Well anyway, I would love to at least try this drink."

Cael smiles wryly at her. "It is said some of the hereti...erm... pardon, the other religions, use intoxicating drinks or drugs to receive visions from their god. Who knows, perhaps if I get drunk enough, Eho himself will send me a vision on how to deal with the one I love and the one I hate being the same being." He picks up the full shotglass and toasts both Kvelti and Brygund. "May you be bathed in His light." With that, Cael tips back the shot.

After several seconds, when he can finally breathe again, he blinks the tears from his eyes. "This is smoother than Evergold? Gods, I'd hate to taste that." He takes the bottle and refills first Kvelti's, then his glass. "Brother Brygund? Are you in?" He motions with the bottle.

Brygund swigs back a shot and for a second a smile crosses his face then an ominous rumbling is heard and everyone in the bar sees the Oghman priest running to the outhouse gagging and retching all the way.

After a few minutes Brygund comes back in and askes for another shot...(trying to impress Cael with his non existant drinking ability)....

Gwenh walks downstairs after Brygund has returned. She walks up to the bar and sits, looking at the others with her head resting on the palm of her hand.

"Ah..." Kvelti hated to see perfectly good, rather expensive liquor get upchucked so soon after intake. "I'm afraid we just get one each, Brygund... I don't know when I'll be able to get more of this. But, I can give you... lessee... good local moonshine, some brandy, or this new potato distillate. Great mixer, can stretch the tastier cordials without lessening the punch."

She serves the two with enthusiasm, sets up several shots to keep them occupied, and sidles over to Gwenh. "You look like you could use a drink, too. Is this my fault? You all looked happy enough when you came in, all things considered. Maybe I shouldn't have made introductions the way I did."

Toshiro walks downstairs and reacquires a sake bottle and a pair of cups from Kvelti, leaving enough coin to cover the cost. Looking at Gwenh, his mind ponders the the young dragoness. To walk among us and yet not be completely understanding of what there is to learn about us.... she most likely has bitten off more than she wished to.

Placing a mug in front of her and filling it, Toshiro went to an unoccupied corner to sit and figure out exactly how this motley group was going to change a religion......

Cael smiles at Brygund's return. "Persistant. Ah, persistant is good." He slides one of the shots Kvelti poured over to him. "Here. You won't see much of this where we're going. The Ehosian priests frown upon substances that 'steal away the will.' At least, that's what they tell the commoners." He grimaces for a moment. "Hypocrites."

Cael downs another shot. "It's their weak point. Prohibiting the commoners from what they themselves do. Well, one of their weak points." He looks up at Brygund, and one can tell that Cael is rapidly on his way to being drunk. Apparently neither of the priests have much alcohol tolerance.

Falling Leaf stood on the stairs, looking the scene over. Three humans, drinking. Elf, at bar with drink. Human, at table with drink. The planning was to take place...when? She wasn't aware that humans made strategies while intoxicated...although that would explain a few things.

She sits on the stairs and tries to incorporate more of the new information on the state of the Ehosian god into her thinking. Until now, her goals had been simply the destruction of as many important clerics as possible. The theory was, taking out enough of them would weaken the Ehosian church-government to the point where an offensive of some kind could be taken.

She had never asked what the results of such an offensive would be. It hadn't mattered.

Her new allies seemed to prefer reform to destruction. She considered this for a while. The old priests could still die. New ones would not take action against the elves, so they said. If, in fact, she could engineer it so that these new ruler-priests invited the elves in as advisors, to remind them of past follies, it might ensure that it wouldn't happen again. And would gives elves influence over the rulers, and the ley lines they controlled. Potentially better for everyone.

Less personally satisfying, perhaps. But much better for her people. A war and occupation would tax them, and elves usually couldn't be bothered to make decent overlords. Humans were ever so much better at it.

Going over her approved list of targets, she began to examine them in a new light, re-ordering them in importance. Which would be replaced by other old priests? Whose successors were not chosen, or had several squabbling for preference? In those cases, perhaps these humans could be priest-makers, and insert their own reformed candidates...

The day ended with most of the tavern sunk in their own thoughts. Cael and Brygund shared theirs rather loudly with their companions, the tavern's cat, and the candles.

The next day, Brygund and Cael are both very unhappy fellows, much to the loud amusement of Kvelti. The older woman doesn't seem the least affected by yesterday's excesses.

Gwenh pondered the nature of fellowship and friendship, Toshiro thought about subversion tactics, and Falling Leaf revised her list of people to kill and paged through a small book bound in flame-red leather.

Kvelti harvests some of the bounty of her kitchen for the intrepid adventurers, including a small paper sack of fried lizard sticks for Brother Brygund. She also offers a map of the roads leading to Ehosia... "Although, between these two" she gestures to Cael and Falling Leaf, "I'm sure they know the way. But it's good to have."

She also gives a short, colorful lecture on her entire knowledge of the Ehosian language. Everyone now knows how to ask for a tankard of fire ale and curse out just about anyone extraordinarily thoroughly.

The group heads south on a hot, late summer day. The caravan route from Midway to the south is wide and well-traveled and Brygund's donkey and cart have no trouble traversing it.

As night falls late that day, they pull the cart over to the side of the road to camp. It is so warm that a fire is hardly needed, but a small one warms the provisions and provides some comfort. So that the spell casters can have uninterrupted sleep, Cael and Brygund take a first watch, Toshiro a second, and Falling Leaf and Gwenh the third.

And it was on that third watch, in the dark hours before the dawn, that somethin stirred in the shadows beyond the fire's light...