Birthright Tuornen Chapter Four

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Right, noble," says Roald as he takes one last look at the portrait before turning the squire. "Food sounds like a splendid idea. Lead the way."

[ewancummins]

"Right, noble," says Roald as he takes one last look at the portrait before turning the squire. "Food sounds like a splendid idea. Lead the way."

The page leads Roald to the kitchens, where twenty-odd soldiers and palace servants eat cold chicken soup and hunks of dry bread. Somebody complains loudly about the cellarer watering down the beer again.

[ewancummins]

ALEHOUSE

Reese laughs out loud.

''Wow, that was crazy! I wish my boss were here to see it."

"Ye got a boss, lad?" Torthar squints at Reese. "Why ye ain't gone with the crowd? Ain't coin good fer ye?" He belches again, this time
his beard even moves funnily with the burp.

"Come 'n' sit with us. Clyde won' 'urt ye else I punch im senseless an 'e knows it. Whut be yer name, lad?"

''My name is Reese. I work for Roald the Sellsword. Have you heard of him? He's famous now."

[steveflam]

"Yeah, I urd o him. He stopped that siege or something."

Torthur squints his eyes funny and looks at Reese serious a moment. He looks at
Clyde then back to Reese.

"Hey, Reese, you ever punched a cow or eaten a live bird? It's fun, I'll show ye how with Clyde.
Though he is a chicken when it comes ter eatin birds raw. I still loves im anyways, me CLyde."

[ewancummins]

Reese shakes his head in confusion, ''Punched a cow? Huh? Is that slang for, you know, with ladies?"

[Lord Skybolt]

He frowns and scratches his beard.

"You said that we were going in to rescue somebody with, um hoobriz? That's what, a fancy word for being stupid proud?"

He eyes Gunnar shrewdly- "You were talking about the beastman just now, not the little boy! But how could you know anything about the beastman before the rescue? You aint never seen him before, and neither had we. Or is there something I don't know..."

"Lets just say that not all is as its seems my reformed friend ."Gunnar says with smile as he walks away from the stable to check on preparations for his own plans for raiding the goblins patrol/scouting routes .

[ewancummins]

"Lets just say that not all is as its seems my reformed friend ."Gunnar says with smile as he walks away from the stable to check on preparations for his own plans for raiding the goblins patrol/scouting routes .

Dietric stares after Gunnar for a moment before walking back to the manor house.


BACK HALL

Dietric enters to find Cormac sitting cheek-by-jowl with the esquire, and both men speaking with the lovely strange woman.

"Uh, excuse me, Squire Ranald, Cormac, um, my lady? "

[steveflam]

Reese shakes his head in confusion, ''Punched a cow? Huh? Is that slang for, you know, with ladies?"

"Bwahahhhaahh! Yer meanin, gettin down with a missus? Nah. I mean walking up to a cow, an ye know, punchin it so hard, it falls down.
Fun is findin one. Last time I done it, the cow fell asleep n i gots me some free milk!"

[ewancummins]

Reese shakes his head in confusion, ''Punched a cow? Huh? Is that slang for, you know, with ladies?"

"Bwahahhhaahh! Yer meanin, gettin down with a missus? Nah. I mean walking up to a cow, an ye know, punchin it so hard, it falls down.
Fun is findin one. Last time I done it, the cow fell asleep n i gots me some free milk!"

''What, you carry a pail...uhmm, no, nevermind.''

[steveflam]

"A pail? Whut're its teats for? Drinkin, I tell ye. Ye done it at yer ma's teat, so this aint any diffrent. Pretty good tastin too as it be fresh."

[ewancummins]

"A pail? Whut're its teats for? Drinkin, I tell ye. Ye done it at yer ma's teat, so this aint any diffrent. Pretty good tastin too as it be fresh."

''Um, okay. I'll keep that in mind if I come across any cows.''

[Adam]

"Aye lad," Cormac says, looking almost relieved. He stands. "How'd that brawl turn out? I hope there's enough left o' Foerde that he can still be o' use to us."

He walks over to Dietric. "The squire an' I were just squarin' up the last o' our plans. Everythin's a go. Let's go tell the fellers."

He turns back and gives the two a bow. "Esquire. Ma'am. Nice chattin' wi' ye."

[Varrus the Ethical]

The page leads Roald to the kitchens, where twenty-odd soldiers and palace servants eat cold chicken soup and hunks of dry bread. Somebody complains loudly about the cellarer watering down the beer again.

Roald helps himself to his own bowl of soup, sitting down at the first open spot he can find. All the while chuckling to himself. He was certain that if he didn't laugh at the joke the gods had just pulled on him, he would be sobbing.

[steveflam]

"A pail? Whut're its teats for? Drinkin, I tell ye. Ye done it at yer ma's teat, so this aint any diffrent. Pretty good tastin too as it be fresh."

''Um, okay. I'll keep that in mind if I come across any cows.''

"So, Reese is it?" The dwarf states and asks, squinting at the lad.

"Where's yer Boss? 'E certainly should be out with ya, drinkin. Sounds like someone I'd like ter meet."

[ewancummins]

"Aye lad," Cormac says, looking almost relieved. He stands. "How'd that brawl turn out? I hope there's enough left o' Foerde that he can still be o' use to us."

He walks over to Dietric. "The squire an' I were just squarin' up the last o' our plans. Everythin's a go. Let's go tell the fellers."

He turns back and gives the two a bow. "Esquire. Ma'am. Nice chattin' wi' ye."

As Cormac and Dietric leave the back hall to go deeper into the manor house, Dietric says, "Gunnar won. " After a few more steps, he adds " They say Gunnar went easy on him."

When the two men reach the front hall, Dietric points out where Foerde lies delirious on a heap of blankets, with a big sheepskin jacket clutched in his hands. The jacket looks identical to the one Cormac commissioned for Gunnar. The priest’s furry face is swollen with bruises, but he seems to be breathing normally and there’s not much blood aside from the stains on his mashed lips. Foerde mumbles and twitches a little before seeming to fall deeper into sleep.