So it begins.

You place your hand on the wooden door leading into the tavern you can feel the vibrations from the laughter and enjoyment within. With little effort and one swift push the door creaks open, smoke pours from the opening as if the tavern has just exhaled. You feel a sudden surge of fear and loneliness, but it quickly fades and leaves you feeling much more composed, relaxed, and wanting to enter the tavern.

Peering around the small room your eyes focus to the dark tavern and lock onto a group of elves sitting in the middle of the room. A hush falls over the room as if a light had come on and the roaches scramble to the dark corners, reluctantly you move towards the counter feeling the eyes of the elves upon you. as you make your way through the maze of tables and chairs a voice growls out to you as you approach it. "what will it be stranger? " Nervously you motion towards a keg of ale that looks to have been here for quite some time. "ahh you'd like to sample the house special eh?" growls the voice. The large serious looking giant stares at you quizically. Balancing all your composure you shrug in agreement to the impatient man, and he reaches for a mug and forces the handle of the keg down with a gasp. The keg hisses and then whirls as if to take a breath for the first time. "that will be one gold piece." grunts the barkeep, as he slides the mug in front of you. reaching into your pouch you pull out a gold piece and hand it to him, and respond with a "thanks" Staring into the dark liquid set before you thoughts begin to swirl in your mind, but are interrupted by the group of elves.

Three of the elves are discussing loudly whether they would all go to the bar, whether some of them would go to the bar and bring back drinks for the others, whether the ones who went to the bar would get so excited by all the drinks there that they would stay put and and forget to bring any back for the others who would be sitting here anxiously awaiting their return, and whether even if they did remember to come back immediately with the drinks they would actually be capable of carrying them and wouldn't simply drop them all over the floor. some sort of consensus seemed to be reached, but almost immediately none of them could remember what it was. Two of the elves got up, then sat down again as the third one got up. then he sat down. The two other ones stood up again, expressing the idea that it would be much simpler if they just bought the entire bar. Then there is another long pause, a hush falls over the room again and you slide onto the bar stool.

"so where you from stranger" the voice growls and disrupts your thoughts. Just as your about to answer the man interrupts again "what brings you to the realm?" You answer but it seems to fall on deaf ears as the barkeep has moved to the end of the counter and stares at the elves in disgust. "another round? or are you just gonna argue over getting more drinks" blurts the now grumpy bar keep. finally after an even longer discussion one of the elves approaches the bar and says, "another round". Mumbling in obvious disgust the bartender begins to prepare the drinks. loosing interest in the grump and the annoying elves you focus on your mug and raise it to your lips, and with a deep breath bite into the dark liquid and swallow. Shaking with the feeling that you just placed a hot coal in your mouth and swallowed you begin to relax and your eyes wander the dark room for something to keep your mind off the fact that all your internal organs are trying to move out of the way of the hot coal.

Loosely looking around the room with your new found numbness your eyes focus on the flicker from the candles, the way they glow on the eerie corners of the dark tavern, the way the smoke ascends from the table in the middle of the room then finds its way to swirl around your head, but its the small window nestled in the wall of the tavern that intrigues your eyes to lock onto. As if almost on cue the sun breaks through and creeps slowly across the tavern floor, as if nervous of what it might find, moving in a rather startled way across some objects it encounters on the floor, then briefly on a figure sleeping in the corner of the tavern, and flees. struggling to focus your eyes on the sleeping figure that the sun pointed out before it ran, you convince yourself that the candle light in here isn't that impressive after all.

Turning your attention back to the barkeep who is now trying to convince the elf that 2 feet is actually not that far to walk and that two trips for the drinks will not upset his balance of having a good time, you ask him who the sleeping figure is. "that is Alernon. he is an old timer of the realm, and if your looking for a good story he is the one to ask, but beware he has a tendancy to get you caught up in a pointless story." With a huff the barkeep refocuses his attention on the elf who is now starring at you, I have a story" says the elf, "i'll tell it to you if you dont mind paying for our drinks." curious and eager you begin to agree to accept the invitation, when a stern hand grabs your shoulder. you turn to see who the intruder is and the thoughts wash immediatley through your mind, it's the figure you think to yourself. "greetings young traveler" the raspy old voice blurts out. "I am Alernon, and i cant help but notice you seem to be searching for something. "I came here to get a drink before heading out into these lands to find fame and fortune" you reply. "ah" says Alernon, "so you seek adventure.. well these lands are filled with stories of kings and how they got their glory, and of great warriors." Should you take the the time and risk hearing a true story or an old mans fable you think to yourself, but not wanting to get caught up in a long boring story you say to the elder man, "My drink is almost finished and i will be leaving soon to find that which I seek, but i will return and listen to your stories." The elder warrior looks at you with disgust and whips you around, "these are some harsh lands." he begins. "if you think you are prepared they will defeat you, if your not prepared they will defeat you, but if your neither they will change you.... create you, but most of all they will break your spirit and heart as they did mine. The old man slumps on the stool next to you.

You take another drink of ale and discover your mug is empty the bartender looks at you quizically... and then says. "I have much better stories for you if you'd like to hear them. You hand your empty mug to the bartender and he fills it up and turns around and places it in front of you, you pay him.

Then You.

Continue listening to Alernon

look at the bartender and nod, "tell me a story"...

Grenseal. Lisele. Goldlight. Princessstarr.

Well for those of you that couldn't make it, or couldnt fit in the dungeon, or just didnt feel like sitting through another long boring realm wedding :) . Here are a few pics from the Wedding of Lisele and crimsonfyre.

Also if you'd like to have your story heard in the tavern please email me.

crimsonfyre@mailexcite.com

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