Onyx and Foldis Hang Out with Verdak the Mighty
Note-Foldis was on vacation for this whole scene, so expect better play
now that vacation is over. I could not commit Foldis to anything.
Onyx
>I will go with Darrin to find a place to put the wagons and rest the
>horses. (I assume this is the first order of business) I will then
>try to find a place to stay for the night. I will place most of my
>money in a pouch inside my clothes so no pick pockets that may be at
>the fair will get their grubby hands on it. As soon as this is
>accomplished I will return to the fair and go to the booth where the
>Dwarf is lifting weights. I will watch him for a while to see if I can
>determine if he is actually lifting heavy weights or if he is somehow
>faking it. If he is lifting real weights I will see if he will accept
>a friendly competition to see who can lift the most. (I will accept a
>small wager if he would like one, but I will not suggest it) I will
>not drink anything alcoholic at the fair and I will not stay for very
>long. I think we should set up a watch over the wagons so no one opens
>them and drinks the contents. After a short time at the fair I will
>return to take a turn watching the wagons.
>> Onyx and Foldis both head off towards their fellow dwarf and
>Jeath heads into the inn. Darrin looks to Christeel and then nods
>his head towards the center of town.
I will wander around the fair after visiting the Dwarven weight lifter and
engaging him in the friendly competition. If he does accept my offer that
is. I will just basically take a trip around the whole fair to get an idea
what is there before I go back to the wagons for my watch.
If the Dwarf accepts my offer of a competition I will get into the spirit
of the fair and try to put on a good show for the crowd. I will strip to
the waist so I will make a more imposing figure. I will do my best to win,
but no matter how it turns out I will try to put on a good show without
acting like a fool.
You and Foldis make your way over to the Dwarf and he looks pleasantly
surprised to see the two of you. He calls out through a small crowd
watching him, "Ho! Come hither young cousins!" He drops the weight to
the ground and it makes a convincing thud as it hits the ground. "Tis
only a small weight," he says with a wink. "Try your hand lovely young
lady," he turns to Foldis.
She accepts readily and though she strains, she can only inch the bar up
past her calves. She drops the weight and then says goodnaturedly, "I'm
more up for a little dwarven ale if you know what I mean?"
He quickly hands her a tankard full of ale and she drains it in one gulp
wiping the foam from her chin. Foldis gets a satisfied look on her face
and the dwarf quickly refills the tankard. "Ah, we've found what you do
well," he says with a grin. The audience chuckles at his remark and he
looks over at Onyx and says, "And what of you lad. You look like a
strong enough young ox. A little friendly wager perhaps." He produces a gold
piece and holds it up for the torchlight to gleam off of. He hands it
to Foldis and says, "Here lass, you hold my share of the wager and wish
me luck. I'll polish off this here young 'un and then you and I will
quench our thirst."
Even as you strip off your shirt, you can hear the voices in the
crowd beginning to wager on and against you. Though you think you hear more
being wagered on you than against.
He allows you first pull, with the weight that Foldis dropped and
you clear it easily over your head. He does the same in one clean pull and
next a young human teenager comes into the booth from the back and
quickly adds more weight. The Dwarf calls out, "Go straight to 250 Bells." The
boy nods and is quick about it as well, though he strains to pick up the
two twenty-five pound weights. The Dwarf says quickly, "What's your
name youngster. I'm Verdak the Mighty."
You give him your name and his voice rings out, "Come all and let's
see if young Master Strongarm here can topple the great Verdak." Shouts and
applause ring out, and once again you grasp the bar in your hands and
lift it easily over your head. He grins and even claps you on the back as he
lifts again quite easily.
This time he helps his assistant to add more weight taking the
total straight to 300. He turns to you and mockingly bows while indicating
that is your turn again. You strain a little getting the bar to your waist,
but then you clear it over your head and as the bar drops down, you can see
that there is now a massive crowd before you.
Verdak takes his turn and after grunting as he pushes the bar over
his head, he shakes his head as he looks to his assistant. "Go to 310 lad.
We are closing in on my limit, I think," he says breathing heavily.
You hear Darrin's voice shout out, "Go, Onyx! Get him friend!"
though you can barely see the top of his head. You step up to the bar and set
yourself firmly and this time it seems to go over your head easier than
last time. He makes a show of tugging on his long beard and looking
fretfully at the bar, before he takes his turn. Once again he is successful and
his assistant adds ten more pounds.
You have competed in this kind of event many times growing up and
you know that you are approaching an area you have rarely had to lift to
win. But sensing victory closing in and you can hear more wagers in the
background, you take the bar and with a massive grunt you jerk it up
high over your head.
Verdak takes his time, and after giving you a look over, he
finally grins and says, "Well. Someone finally showed up to compete,
huh?" He waits for some laughter in the audience to die down and before easily
lifting 320 pounds over his head, he says, "Darn good thing. I was out
here dying of boredom." His assistant quickly adds more weight and the crowd
becomes hushed. Verdak says with a gleam in his eyes, "Not straining
are you lad? I tell you what. If I win I'll buy the first round in yon tavern
and if you win, you buy. And we won't forget our beautiful young friend
here," he says looking over at Foldis with a grin. "You wouldn't be
wanting to put a wager on your boyfriend would you?" he asks her quickly.
Foldis looks sharply up at him, but then calmly says, "I'll be
wagering on myself after you two children are finished with your fun and
games." The audience laughs at her remarks and several can be heard to
say they want to watch that competition as well. "Go on Onyx, hurry
up," Foldis says impatiently. You step up to the bar and gaze out at the
crowd with determination set in your features. It is a hard pull, but you
somehow manage to lift this great weight over your head and hold it for a second
before dropping the bar to the ground.
Verdak cheers out along with the crowd, calling out, "Good lift,
young one. Now let's see if we continue on or not." He makes the next
lift look easy and lightly drops the bar back to the ground. He looks to you
quickly and you can see your fate in his gleaming eyes. He calls out
loud, "340 lbs. And the winner is... well let's find out, shall we."
The bar is prepared and you step up to it trying hard to focus.
You can hear several voices calling out your name. And with no more
hesitation you attempt to exceed your best pull ever. The strain is terrific as
you somehow pull the bar to your waist. You give a mighty bellow and
somehow pull the bar to your chin, and then giving a great heave you try to
clean the bar over your head, but your arms just won't lock under the massive
weight and you have to drop the bar.
There are several disgruntled cries in the audience, but Verdak
grasps your wrist and lifts your hand in the air, calling out, "Give him
a round of applause now. He's quite a competitor, and I've yet to lift
so great a weight, meself." He steps up and a hush comes over the crowd.
He sets himself and step by step, very carefully, he takes the bar to his
waist, to his shoulders and finally over his head locking his arms and
holding the bar for a couple of long seconds.
The crowd oohs and ahs and quickly he whispers, "Now we retire to
the tavern for a friendly round of drinks." Louder to the departing crowd,
he says, "Thanks for watching. Now let's go over to Finnegan's for some
more fun." He turns to his young assistant and says, "Close her up, Bells.
That's a good lad. Come you two, the first one's on me."
Onyx
I will tell Darrin I am going to the tavern with Verdak and that I will
be back in time to take second watch over the wagons.
When you come to Finnegan's, Verdak leads you to a table square in the
middle of the room. True to his word he buys the first round and lays
out ten gold lions on the table between both of you.
"Timely your arrival. Divide this betwixt you as you like, you both
earned it. Tis hard to find humans who are stupid enough to wager on lifting or
drinking with a dwarf. But a good haul, thanks to you two."
Onyx, waits for a pause, and asks "Verdak, how long have you been with
the fair?"
Verdak grins and says, a good fifteen years or so, lad."
Onyx continues, "Are you going to Waterdeep for the festival?"
"Why of course. And if you find me booth again in that grand city, you
must compete with me again. It will easily be ten times as profitable
as this small burg," he grins.
Onyx offers to buy a round, using the gold on the table and continues to
question the middle aged dwarf, "Where are you from and how did you end
up travelling with the fair? How did you come by the title Verdak the
Mighty?"
"There old strong man, a human I could outlift with one hand, up and
married and his woman made him settle down. T'would not happen to me I
tell you. But I was out of funds and being quite strong, I applied for
the spot. I must say, I have learned a thing or two and travelled in
many foreign and strange places. One of the greatest is Waterdeep
though. There is not one city like her the breadth of Faerun. You
young'uns will like it there, I think. As to my name lad, it is
altogether a stage name. Verdak is not much of a draw when you are
working the crowd."
He turns to Foldis and notes her empty mug. "Well now lass, are you
ready for another. I do not truly like to compete in drink, I'd rather
drink as friends. And I hope that both of you will consider me your
friend."
Just before Jeath entered and while Verdak speaks about himself,
you notice that Christeel, makes his way past you to the bar, supporting
Darrin, who holds one hand to the right side of his head.
As he speaks you see Jeath enter this very same tavern. He notes your
prescense and then continues to walk past you. He is stopped at a booth
with four maidens seated in it, and you note that he joins them.
Onyx
I will excuse myself from Verdak and Foldis and go to the bar to find out
what is wrong with Darrin
I will have a couple of drinks with Foldis and Verdak, but I will stop
before I get even a little drunk. I have no more questions for Verdak, so I
will just engage in general conversation with him and Foldis.
I am tempted to go over and talk to Jeath, but it looks like he has his
hands full.
If nothing else interesting happens I will leave when it is time for second
watch and go to the wagons.
You finally depart, after seeing both Jeath and Christeel leave with
their lady friends, and you notice that Darrin seems to be declining
any offer from the one remaining woman. But he looks like he's doing
okay, even with his head injury, and you head back to the inn.
Foldis says she will stay and drink some more, especially since
Verdak offered to buy as much as she wanted. No dwarf could pass
up that offer.
Upon arriving at the inn, you notice that no one is here to for you
to take over for, but you check the area and the wagons and nothing
seems disturbed. Darrin had mentioned that he trusted this place
implicitly. You watch anyway, until you a) either decide to get
some sleep, or b) someone comes to take over, or c) the sun comes
up and the cows come home.(I mean the boys, of course.)
I will keep an active watch until my time to be relieved comes. If no one
comes to relieve me I will bed down inside one of the wagons. I will bundly
myself up in my cloak and go to sleep. I don't imagine I will be very aware
while I am sleeping, but if anyone comes around they will hopefully not
expect anyone to be sleeping in the wagon and make some noise that will wake
me up. I imagine the rest of the group will find me in the wagon in the
morning. Either that or I will hopefully wake up in time to get some breakfast.
Foldis drinks for quite awhile with Verdak, but then he escorts her
to the inn, and she takes her rest in the common room. (
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