Tavern Brawls S06PRE02

As he walked past a window in the back of The Two Brothers, Fletch noted the harsh shouts coming from the office of the Brawlmaster.  He promised himself to check on the poor messenger that had to deliver the news that he had heard himself from the various patrons arriving early to get settled before the event:  non-humans and those with new skills were coming to join the brawl, but not everyone welcomed their entry.

The conditions which enabled this brutal event to take place had always been tenuous at best.  Teams of 5, each member of which brought their training from one of the main guilds of the land, were sent to knock each other’s brains out and get drunk.  Now, with pushes to open up the parameters of the Brawl to a more varied pool of participants, that tenuous balance was threatened to be upset with a potential disaster as the result.  With the Professor and the Murchadha family in town, that possibility was a certainty.

The ranger changed direction slightly.  He was going to need help, regulations or not.  Thankfully, the local market was open and he knew where to find them.

—–

Philomena “Cantrip” Paver held up the bolt of cloth to her torso and posed for her friend Selena.  “What do you think?  I could make a nice robe out of this.  Plus, I’m sure we could use the scraps for an awesome headband for you!”

Selena scrunched her nose.  “But, you’d have to pay for that.  It’s too big to get out under a tunic.  Look, let’s just grab some jewelry and get out of here.”

Cantrip looked horrified.  “I thought you told me you were done stealing,” she admonished her friend.

Selena just shrugged and looked over her shoulder, a habit borne out of necessity these days.  While she cared about Cantrip, her morals just seemed too quaint for the young thief to care about.  She started to turn back to her magical friend when she caught sight of a familiar face coming towards them.  She nudged Cantrip and nodded towards the ranger coming up the street.

“Fletcher!” she exclaimed.  “What brings you to this part of the market?  Can I help you put a little pizazz in that outfit of yours?”

The older man snarled and gestured towards a grassy area just off the dusty street, but away from the heavy traffic of the marketplace.  Sitting down with the women, he carefully pulled out the same distinct coin that had gained him entry to see the general and showed it to his audience.  Their expressions turned from confusion to astonishment as they recognized and understood the meaning of the coin.

The formalities taken care of, the ranger began to draw pictures in the nearby dirt, careful to brush them away if strangers drew near.  The mage and rogue asked questions as he went, but seemed satisfied as he continued his narrative.  Finally, he sat up and stretched his back, hearing the cracks in his old joints as he straightened.

“So, the Murchadha family and Professor plan to disrupt the Brawl, somehow and for some reason?  That’s not a lot to go on, Fletcher.  Can you at least describe what they looked like?” asked Selena.

Fletcher thought back 5 years ago.  He had gotten close to something on that mission, but he had never understood what exactly he had been brushing against and had never been able to identify his quarry.  He shook his head and mimicked taking a drink, then passing out.  No, he hadn’t been drunk, but someone had put something extra in his drink that night.  Only the Professor would know what could do that to a man.  The ranger pulled a small folded note he kept in his pocket and handed it to her.  The young woman carefully unfolded it and read it aloud:

It would be in your best interest to stay away from us in the future.
– The Murchadhas

Taking the note back from Selena, Fletch folded it carefully, placed it back in his pocket, and stood up to leave.  “Hold on just a moment,” Selena interjected.  “Why us?  I thought rangers in your line of work were supposed to be secretive?  Why are you even telling us this?”

The old veteran started by holding up 4 fingers.  He transitioned to 1 finger, pointed around at the three of them, then locked his hands together: he trusted them.  Two fingers up, he then pointed at himself and shook his head:  he couldn’t do this alone.  With three fingers pointing at the sky, he used his other hand to point at Selena’s eyes and then all about:  she was always watching and seeing things most people missed.  Finally, he pointed at Cantrip and then in the direction of the tavern:  she could help him get through to the owners.

“Well, that settles it,” declared Cantrip.  “We need to go down to The Two Brothers and make those idiot brothers of mine listen to reason.”