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| - I had stopped for the night at some gravel-pit of an inn. I just needed someplace to sit and dry off from the sudden rainstorm. (I don't care what my rockmates think, I don't like being wet.) The door to the inn was, fortunately, large enough for me to use without damaging it. Must get alot of trolls in this area I thought. Scanning the large dirt-floor common room though, I see nothing but dwarves. At least... 15? It's hard to see them all amongst the furniture. I do, however see a oddly blue-colored T'Skrang in the back corner trying his hardest not to be seen. "Hey Blue, what's got you so blue, blue guy?!!" I shout, laughing at my own hilarious joke trying to lighten the mood of the room. I hear a lot of dwarven voices swearing and demands that I shut up but I ignore them and head over to blue-guy, he being the only other tall person there (though calling a T'Skrang tall is being generous.) I find it hard to look dwarves in the eye... Litterally and figuratively. I introduce myself. "Hey Blue Guy, I'm Ellem Ino'pe but you can call me Ell." I stick out my hand as is the custom of the short-lifes. The T'skrang looks me over, judging me or maybe coming on to me? Crap, it's so hard for me to read other namegiver races. Not so great with my fellow Obsidemen either come to think of it. I realize that the T'skrang has introduced himself as he shakes my hand but I wasn't paying attention. Shit, what did he say his name was? Samurai? Saruman? Cereal? I take a stab at it. "Nice to meet you Cinnamon." He rolls his eyes. I get the feeling I'm not the first person to get his name wrong. He repeats his name but the crash of a server dropping a platter of drinks interrupts. "Sorry Cerealman, I guess I'm just tired from my journey. What do they have to drink here that's good?" Cerealman shrugs "Ale I guess? *They* seem to like it." he gestures towards the dwarves. I only count 13 this time, two of whom are dripping wet and arguing with the bartender. I order a large flagon of ale and it's not too bad. Never much liked ale really but its safer than the water in this kind of dump. A few more rounds and Cerealman and I are both drunk as hell and we start swapping stories. Turns out that he spent most of his life underground until there was some sort of punishment that made him leave home. I remember him saying something about punching a city back into existence but at that point I was pretty hammered. "What are you going to do now?" I ask, suddenly aware that he stopped talking a while ago. "Well, I've decided to become a wandering warrior. I'm just going to go where the road takes me, moving from place to place putting things right that once went wrong and hoping each time, this time... that there are going to be a whole lot of bad guys to beat up." "You mean a mercenary?" "Well, *yes*... But the way I describe it sounds much cooler." Without him really prompting me I start telling Cerealman about my life to date. I start with, well I guess I would call it my childhood, but I was never really a child exactly... "Anyway," I continued "The first fifty years were the worst... The second fifty years? They were the worst too. The next hundred and fifty years were actually pretty good. But now that I'm another 15 years closer to my 3rd century, I started to think 'What's the point', you know?" "Not really..." replied Cerealman "You've already lived..." he looks up and wiggles his fingers like he's doing figures in his head "...like 7 times longer than I have? I can't imagine living that long." "It's not all its cracked up to be. You can really see how things are always changing, even when they look like they aren't. Like boulders wearing aware in a stream. Which is sad... And then there are things you think will be there forever... For example, a little tree started to grow near my life rock right around my 150th year. Just this tiny little tree you know? I never really paid it much mind but when I would see it, it would always make me smile. But one day a couple decades ago I was sitting around being nostalgic and I looked over to see how the tree was doing. And it was this *huge* tree, like twenty five feet tall. And I was like, when did that happen?" I stopped to drink the last of my ale and belched loudly. "Shit... What was I talking about?" "Something about a tree?" "Oh... yeah. It got struck by lightening last week. That's why I left my rock and headed out to see the world. That tree had lived for over a century and BAM!" I slam my fist into the table, damaging it. "Gone! Well I decided right then and there that I need to see the world while I'm still young! Can't spend my best years anchored... That's my retirement plan." "Hey, rock-head! Stop damaging the tables or I'll kick your ass out!" interrupted the barkeep. "Fuck you," I shouted back. "Why don't you make us little man?! Right Cerealman?" Cerealman laughs "Yeah, barkeep! Your roomsssstink and your ale is watered down!" His speech is starting to slur a little but he still radiates an air of controlled power. "That's it, I've had it with you two. Rrr'nlf! Jayrak! Throw these two bozos out of here!" barks the bartender. I hear noises from the back room followed by the two largest trolls I've seen coming through the doorway. Cerealman stands and cracks his knuckles. I notice that there are little white stones set into his skin, like little clouds against a bright blue sky and dark red stones set into his hands and tail. "Alright, I got the big one you take the other guy. you ready to do this?" Without waiting for a reply, he flips the table over and leaps across the room landing a fierce punch on the slightly taller of the two trolls. The troll is stunned and a quick kick from Cerealman knocks him on his back. I seize the opportunity the chaos of the sudden attack and rush headlong into the other troll. A sea of dwarves part in front of me. We exchange blows and I find myself evenly matched with him. I dodge a clumsy attack from the right and manage land a decent blow on him just before I feel his leg try to sweep me off my feet. I see the confusion on his face when I don't fall over. "If only your boss had put in a floor..." I punch him a few more times but can't seem to land a good solid knock-out hit. Cerealman is sitting on the prone body of his opponent watching me. The troll beneath him protests but Cerealman raises a fist and gives a stern look and the troll stops moving. "Come on Ellem! You can take this chump. He favors his right side." he shouts at me. He was right, and I had missed it. I faked right and hit left and the troll fell for it despite having heard our entire conversation. Maybe he'll learn a lesson when he wakes up. The punch connects and the troll drops like a stone. "Dropped *by* a stone more like it!" I laugh out loud at my own joke. Cerealman starts laughing too and turns to the the barkeep who is yelling obscenities at the two trolls. "Sorry about this mess Harold. I figure this will cover it." He produces a small coin purse from somewhere and tosses it to the barkeep. The barkeep opens it and seems pleased by what he finds and goes back to tending drinks as the first troll drags his unconscious friend into the back room. We head back to our table when a servant is setting backup and putting down more ale, some grilled fish, and surprisingly good bread. Cerealman speaks between bites. "You know kid, you've got promise there but you're clearly inexperienced." "Kid...?" I mutter in protest. "Don't interrupt." he snaps and I am silent. "Anyway, you got promise you just need more experience. Tell you what, I think I know just the place for you to go." Stopping to drink some ale, he continues "There's the Kaer I lived in for a while and I know the mayor. She's good people, I'd trust my life with her... And there are very few people with whom I would put that trust." "I don't know, I'm more of a 'go it on my own' kinda guy." I stammer out not sure what to say. "Hey, you have raw power but little actual skill. She'll be able to help you out for sure. Just don't get her started on that 'Alvis' business." He rolls his eyes but at the same time a smile creeps on to his face. "I mean she's a honorable warrior and a scholar of her craft but she can talk you ear off if you let her." I rub the smooth sides of my own head. "Not really a problem here..." Cerealman starts laughing uncontrollably. "I think you'll like her too." We talked into the night on a variety of subjects but in the morning Cerealman was gone leaving me alone in the room we had shared. He did leave a note with directions to his friend's Kaer. As I eat breakfast I decide that I'll take him up on his offer and at least give this Kaer a visit.
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