Through the Hornwood

Hraefn carefully watches the arachnid contestants as the wagers continue to come in. By far, Boris has garnered the most support, but something about him puts Hraefn off. It looks like Boris is full, so perhaps he may not be as eager as the rest to go after the insects at the far end of the table. Lem, however, looks like he is ready to storm the walls to get to them.

As you all enjoy the festivities, Spider Braz moves on to other patrons, shaking hands, welcoming regulars and saluting those he knows well. The bard finishes his time, and a hush falls across the taproom as attentions seem to turn toward the back of the room. A female figure, human, dressed in exotic silk clothing is making her way through the crowd. Her hands lightly caress men as she walks seductively toward the center of the performing platform and as she steps up, a deafening cheer goes up, welcoming the next act of the night.

The woman is beautiful, with long, silky black hair. Her make-up is meticulous and bright, highlighting her cheeks and brow while her purple lipstick sets well against her bright green eyes. Her clothing is similar in fashion to those worn from the countries of Zeif and Ull to the northwest across the mountains, and her brown skin looks natural as opposed to by the sun.

The crown begins to chant the name 'Zyria', as the previous performer begins to beat on a drum, a heavy beat that can be felt within your chest. As he does, Zyria begins to dip and sway across the floor, seemingly floating across the wood as the crowd moves and sways with her.

Merriweaether
You slide past your target, slipping a small dagger out as you pass by. With a smooth swipe, your razor-thin blade slips through the purse strings like melted butter, and the coin pouch falls to your other hand. A split-second later you step away, losing yourself in the pressing crowd.

Merriweather
Looking around, the only items you see are on the person of the wage keeper.

Merriweather
The man holding the parchment looks you over, then turns back to the race about to begin.

"Get your'n papira frum der bozz, Brazz. Dis bein fur de race." he says. Just before the race begins, a last minute wager is placed by Hraefn. The man takes a small piece of paper from his belt, scribbles the wager onto it, and tosses the paper and coin into the small chest in front of him.

A minute later, he calls out "No more bets! Release der bug!"

At the far end of the table, a small gate opens and three small insects crawl out. Immediately, the spiders enter into attack mode, slowly crawling their way across the table. Suddenly, Boris begins racing across, taking the lead as the others shrink back. Halfway across the table, Lem makes a huge leap, landing on Boris and knocking it down. A spit second later, Lem pounces again, landing on one of the insects. A cheer goes up in the crowd, rivaling those cheers of the people watching the exotic dance, while other cry out in frustration at having lost the round of bets. Lem's handler quickly gathers him up, receiving his prize money from the race monitor.

Winnings are distributed, and Hraefn suddenly finds himself 9 gold lions richer. The monitor cries out that the next race will be in 1 hour, with the same contestants, so if people want to bet they need to begin placing bets now. Elsewhere, the dance ends, with Zyria moving over and joining Spider at the bar, a throng of admirers pressing in, trying to get a word or touch of the dancer. A small human man runs around the room with a large sack, taking tips from those who enjoyed the show. In the back of the room, another cheer erupts as one of the dagger contestants apparently scored a perfect score in the dagger throws.

Lastly, a tavern MC moves to the center of the entertainment platform and begins calling for contestants for Twezeliewop. As calls come in, many for their friends rather than themselves, a large log is dragged into the center of the space.