Candlekeep

"I’d be happy to!" dieter says taking his greatsword out of its cloth wrapping

"A new horse? Survived from the caravan?" Stella guesses.
Her eyes widen and she draws her lips to a line, then taps them with a thoughtful finger.

I am not digging through all of this...

"Ah!" She holds the finger up in inspiration. Maybe the cows had seen it!

She taps the air, leaving little specs of light with her fingertips, forming a constellation of a traveler with a big nose and a walking stick: The Firbolg. She whispers a druidic word and the little stars softly burst. (Stella casts speak with animals.)

To Stella's ears, the mooing of the cows suddenly turn into a cacophony of voices:

"Whoooooo?"
"Neewwww!"
"Hellooooo!"
"Mmmmmmm. The grass isn't half bad today..."

"Hello! Hi!" Stella calls, addressing the cows. "Excuse me! Have any of you seen someone slip and drop a book here recently? It looks like this!" She holds up her tome and flips a few of the pages to demonstrate.

With a bit of questioning and conversational herding, Stella manages to locate the book more quickly and with far less...digging. "Ooh, yes, that grass looks quite good. I'm sorry I smell strange...Ah, over there! Thank you!"

I'm...going to need a new pair of garden gloves... she cringes.

After retrieving the book—unfortunately still dirty and smelly despite her best efforts—Stella gives Laurëa a curtsy. "Thank you for your help!" Then returns to wait at the designated place to meet Phlydia and Kay.

Keggruk gives a firm nod and gathers his equipment, then begins walking. "Good! Not all of the Avowed are spellcasters; many are warriors of various ethos. Monks mostly, but also a few paladins. They have sparring grounds in the Inner Ward."

He leads Dieter out into the Court of Air and over to the Emerald Door, where the Keeper lets them both pass without a word. The Candlekeep on the other side of the Emerald Door is far different from the one built around the Court of Air. It's a maze of gardens, towers, and bridges, beautiful and confusing all at once. Keggruk leads the way, until after about a quarter of an hour the pair arrive at the sparring grounds.

There are roughly a dozen pairs of combatants spread throughout a large, marked-off field. Most of them spar bare-handed and unarmored, but there are a few figures wearing various types of armor and wielding weapons.

Keggruk lifts an immense two-handed axe, then walks off some ten paces. He flashes Dieter a quick salute, and then the fight begins!

Wirrow hangs her head in exasperation. "Of course it's enough; we've been here for like... a couple days at most. How could I possibly run out in that time?"

When Mom worried about her it was normal, when Stella worried about her it was endearing, but whenever Keggruk tried? There was just something that felt backwards about it and rubbed her the wrong way. Besides, wasn't she here to try and be in-dependent? Did Keggruk really think so little of her ability to do things that he had to check up on a non-issue not even a week into the trip?

Laurëa claps her hands in delight. "A druid! I speak to the animals as well, but they never speak in return. Sometime you must tell me what Tulco says! Yes, the one from the iron caravan!"
"You are most welcome. Namárië!"

Phlydia stands anxiously in the appointed place outside the Pillars of Pedagogy. When she sees Kay and Stella return, she practically hops with joy. "Again, I must thank you for helping me today. Did... did you find it?"

"interesting tell more about this place" Dieter says Taking a high guard before swinging his greatsword nimbly trying to get inside kragguk’s guard.

15 damage if he hits

Ac16
Hp 11/11

Keggruk nods in apology while Wirrow speaks. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to run out. I just want to make sure you're... taken care of." A frown crosses his face and he holds up a hand. "No, 'taken care of' is a poor choice of words. 'That you have what you need', is what I mean to say. In any case, I am glad that your supply is intact."

The orog gestures to the books on the table. "Have you enjoyed your time here? I know I insisted on coming here first, but I hope that you and the others have... found something useful or of value here."

"Heya Rift!"

That cheerful voice can only belong to Imoen. The girl practically hops up and down, a big grin pasted on her young face. "I have wonderful news! The First Reader is asking for a favor from you. That like, never happens! It's always the Seekers asking the Avowed for help. And to have someone as important as Tethtoril asking... I mean, that's big." She gives him a playful little poke in the side. "So are you going to do it? What he wants?" She giggles. "I guess that's a silly thing to ask when you don't even know what he wants. He didn't tell me, but I think I've got a pretty good idea."

As she talks she fishes out some candy and holds it enticingly in front of Tilrifturren's face.

As Phlydia and Kay see Stella approach, the mud and—other messes—become apparent to their eyes and noses.

She hands Phlydia the book with a deadpan expression. "You might need magic to clean that. I don't recommend reading in the stables." She forces a chuckle. "What were you doing around the cows?"

Stella carefully opens her tome to her notes on Aiwë's schedule and purses her lips.

Hm...lots of question marks.

Aiwë knew how to magically clean things. Stella did too—Papa taught her the trick—she just...hadn't practiced it in a while.

She shuts the tome and sighs. "I...think I need a return trip to the bathhouse again," she declares. "There's no way under stars I'm going to be able to study smelling like this...Could you pay for my visit?" she asks Phlydia.

Keggruk is long past the days of his prime, but the grizzled orog has experience on his side. Experience, and the still-considerable physical strength of his orog blood.

He catches Dieter's weapon with his own, halting the swing in midair. "That blow would have outright felled most orc warriors. Well done!" Keggruk shoves Dieter's weapon away and then whirls his axe over his head and brings the weapon straight down towards Dieter...

Laurëa shoulders lift up and down in a casual shrug. "No, Koveras never game him a name. But I thought it fitting. In my language it means... immoveable, strong, steadfast. A good name for such a noble animal." She takes another sip of her drink. "Koveras wanted Tulco put down. He said he would never run again with those injuries. But with the healing you have given him, I think Tulco is making a full recovery."

She leans forward, meeting Runeson's gaze. "Koveras is your employer. I think you should ask him for Tulco. If he is a good man, he will just give you the horse. But if he insists on payment... I would gladly pay half to see Tulco go with the man who he cares for, who will take good care of him."

She pauses. "What would you think of that?"

"And yours might have hit a barn door! I jest you have great power " dieter says barely recovering after blocking the powerful downward strike

Rift blinks groggily. "A favor? First Reader? What does he want?"

Who would let such a bubbly person hang around here? And who said she could talk so loudly? He grudgingly takes the candy and eats it. It was the least she owed him for waking him up. And for talking so loudly.

"Before I turned to more scholarly pursuits, I was raised on a farm. And I always enjoyed being around the cows. They were gentle and warm, especially in the winter months. It was a simple time. Less complicated."[/b] She sighs. "I suppose I was trying to recapture something from those days..."

She notices Stella's dirty condition. "Oh! Oh, of course I'll pay for your spa treatment, dear. It's the least I could do. Also..." The woman pulls out a couple of potion bottles. "You may find some use for these, or perhaps you can sell them."Phlydia clutches the dirty book to her chest and smiles widely. "Thank you both so much for your help!"

Keggruk merely steps away from Deiter's next swing, allowing the greatsword to lodge itself in the dirt. "You fight with passion and skill. But a warrior also needs patience and wisdom." While Dieter pulls his sword out of the ground, Keggruk levels the spike of his greataxe under the fighter's chin, indicating a strike.The orog lowers his weapon and steps back a few paces, ready for Dieter's next attack.

Dieter takes a step back and levels his greatsword. He dives in but jerks to the side swinging the blade wide and up coming up to Kragguk’s armpit stopping just short, a blow that would have cut the arm off a normal man

"He wants you to meet someone, Silly!" Imoen laughs and steps away, holding another treat. "I can get you a lot more of these, you know. But you've got to get moving!"

The girl keeps moving. "Hey Ossein! You should come too! Some people deep in Candlekeep get very lonely and could use some company. You two are going to help!"

Keggruk chuckles and nudges the large blade away with two fingers. "Very good!" He brings his greataxe down at an angle and misses, inviting a countering blow from Dieter. But the canny orog lets go of his weapon with one hand and steps inside Dieter's reach, free hand grabbing Dieter's wrist and forcing the greatsword aside, then head snapping down to crack against his smaller opponent's. Dieter stumbles backward, and when the stars clear he finds Keggruk's weapon resting at his neck once more.

Keggruk's face is concerned, however. "Apologies! That headbutt might have been too much. Shall I call for a healer?"