Javenloft - Obregg and Kerchak

[Nemesio]

CLAIMED BY DARKON

CHAPTER FOUR: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (PART ONE: THE TIMORI ROAD)

Viktal Tepest, The Fisherman's Rest, Mid-Spring of 730 BC

The village of Viktal is the first significant habitation that father and son have come across in some time... They are weary from nearly a month of travel through the seemingly endless mountains of southeastern Darkon and the goblin infested forests of Tepest. After being caught trying to steel raw gemstones from the dwarf owned mines of Tempe Falls, both Karg natives had been literally chased into the foothills of Mt. Nirka. Obregg and Kercahk had figured that the dwarves had no actual right to all the wealth of the mountain, but an irate dwarven mob had disagreed... Luckily the two men had been prepared for a jaunt in the wilderness...

The Fishermans Rest is the only public house in Viktal. It is a rustic two-story building with an attached stable. The second floor houses four simple rooms with narrow beds that barely fit one adult human comfortably. They rent for 1 gp per week, payable in advance and non-refundable. The common room on the ground floor can fit about 30 people, and it is a favorite evening hangout for fishers and herders alike. The owners and operators of Fishermans Rest are a monstrously obese couple named Greabo and Maria. The only thing larger than the couples girths is their mouths. They love to gossip. The food at Fishermans Rest is excellent. Maria does all the cooking. The prices are reasonable and hover around 2 sp for a full meal.

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[patthelost]

Hungry and tired Obregg enters the public house. He knows he needs to secure a nights rest and a warm meal, not to mention a drink or many, for himself and his son. Unfortunately a quick shake of his money pouch confirms that between them their life's value wouldn't be worth a glass of dirty water. Obregg is confident though that he will be able to secure a room for the night and some food and strong drink and defer payment till the morn at which time they will be miles down the road before the house comes alive. He also half hopes that he can keep Kerchak from snacking on any of the other guests this time. A petty theft may not yield a manhunt where a murdered young daughter or bride will surely make the next few days trek much more hectic and harried.

Just inside the door he spots the large beast he can only assume is the matron of the pub and brushes back his hair, puts on his most devilish smile and let's the sparkle in his eye round out the picture.

"So what's a man to do to get some fair treatment in these parts?"

[Nemesio]

"So what's a man to do to get some fair treatment in these parts?"

Maria's Darkonese has a terrible phlegmatic accent, but she manages to say: "Ooy strangers in the noit. We have plenty to eat, and a couple of extra beds. Looks loik you could use a baath too."

[patthelost]

"Ah, fair lady! It's been such time since I've come across your particular type of beauty!
It seems me and my son..." Obregg gestures to the dark corner where Kerchek has posted at a table" are completely at your mercy! We have traveled long and hard after the loss we suffered, to meet with an u Cole of mine at this very pub. Though it pains me to take charity from family much less a stranger, we have arrived a day earlier than we intended! My uncle will not arrive til the morrow at the least!" Obregg takes Maria's plump kitchen scared hands into his gently and leans close.
"Now dearest ,,,and I would never impose upon such a fine establishment for services unpaid for, however, my son and I do need rest and a meal to boot! If you could only point us to where a safe place would be for us to pitch a tent for the evening, it is so dangerous at the darkest hours, but until tomorrow I cannot afford the room, no the safest place close by would be fine. I have the loveliest recipe for a stew of grubs forme and my boy to sup, could it be you could spare a skin of fresh water for our stew?"

And Obregg now is fairy sure based on long experience that this Maria will give him pretty much anything he asks for...

[Nemesio]

"Ah, fair lady! It's been such time since I've come across your particular type of beauty!
It seems me and my son..." Obregg gestures to the dark corner where Kerchek has posted at a table" are completely at your mercy! We have traveled long and hard after the loss we suffered, to meet with an u Cole of mine at this very pub. Though it pains me to take charity from family much less a stranger, we have arrived a day earlier than we intended! My uncle will not arrive til the morrow at the least!" Obregg takes Maria's plump kitchen scared hands into his gently and leans close.
"Now dearest ,,,and I would never impose upon such a fine establishment for services unpaid for, however, my son and I do need rest and a meal to boot! If you could only point us to where a safe place would be for us to pitch a tent for the evening, it is so dangerous at the darkest hours, but until tomorrow I cannot afford the room, no the safest place close by would be fine. I have the loveliest recipe for a stew of grubs forme and my boy to sup, could it be you could spare a skin of fresh water for our stew?"

And Obregg now is fairy sure based on long experience that this Maria will give him pretty much anything he asks for...

As Obregg speaks, Greabo waddles over. His Darkonese is a tad better than his wife's. He sees her blushing as Obregg takes her by the hand, and he smiles wide. When he hears the talk of great losses and a rich uncle his eyes begin to sparkle... He says: "Say no more Obregg. This u Cole of your is welcome here, as are you and your son!" We've got a pot of old stew needs eating afore it spoils, and so happens three of our four private beds are open. I'll keep the third open till your kin arrives. Normally I only accept payment upfront, but you and have touched me and me wife here with your sad tale."

[patthelost]

"Thank you both many times, my son and I are forever in your debt, it is always a pleasure to meet such fine folk in so harsh a land. I must go let me boy know that we will have warm bed and food to fill our empty bellies to night. He is such a quiet boy, cursed he is and in my everlasting care" Obregg leans in close and whispers" Taliban"
He straightened back up and shakes his head, veins wiping a tear from his eye, and sighs as if regaining himself.
" anyways, . We will be waiting for what I am sure will be the best meal this side of the gem mines!"
Obregg retreats to the table Kerchek has settled and fills him in on the situation. Looking upon his son it again crosses his mind that this time tomorrow the could easily be again fleeing an angry murderous mob.... ah well he thinks, . Another day will dawn and we will do what we must.

[Nick Goddard]

Even though the boy knew that this was the only public house in the area, Kerchak, having more of a refined taste, was somewhat disgusted by the dirty, cramped spaces of it all. The only reason he was here was because he was following the only person he trusted in the world, and the only person worthy of his trust: His father, Obregg.
Kerchak had no desire to be here, surrounded by the squalor of the people seeking to drown in their alcoholic poison they so routinely imbibed, and more than once, while sitting in the darkest, least populated corner, the hood of his traveler's clothes wrapped around his head so as to hide his face, he felt the powerful temptation to grab the closest person and snap their neck, so as to feed on their sweet, hot blood.....but no. He had to master these urges, as his father had so often told him. In order to live with the humans, you must act human, Obregg often said to his son....
But why, Kerchak often thought. Me and Father have been blessed with these god-like gifts, and the only thing we can do is hide them. We must never act on our impulses, no matter how strong. That's what got them into trouble in the first place....because Kerchak had to go and bite into that young boy's neck to satisfy his hunger. That's why they were always on the move, never staying in one place for too long...
At the moment, Kerchak was watching his father, at the same time watching the doors and windows, taking count of all the possible escape routes in case this trip all went to hell. Which, Kerchak new in the back of his mind, it eventually would.
Obregg came back to the table that he had prepared, telling him what he had done. After his conversation with the keepers of the rest house, Kerchak had his own opinions formed about his father's guile.
"That was going a bit too far, don't you think, Father? Complimenting the fat woman....that was sickening. Then greasing up her husband.....I know you're good at what you do, Obregg, but do you not think that it's often best just to get to the meat and potatoes?"
Kerchak leaned back in his chair, putting his hands back above his head. "And these people.....they reek of sweat and beer and Gods only know what else.....dung most likely. The scent is flooding my nostrils.....why couldn't you find us a place that was perfumed with rose petals, where golden-haired girls attended to my every need....well.....maybe not EVERY need...."

[Nemesio]

At the opposite end of the room, a large red-haired man stands up from a table seating five reeking fishermen. He nods at the two of you as he walks over to your table. He says: "Yon Darkonian travelers! Belike I may sit with ye? Good eve to ye both. My name is Chulainn."

[patthelost]

The same frustrated moment as always, the spark of oporubity, a mark that deliveres himself wrapped and sparkling like a gift from the gods, what for years was one of the sweetest sensations Obregg ever could feel deep down, Now at odds with the fact that his son was always by his side and Obregg knew he would rather gut the stranger than break bread with him... Fortunatly Kerchak for the most could keep himself quiet and in check and alow Obregg to do what he could, get what he could to keep them alive and well, it was a simple necessity. But how long would this remain the case...

" Of course kind stranger! Pull up a stool! We will be well met on this long road! Tell me, Do you call these parts home or are you also a man of the road? What tales can you tell on a fine evening such as this? "

[Nick Goddard]

Gods above, this man stank to high hell. Kerchak had to wrinkle up his nose as he approached, but he said nothing about it. Obregg was the talker of the duo, whereas he was more of the muscle.
Regardless, Obregg obviously saw a use for the man that Kerchak could not, for he had welcomed the man with apparently open arms. Whatever use the stranger had for them, he sincerely hoped that he could get him alone for one, sinfully perfect reason: to gorge himself on his blood.
He pulled the hood a little bit lower over his face, so as to hide the look of hunger crossing his face from the stranger. There was a time and place for everything, Kerchak thought, smirking evilly under his hood.

[Nemesio]

The same frustrated moment as always, the spark of oporubity, a mark that deliveres himself wrapped and sparkling like a gift from the gods, what for years was one of the sweetest sensations Obregg ever could feel deep down, Now at odds with the fact that his son was always by his side and Obregg knew he would rather gut the stranger than break bread with him... Fortunatly Kerchak for the most could keep himself quiet and in check and alow Obregg to do what he could, get what he could to keep them alive and well, it was a simple necessity. But how long would this remain the case...

" Of course kind stranger! Pull up a stool! We will be well met on this long road! Tell me, Do you call these parts home or are you also a man of the road? What tales can you tell on a fine evening such as this? "

Chulainn takes a seat with Obregg and Kerchak. Then he passes a few gold pieces across the table, and whispers: "Prithee take these coins and pay the patron of this establishment in full. Do not forswear me. I have watched ye both for some time now. Attempt none of ye tricks. Rest the e'em in comfort. In the morrow I will take ye to a fine prize." After speaking, Chulainn stands with a smile, pushes in his chair, and says: "Fear me not. Eat and rest while ye may. I shall meet ye on the road." With that he nods his head to you, says his farewells to the other patrons he was drinking with, and exits the Fisherman's Rest.

[patthelost]

As he watches the stranger depart, Obregg sweeps his hand over the tabletop and snatches up the coin without looking away from the man's back. His amenable smile long gone as he gives the coins a close look and a quick chomp out of habit. His confidence momentarily shaken, his sense of control of his surroundings broken....what to make of this?
Only for the moment his smile faltered did the sparkle in his eye disappear and had anyone been looking they would have caught a glimpse of the man behind the mask...
Quickly recovering himself he pockets the coins and consciously jump starts his self confident purchasing if only outwardly "well Kerchek, It seems we have been well met. What say you of this stranger's kindness?"

The worst part of this situation he thinks to himself , is exactly how long had this man been following them, how much did he know, and why choose now to approach them? That is what knocked him for a loop to begin with, and that is what he did not want to speak aloud of to his son...

[Nick Goddard]

The first thing that had sent an alarm through Kerchak was the sudden announcement from the stranger that he had been following them, and "knew their tricks." After he left, a sudden chill swept through his body, and he shivered, despite the warmth of his outfit.
"You're seriously asking me that, Obregg? As if you didn't already know he was up to something......even I'm not that blind."

[patthelost]

" yes Kerchek, that he has something up his sleeve there is no question, however, in my experience the ones who mean you harm rarely do you favors... However, it is true that i am somewhat alarmed at the fact of his knowing anything of us at all and having followed us thus far unanounced..."

Obregg pauses for a moment in thought, His firts thought is to take this suckers coin and be gone earlier and faster than he had orriginally planned. With a full belly a good rest and many a mile between this wild scene he knows he will feel much better, yet if this man truly has business with us, he will likely not give up so easily. He decides for the moment to play the game, he takes a gold coin back out of his pocket and flings it back on the table roughly.

" It seems to me my son that our best play here is to be wary, and find out what this man has in store for us now rather than gather one more hound to our trail... I swear before you now though that the moment this deal gets fuzzy, our new friend here will have the cold steel of my dagger riding up his spine before he blinks the tear from his eye.
Shall we rest?"

[Nemesio]

The Next Morning, Heading West on the Timori Road

Before the cock's early crow, the two men had put a mile between themselves and Viktal. Neither had been able to sleep well, knowing they were being watched, so they had left the Fisherman's Rest before anyone else had awoken. The night before, Obregg had placed the mysterious stranger's gold in Greabo's sweaty palm, reflexively telling the innkeeper that lady luck had smiled upon him, and that he had discovered a few misplaced coins among his belongings. Greabo seamed satisfied with his lie, and as a pleasant change of pace, Obregg and his son weren't being driven out of town. To the contrary, they were taking a leisurely stroll down a country road, on an overcast but pleasant day. For the first time in nearly a month, they had enjoyed an excellent meal, and had a few hours rest in a real bed.

As they walk silently down the Timori Road, Obregg and Kerchak wonder if their luck is about to change, and for a moment they attempt to leave their worries behind. To their right, there are variety of small plants, mostly briars, shrubs, and saplings. These partially obscure an enormous gray lake, which the duo has been traveling alongside since departing Viktal. To their left is the beginnings of an impenetrably dark forest filled with all manner of gnarled and twisted trees. An unusually large number of ravens are out this morning. They seem to be enjoying the dismal ambiance.

Obregg and Kerchak are soon torn from their reverie, as the ravens start making short shrill calls, circling, and swooping at a reddish feathered eagle. At that moment, father and son glance at each other knowingly, as it dawns on them that perhaps the red-headed man was some kind of shapechanger. How else would he have been able to spy on them?