1


            On his way to taking a place at their table, Hrolfr was stopped by a pretty young woman who beckoned him away, wanting to speak with him alone.
            Hrolfr, having barely survived this mornings outing (he was still a bit hazy on some of the details) was finally starting to clear his head when the young woman approached him. Predictably, he does not hesitate to speak to the young woman in private.
            Aldern settled in a chair between Bergi and Amismara, ordering some beer on the party's behalf and raising his tankard in a toast. "To the Heroes of Sandpoint! I'd be goblined if it weren't for them!" A large number of the guests joined in the toast, a small cheer accompanying it from the locals.
            Taking a deep drink, Aldern leaned forward and gazed at each of the party in turn. "So, you must have tales of adventures more dangerous than ours. Why not try your luck telling a tale of it on the stage? If Ms. Kaijitsu likes it, she gives you a discount on your stay."
            Andok smiles and shakes his head. "Perhaps one of those more versed in oratory should be telling tales," the Shoanti says, giving a pointed look at Bergi and Nacklewocket. "I would be able to make the tavern fall asleep speaking of a mighty battle, the way I drone on."
            Bergi was more willing to talk. "I'm going to be honest, Lord Foxglove. Today was my first official 'adventure' apart from my coming-of-age ceremony, in which I had to chase after a conjured bird carrying the ribbon I now wear. Eventually I ended up fascinating it long enough to pluck the thing, but... that's not all that interesting to most."
            "I've had 'misadventures', though. More like amusing circumstances in events."
            Bergi made her way up to the stage and began a rhythmic ditty.
"It was three months ago, on a warm night, with the Sandpoint wind whistling loud,
when I stupidly spent far too much time with a dwarven bard stuck in a cloud.
Most of his words were likely lies, but to an addict such as I, who couldn't resist,the sun went down in the blink of an eye.
Now I was stuck with a quandry, as I'd failed to air out my laundry, I had to get home (hopefully unknown) to avoid an earful quite scary.
I left this place with a smile on my face with only a pebble to guide me.
Imagine my surprise when a shadowy guise managed to creep up behind me!
This pickpocket was well over twice my size, his face bearded and hairy! I would never have assumed that just a few feet at night alone would be so perilous, but after ignoring this man's threat things just got hilarious.
'Hand over your money or die!'he said.
Honestly, I didn't have any, but I doubted he'd settle without a penny, so I tried to run away.
Oh, he easily overtook me, but long legs -really- aren't everything. He tripped on his own and dropped like a stone, his own dagger piercing his belly.
The high-and-mighty criminal bawled like a baby, and I couldn't bring myself to abandon him there. So our fine Hemlock got himself a shock to see the victim consoling a proverbial bear!"
            She laughed at this memory. The look on the night watchman's face as the two were discovered would never leave her memory. Nor would Ameiko's scolding that was only compounded by that she'd received from her parents when she'd gotten home.
            Ameiko rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the memory, but she and the other patrons all clapped for Bergi, laughing at her tale. Aldern laughed so hard he had to excuse himself, and when he returned, he seemed to have regained the excessive energy he had had that morning.

2


            The girl took Hrolfr's hand and led him out onto the street. There she bashfully gazed up at him for a long moment before gathering the courage to speak. Her voice was low, forcing Hrolfr to lean close to hear her. "My name is Shayliss. I'm sure you don't know me, but maybe you know my father - Ven Vinder? He owns the general store? Anyway, he's been a bit... uh, distracted lately, and hasn't been paying enough attention to our pest problem. Promise you won't tell anyone, but... our store has rats. Big ones! Why, just yesterday I'm sure I saw one the size of a _goblin_ hiding behind a barrel at the far end of the basement! My father doesn't believe me, but you do, don't you?" She gazed at Hrolfr earnestly with her big, pretty brown eyes.
            Then she looked down at her shoes, twiddling with a lock of her hair. "The reason I'm telling you is that, well, everyone knows you're one of the Heroes. So, maybe you could kill a few rats in our basement?" Seeing him glance at the door of the inn where the others were, she quickly added, "Don't worry, there aren't many. Certainly not enough to trouble more than one of you over. So... will you come with me? It won't take long, I promise. And you can take a look at my father's wine cellar." She said the last as though granting a great favor.
            Hrolft hears the girl's proposition with interest. The comment about the goblin sized rat intrigues him, but he stays silent while the girl speaks. The comment on the wine cellar brings out an embarrassed grin (and a slight shudder). When she is done talking, he nods and says: "I'll have a look. I have to go get some of my things, I'll be back in a blink of an eye." He then turns round and enters the bar.

3


            Hrolfr starts by approaching his comrades table and waiting for a break in the conversation. At the proper time, he says in a low voice "One of the locals has asked me to look at a pest problem. Something about goblin-sized rats. I'm not sure it's anything major, but something about the way she said it. Anyway, I'm off for at most an hour. I'll see you back here afterwards".
            Andok gives a nod to his friend. "We'll save you a seat - give the vermin a hard lesson," he says, reclining his chair some. "If they wind up actually being goblin-sized, come get us and we'll teach them lessons together - though a rat that big would be hard-pressed to find it's way into town without being spotted, I think."
            Hrolfr then proceeds to get his chainmail and his shortsword from his room, and follows the girl back to Ven Vinder's general store.
            Bergi searched through her memory to see if she'd heard anything about this circumstance in town. She heard a lot, after all, and goblin-sized rate would be hard to forget.
            Bergi couldn't remember hearing anything about giant rats, but she did recognize the girl who had pulled Hrolfr aside. Shayliss was the younger sister of Katrine Vinder, who rumor had it was shacking up with Banny Harker from the lumber mill. Their overly protective father was up in arms about it, and didn't seem to have realized that Shayliss was even more of a troubleseeker than her sister. Just the other day, Keppie Bogmerk was sniffing to her clique over how easy Shayliss was. Knowing Keppie, this may not have been strictly true, but... Shayliss was definitely part of the gossip mill grind, too. The halfling appeared to be lost in thought for a moment before she burst out with a little laughter of her own.
            "Well, well... I think rats may be the least of Hrolfr's problems shortly."
            "Oh, dear", Amismara sighed, smiling ruefully. "Why does Shelyn play with young girls' hearts so?" She'd seen this girlish infatuation with strong, famous strangers many times...even felt it herself once or twice in years past. It was a sign of Shelyn's favor in the adventurous. But that didn't mean everyone in a small town like Sandpoint would understand and condone.
            The Shoanti looks confusedly between the two women, a look of confusion upon his face. "You think there's something in that basement other than rats? Is Hrolfr going to need our help? And what does your goddess have to do with this, Amismara?"
            Aldern chuckled, clearly in a splendid mood again. "I suspect from the ladies' comments that Hrolfr is enjoying his status as a Hero of Sandpoint," he said, fidgeting a bit in his chair. "Not to worry, Andok. I'm sure you have your share of admirers as well." He nodded slyly towards a knot of young women, some of them barmaids, which broke up when Andok glanced their way. They scurried in all directions, some red-faced and others smiling, but soon some congregated again in another spot, whispering and giggling as they cast looks at the table.
            Realization dawns slowly on the Shoanti, who turns a shade of red to match the more bashful of his admirers. He pulls his mug of water close to him and hides his face behind it, muttering something incoherent about "flatland women."
            This seemed to amuse Aldern even more, and he couldn't resist teasing Andok about it. "You must be quite a heartbreaker at home. I bet they're still sweeping up the shards," he chuckled. As Ameiko began to sing another song on the stage and the patrons began to clap along, he beckoned the smiling women over, saying with a wink, "Our Heroes aren't much for hunting, but perhaps they'd care to dance?"
            Instantly there was a furor as the women tried to unobtrusively edge each other out of the way, offering to dance with Andok, Gronk and Nacklewocket too. The men in the room brightened as well, homing in on Bergi and especially Amismara, but Aldern was out of his seat and offering the cleric his hand before they could do so.
            "Would you care to dance, my lady?" Aldern asked, a twinkle in his eyes, as the disappointed other men chose partners from among the others in the crowd.
            "Yes, I would, Lord Alden", she answered with a smile and an exaggerated curtsy. She was glad that the noble had recovered from his foul mood.
            Andok tries to mutter a response to the nobleman's teasing, but when the women are signaled over, his face flushes. Ever the gentleman despite his bashfulness, Andok won't refuse any dances, spending a song with each woman before moving onto a different one. After a few songs, the Shoanti manages to lose some of his embarrassment and seems to even begin to enjoy himself.
            The halfling bard immediately began dancing with every person who asked, but ended up favoring the ones who could keep up with her the most. Bergi seemed well versed in being able to compensate for her small size when dancing with larger partners, fluttering about like a butterfly, if such a thing could be simulated(or, indeed, if she accomplished it).
            Bergi flitted about, the ribbon in her hair bouncing as Ameiko got the entire room either dancing or clapping and singing along with her clear, sweet voice. Good as she was at dancing with the much larger merchants, travelers and townsfolk, she soon found two men more her own size vying for her attention - another halfling with the fine clothes and bright smile of a merchant, and the aged but still spry gnome Veznutt Parooh who owned a library of maps on Cliff Street. Mr. Parooh was overly fond of Ameiko's spicy dishes and often came to eat at the Rusty Dragon, but now he was dancing up a storm, and the poor merchant halfling was hard tried to keep up in his efforts to pull Bergi away.
            The halfling bard responded to both dancers with gusto, reveling in Ameiko's beautiful voice. Once taken with a partner of her own size, her movements shifted.
            "Evening, Master Parooh!" she managed to greet her gnomish partner during a particularly interesting twirl. "My, but you're energetic! Have a good day at The Way North?"
            "I did indeed, lass! I've finished a marvelous map of all Varisia!" Parooh answered with a grin that was slightly too wide, doing a jig all the while. His brilliant blue eyes twinkled as he did a somersault to the applause of the onlookers, then finally stopped dancing, puffing a bit (but nowhere near as much as one might have thought he should). He bowed to Bergi. "I'll let you young folk take the scene now, eh? Thank ye for the dance, lass, and you give your parents my best!" Much to the merchant halfling's delight, the old gnome trundled off to one of the tables, where he joined the clappers.
            When dancing with the merchant, on the other hand, Bergi was more for introductions. Motion didn't seem to stop her from trying to speak (whether or not it was a good idea). "I don't think I've met you before, sir, may I have your name?"
            "Bartholomew Bucklebritches, at your service!" Bartholomew bowed with a flourish of his fine burnt-orange cape, kissing Bergi's hand. He had warm brown eyes brought out by the autumn colors he wore, and the curly hair that topped his head and feet was a rich brown as well. "Purveyor of the finest horses Sandpoint has ever seen - though I'm afraid goblins stole the one I was bringing down from Riddleport," he added with a sigh. "But a dance with a lovely lady is just the thing to forget my woes!" He offered her his hand, the other gesturing out to the open space cleared between the tables.
            Bergi accepted Bucklebritches' proposal and danced until she was too tired to continue (or her partner was, whichever came first). She continued to make smalltalk, as well, not only to solidify a new friendship, but to keep tabs on comings and goings, as was her way.
            Bartholomew was only too happy to talk, though he kept returning to the subject of his lost horse. "Fantastic stallion, war-trained and smooth-limbed. Would have picked up a pretty price in Magnimar," Bart bemoaned, sighing. "We got on with him well, too - not ill-tempered at all. Shadowmist had a real taste for apples. Probably eaten by goblins himself, now. What a waste." While he seemed friendly enough, he had trouble dropping the subject, as he hadn't much local news to share. Finally he bowed out of the dance, wiping his forehead and going to quench his thirst at his table.
            Gronk accepted the girl's hand to dance, unsure what to do but he attempted to follow along the best he could . "This is harder than learning to dodge an aurochs!" Gronk thought to himself.
            The less embarrassed Andok became at dancing with the excited women in the inn, the more of them seemed to appear, swishing their skirts around him and laughing. In the end there were so many they simply formed a ring around him and took turns dancing with him in the middle while the others danced around them with whoever else was available.
            Aldern proved a wonderful dancer, whirling Amismara about with ease and never once bumping into anyone else or treading on her toes. At last there was an outlet for his manic energy, and he spun Amismara about in a dizzying display of fancy footwork. It was exhilirating and exhausting to dance with him. When Ameiko finally took a break every dancer in the room was breathing hard, but people looked happy and carefree for the first time since the goblin raid.
            Andok eventually extricates himself from the ring of dancers and collapses in a chair. He signals wordlessly for a drink of water to whomever is available to serve him, then simply watches the happy dancing of the townsfolk, a contented smile on his face.
            Somewhat breathless herself, Amismara copies Andok's move, plopping down next to the monk, smiling along at the happy townspeople.
            "It's good to see them celebrating," the Shoanti says, his voice peaceful and contented. "This town has had a hard time, from all the tales we've heard. Happiness is a mighty balm for such things."
            "Indeed", she smiled in response. "I think tomorrow we should look at bringing more happiness and closure to these fine people."
            "However", she continued, "happiness is a less-mighty balm for other things. I'm afraid I'm feeling the effects of our horse ride today!" She briefly mimed a tender bottom and then laughed at the childish joke. A small snort escaped her as she settled back in to her chair, tired but happy.
            Aldern laughed, then masked it by clearing his throat. He nodded to the group. "I apologise for any... _inconveniences_ caused by our unsuccessful foray," he said with a smile. As though summoned, his three manservants appeared. Aldern took a tankard from one and drank, then handed it back and took Amismara's hand. "It has been a pleasure to meet you all properly. I'm afraid I must be on my way now, but I do hope that if you're ever in Magnimar you'll stop by." He kissed Amismara's hand, then swept out the door in a whirl of his red cloak, his servants hurrying behind him with a lantern.
            After she could dance no more, Bergi made her way to a barstool and more or less collapsed in a happily-exhausted heap for a breather. Ameiko bowed to the applause of the crowd, and was replaced by a group of amateur musicians as she slipped out of the Dragon.

4


            Shayliss led Hrolfr around to the back of the general store and let him into the cellar, pulling the cellar doors shut behind them after lighting a lantern. The cellar was quite large, running the full length of the building, and it was stocked with piles of crates and barrels and sacks full of goods for the shop above. In addition, an impressively huge section appeared to be dedicated to alcohol of all kinds, bottles lying in rack after rack and casks piled high. There was more than enough to stock a tavern!
            Shayliss wandered away from Hrolfr, poking around the maze of stockpiled goods in search of the giant rats. "Oh! Hrolfr, come quickly!" she called softly, the light revealing her to be in one corner of the cellar.
            Hrolfr is oblivious of the otherwise obvious attempt at seduction, and moves quickly over to the corner, short sword in hand.
            Bergi's prediction came true as Hrolfr rounded some crates and found, not giant rats, but Shayliss already out of her bodice and holding her arms out to him. It was hard to remain oblivious to her intent as she slipped in to embrace him, ignoring the shortsword and standing on tiptoe to kiss him. She pulled at him insistently, trying to pull off his chainmail and guide him over to a convenient cot in the corner at the same time.
            "Say something," she giggled. "I love your accent. Oh, how do you get this armor off?"
            Hrolfr had his share of epithets over the years. Hrolfr the Wanderer. Hrolfr the Fearless. Hrolfr Goblinsbane. Hrolfr the Bastard. He had gotten into a lot of fights on the account of that last one.
            He had always envied the other children in the village of having a father they "owned", instead of the occasional visits by his own father. He also remembers the resentment from his father's legitimate children and his wife, even though being born out of the marital bond didn't really raise that many eyebrows. He thinks back on a certain warm summer afternoon on his seventeenth year, and the sleepless weeks that followed while Ulfhilda waited for nature to tell her whether she was with child or not. He had swore to himself that time that he would father children only to the woman he eventually settled down with, and not leave a boy to grow up without a father. His look of catatonic surprise is quickly replaced by one of embarassment as he gently removes the girls hands from his person and backs away. "I'm sorry. You are a very pretty girl, but I won't be staying for long. Leaving you with child would dishonor us both." With that, he turns away and stomps out of shopkeeper Vinder's basement with a sad-looking scowl on his face.
            Shayliss looked as surprised by this announcement as Hrolfr had at her suddenly flinging herself at him. "But I - you - but you don't have to worry about that! Wait!" she exclaimed, hurrying after him with her clothes in total disarray. Catching him before he could escape, she pouted at him. "You don't have to worry about my honor, or yours for that matter, sourpuss. Just come with me, and I'll wipe that frown from your face!"
            It was then that Hrolfr heard the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Shayliss didn't appear to have noticed it, and kept trying to pour herself back into his arms.
            "If not your own, then perhaps that of your father". He gives a slight nod, drawing Shayliss's attention to the stairs.
            "Father!" Shayliss squeaked, suddenly trying to get her blouse back on, but it was too late. Master Vinder - a man of middling years whose dark hair and neat beard had not yet gone to grey - came around a stack of crates and stopped short, a look of shock on his face. "Shayliss!" Then his eyes settled on Hrolfr, and his face darkened with rage.
            "YOU!" he roared, setting down his lantern and getting up in Hrolfr's face, mis meaty fists clenching. _"How dare you take advantage of my daughter?!"_
            Hrolfr does not flinch, but stares right back at Master Winder, only barely managing to conceal his rage at this most unfair accusation."Calm down, old man. Nobody is taking advantage of nobody. Your daughter asked me to take care of a rat problem, but no rats were to be found, so I was on my way out." He then presses past Vinder on his way towards the exit.
            "Rat problem? Rats that require undressing my girl? Do you take me for a fool?" Vinder shouted after Hrolfr, shaking his fist. His face was absolutely red with rage. "You just keep on walking, you sorry excuse for a hero! And don't you or your friends set foot in my store again!"
            On hearing the last retort, Hrolfr loses the rest of his already frayed self control. He turns on his heel, stomps right up to old man Vinder, fists clenched and growls: "Did you just call me a liar, old man!? Did you!!? For if you have a problem with what I'm telling you, you pick your champion and we'll settle this the old way, at dawn. And don't you worry about my custom in the future, a man who cannot keep track of his children can't be expected to keep track of his wares, so I'll be getting my provisions from elsewhere." He glares at the merchant for a short while more, awaiting an answer.
            "If you think you're such a hard case, why wait 'til dawn?" Vinder roared in his face, aiming a punch at Hrolfr.
            Hrolfr tries to avoid the merchant's meaty fist and grab hold of his arm, then wrenching him to the ground
            Hrolfr took an elbow to the face for his trouble, but he managed to grab hold of the irate shopkeeper - if only briefly. Vinder was apparently no stranger to a fistfight, and he broke Hrolfr's hold on him easily when Hrolfr tried to drag him to the floor.
            Hrolfr tried to grab him again, and again, but the man was quick, and he dealt out punches with startling precision. With one roundhouse punch to the side of Hrolfr's head as the ranger tried to recapture him, he made Hrolfr's ears ring. Vinder was furious, and Hrolfr could feel that fury in the heavy punches he dealt out.
            With each punch, Hrolfr's hard found overbearance with a protective father is diminished. Hrolfr makes one last try to pin the (actually quite spry) merchant
            Hrolfr's final attempt to pin Vinder cost him a series of hits that made stars dance before his eyes. "Not so tough now, are you _Hero?"_ Vinder roared, shaking his fist behind the shooting stars.
            Done playing nice, Hrolfr punched Vinder in his not-entirely-soft gut, then grabbed the shopkeeper by his shirt and crunched his head into the man's nose, making him howl (a bit nasally). Vinder reeled back, one hand covering his broken nose and coming away bloody. This appeared to infuriate him further, and he charged into Hrolfr, knocking them both over some crates, at which point the stars swooped down to carry Hrolfr off into the night.

5


            There was some interest in the crowd when the town guards (Bergi recognized them as Paltero and Rip) dragged one of the Heros into the Rusty Dragon - more because of who he was than the fact that it looked like he'd been in a bar brawl. Old Bethana took them upstairs to deposit Hrolfr on his simple straw pallet in the room that he shared with the others.
            When they came back down, beer-bellied Paltero gladly accepted a tankard from a passing barmaid, while Rip spoke to the group. "We brought him from down by the general store. Your friend must have pissed Master Vinder off something fierce. He hasn't made a complaint or anything, though."
            Bergi lifted her face off of the bar counter and looked on at the mess Hrolfr was as he was brought in, cringing. She'd had no idea Vinder would catch Shayliss, or perhaps the halfling would have tried harder to stop the ranger from leaving. The nift shopkeeper would be quite the inconvenience, but much more importantly, poor Hrolfr!
            "Thanks for bringing him back, Mister Rip." she murmured sleepily. "We should go see t' im... Right, Amismara?"
            "Of course, Bergi, of course. Lead the way!"
            "No trouble at all, miss. I'd stay out of Master Vinder's way for a while, though, if I were your friend." Rip poked Paltero to get the balding older guard to finish his beer and return to their duty. In the meantime, what locals were present congregated to satisfy their curiosity about what had happened to Hrolfr.
            "Why did Master Vinder beat Hrolfr up? He's one of the Heroes!"
            "I saw him leave with Shayliss, if you know what I mean." A number of young women nearby looked tragically disappointed by this revelation.
            "Is Master Vinder all right?"
            Rip ran a hand through his black hair in frustration, making it stand on end. "I don't know what happened, so you'll have to ask them yourselves. Paltero! Let's go!"
            Following this, the bard dragged herself over to the straw mattress and expended some of her last energy on a healing spell. It probably wouldn't do much by itself, but somehow Bergi blamed herself (as she knew of Shayliss's intentions and didn't even give Hrolfr the heads up).
            The soothing wash of Bergi's music roused Hrolfr, though he still felt like he'd been through a wringer.
            Amismara did her best to help Hrolfr recover.
            The Shoanti peers down at his friend as he comes to. "Quite the rats, hm?," he says, smiling knowingly. "The women assured me that Miss Shayliss was not interested in pest elimination."
            Bergi's cheeks burned with shame. "I wanted to give Shayliss the benefit of the doubt, as gossip is as reliable as a blistered foot, but...," the bard shook her head, "-now look at the mess that wrought."
            The halfling looked to Hrolfr one more time. "M' sorry." she said sincerely beforeexcusing herself to turn in for the night.
            Hrolfr does not say anything, but his expression of shame and rage speaks volumes. He lies quiet until the small hours, thinking. An hour before dawn, he packs his backpack, dons his armor and grabs his axe and bow. He leaves a handful of coins behind the bar counter before going out. He stops in front of Vinder's house, preparing. By all rights, his unjust treatment at the hands of the merchant can only be satisfied by a duel, but something stops him. He was, when it all came to it, just a father protecting his daughter, and they are so often blind when it comes to their own children. He decides to let it go. He will have to redeem himself elsewhere.
            He then starts walking out of town, onward to glory ... or death.

The Second Cycle