That Damn Role Player

A pop and hiss drew Garilos’ attention back to the fire burning in the fireplace. Garilos was glad to be indoors next to the fire. Outside a cold front had moved in bringing a freezing rain and sleet with it. The wind whipped the rain into stinging needles of ice and threw it around trees and rocks at anyone foolish enough to believe they could hide from the storm’s malice. The only good to come from the storm was that it cleared Valgarde of the smell of burning dung, if only for a short time.

Rearranging the burning logs with an iron poker, Garilos stared absentmindedly at the dancing flames. Although there were others in the inn, he was the only one sitting near the fireplace. There was plenty of room in front of the large fireplace. A handful of rough-hewn chairs formed a semi-circle in front of it, one of which had been pulled close to the fireplace and was now occupied by Garilos. Another chair was taken over by his gear and pack.

The fireplace was constructed of stone and mortar. It had a mantle made from the rough-hewn log of some indigenous tree. Placed on the mantle were a couple taper candles made from beeswax, an empty wine bottle, a large pine cone, and an assortment of knick-knacks, probably placed there by the owners of the inn or maybe by a traveler or two.

Spanning the width of the firebox was a thick iron rod from which several metal hooks hung. Although the inn had its own kitchen for preparing food for patrons, Garilos, like many travelers, often used the fireplace to prepare his own. On several occasions, he had used the fireplace to prepare fish he had caught in the local waters. Over a decade ago, while living in Auberdine, he had learned a technique of preserving fish for later consumption by carefully drying it over a fire. The night elves had taught him that and many other food preparation recipes which had served him well during his adventuring in Northrend.

Tonight, however, Garilos was preparing no food. Shortly after arriving at the inn, he had purchased a simple meal of hot stew, smoked cheese, and ale from the innkeeper. The hot stew consisted of potatoes, a few vegetables, and ram’s meat caught by local hunters in the nearby mountains. The ale, a farmhouse ale, was effervescent enough to wash down the thick, cloying taste of the smoked cheese but otherwise was bland.

The empty plates and mug from his dinner sat next to him on the outer hearth of the fireplace. Garilos had consumed the food without tasting it, his thoughts elsewhere. He had returned to Valgarde looking for Megaly. Upon arrival, he had made a beeline to the inn to inquire of her. When he asked the assistant innkeeper if Megaly was around or if there were any messages for him, the stout woman had shrugged her shoulders noncommittally and then wandered off.

An hour or two later, the innkeeper had approached Garilos with a rolled up piece of hide. “Garilos? This was left for you.” Snatching the item from the hands of the innkeeper, Garilos deciphered the message written on it. Looking back at the innkeeper, he asked “How long ago did she leave this?” With a shrug, the innkeeper replied, “I don’t recall. A day or maybe a week ago. Coulda been more than that too.”

This had been the nearest to Megaly Garilos had been in many weeks and now he had no idea where she might be. Was she only a day out of Valgarde or a month? As best as he could tell, she was headed towards Valiance Keep in the Borean Tundra. If she had left only a day or two ago, he might be able to intercept her. If he knew what route she was taking.

But if she had left a month ago, she might already be on the return trip to Valgarde Keep. Garilos didn’t know what to do. Staying at the inn until the storm blew past seemed the obvious choice for now but what to do after that? Garilos knew Ramsey, his netherwing drake, was never far away. Ramsey probably could get Garilos to Valiance Keep quickly but, if Megaly had traveled by sea, Garilos doubted Ramsey had it in him to search the vast ocean south of Northrend.

Garilos was startled out of his revere when a strong gust of wind blew open the door of the inn with a load bang. A patron seated near the door jumped up and quickly slammed the door closed. “Ugh. I’m not going anywhere tonight, ” Garilos muttered to himself.

Rising from his chair, he gathered up his empty plates and mug and wandered over to the bar. After placing them on the bar, he settled into a stool and said to the bartender, “It looks like I’ll be spending the night here with this weather. I’ll have another pint of the ale.”

(( This originally appeared on Garilos’ Blog as “Garilos Duroc: Return to Valgarde“. ))

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Collaborations, Guest Authors, In Character, Other Blogs.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.