[Hybrid] Den of Heroes: Kuvpax Drolwaph

[Rabbit]

Icnivad: Kuvpax Drolwaph

The Sorcerers of Marsh Bay were very excited to send you to Duvik’s Pass once they heard a local tribe of kobalds were involved. Along with a checklist and long list of queries they gave you a letter to deliver to a member of their organization.

“Deliver this letter to Andolyn Brester.” One of the sorcerers told you. “Make your intentions and relationship to us known to her and she will see to your lodging as well as any other needs you have in Duvik’s Pass.”

The two weeks journey to Duvik’s Pass was a depressing one. The caravan you travelled with was sparse as most merchants had boycotted the town until the plague subsided. It was also noteworthy that the farther you travelled from Marsh Bay the more homogeneous the population became, so many plainly dressed humans. The faces that meet you appear increasingly cold and as you turn on a crossroads heading into the Northern hills you glimpse the words, “Orc’s Gallows” painted on an old road sign.

Once inside the Gates of Duvik’s Pass a city guard is able to direct you to Andolyn Brester’s residence. A town this small it is not so surprising that even a soldier would know the town’s arcanists. A walk down the nearly deserted main street places you at the doorstop of a tavern, “Gendrew’s Gourmet.” It is a two story building and the city guard informed you that Andolyn resided here. You enter the main doors of the tavern. The room is nearly empty of patrons and a heavy set dwarf stands behind the bar. With his bearded chin resting on one hand he looks down at a large text spread open on the bar.

Seeing a lone kobald enter the dwarf looks up from his reading but his expression does not change. “Can I help you?” the dwarf asks.

[Rabbit]

Kuvpax Drolwaph

Kuvpax worries little about the cold stares along the trip--he is related to dragons, after all, and they are not--although he remains warry of anyone that looks like they might attack him.

Kuvpax glances around the bar briefly for any females matching Andolyn's description and responds to the dwarf with a slight nod, "Yes, perhaps you can. I'm looking for Andolyn Brester. Is she around?"

The patrons of the tavern are few and most are males that look to be artisans and farmers.

“Andolyn you say?” the dwarf asks. The mention of the sorceress’ name has gotten his attention. “I’ll have to see if she is available…”

A woman’s voice interrupts the dwarf.

“I am available, Gendrew,” says a human female descending the main stairs. Her head is shaved on both sides and her remaining short hair falls to one side. Her attire is simple but certainly not that of a farmer. She walks over to the dwarf and rests an affectionate arm around the barkeep. It is the touch of a lover.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your studies…” the dwarf says.

“I was at a stopping point,” Andolyn says with a smile before turning to Kuvpax, “How may I be of service to you?”

[icnivad]

"Greetings, my lady," Kuvpax says. With a quick spring of his legs, he hops up onto the bar stool. Standing on the round disk he is now eye to eye with the human and gives her a more significant bow than he gave the dwarf, "I am here at the request of some mutual friends." After listing off the friends, he explains that he has been asked to look into the kobald situations in the mine. "I have also been charged with a letter for you." He hands her the letter and waits for her to read it.

[Rabbit]

Andolyn takes the letter from Kuvpax with a polite nod. She walks down the bar away from the kobald and dwarf as she reads.

The dwarf, Gendrew turns his attention to you.

“Kuvpax is it?” he says more than asks, “Please allow me to see to your needs. How about some nourishment, a drink perhaps? We have some stew and a roast going in the back… it is all clean. No disease in my produce. I’ll have some pastries ready for this evening, too. I have an assortment of spirits... mead, elf wine, beer, dwarven ale, ah… wait a minute I got just the thing for you.”

The dwarf squats down behind the bar. Kuvpax can hear the clinking of glass. “Here we go, here we go,” Gendrew says bringing up several bottles. “I have just the thing for after a long journey.”

Andolyn, now looking up from her letter watches the dwarf, “Gendrew, no experiments.”

The dwarf smiles without looking at Andolyn. His attention is on the pitcher he is pouring the contents of several unmarked bottles into.

“No experiments, my love.” The dwarf says, “This is an old concoction that is too expressive for the yokals to afford. But for our guest, and me, it’s on the house.”

The dwarf pours two shot sized portions of the mixture which is now pink, offers one to Kuvpax, and holds the other for himself.

“Here you are,” Gendrew says, “Besides that letter any news from Marsh Bay? Did the carnival make it to town this summer?”

[feel free to add-lib any details about Marsh Bay]

[icnivad]

Kuvpax picks up the shot glass. The tiny glass looks like a regular sized glass in the small hand.

"Yes, the carnival was quite spectacular." Kuvpax responds taking a sniff from his glass. "the acrobatics weren't particularly amazing, but they had an impressive psion who could juggle 8 balls at once. He had a great sense of humor, and even though it was obvious he was using his powers to maintain the balls, he stayed in character the whole time. Even 'pretending' to drop a ball when it was comedic, or 'losing' a ball for a while, leaving it floating behind his head while he searched under kids in the front row for it."

Kuvpax takes a sip from the glass, "It's not all fun and games, though," Kuvpax's tone lowers, "the shipping strike is starting to get serious, and I hear rumors they are talking about bringing in the militia to force them back to work. The new mayor doesn't seem to be dealing with things particularly well, either. I'm worried that he's more concerned with lining his pockets than fixing up the city. I can't believe he got elected; I suppose all it takes is convincing the ignorant farmers that your cause is the holy one. Can you believe he cut funding to the Wizard's Guild in half? Oron's in an uproar, and has been petitioning for an audience. Luckily a couple of the members are independently wealthy and have been picking up the slack out of their own pockets.

"I could take a small portion of that roast, if you wouldn't mind." Turning his attention down to the drink, then back up to the dwarf, "This is good, what is it?"