[Luinfang]

The door opened for probably the thousanth time as Faruom walked in, his dark blond hair sticked to his forehead, accompagnied by a rush of biting rain. In the semi-darkness of the porch he chook out his raincoat and hung it over his arm. A swift smile ran over his face when he entered the great tap-room: he hadn’t expected so many people. The question if he would still have a place to sleep, started to rise in his mind but he suppressed it. Time enough to find a solution. First he should try to get dry again. Dripping and well he made his way to a table near the fire place that was still free and ordered a pint.

Faruom was perfectly happy for a moment or two. Warmth came back into his frozen body from the outside, and the glorious feeling of the beer that runned down his throat was able to shut him up for a while, but at last he banged down the pint and walked over to the bar.

“I am looking for someone,” he announced.
The man next to him looked up. “And what kind of person might that be? A Dwarf perhaps, to prevent your knees from shaking?”

“It is not the kind that interests me, my friend. To be honest, I’m looking for someone with a little courage, and a little manners too, if possible. But it seems to me that one of those cannot be found in you.” The man frowned at him maliciously, but he kept silence. Faruom turned around on his heels with a huge smile and clapped in his hands to get the attention.

“People! I have a little announcement to do: I am looking for some brave, pleasant people – age, gender, race are not important – to accompany me! I have to get in Esgaroth before summer, but I am afraid the Mountains aren’t safe for a lonely traveller. The payment is good, the company even better!” he said. Some people laughed. “I’m not saying the trip will be easy. Anyhow, I will depart the day after tomorrow, at sunrise.”

[ April 10, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]