<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hungry Ghoul
Posts: 850</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Eating and drinking holds body and soul together
Valdavar gestured at the new neighbours at his table with a piece of bread, and, while still chewing some cheese, he answered:
"Well, now for serious talk. Those words which I can tell you, that is.
I did not come here for leisure. I have an errand for our folk. We Beornings have been keeping the High Pass over the Misty Mountains and the Carrock-ford free of foul folk such as orcs for some decades now. Many of us can no longer afford to care for the beasts or the fields because of that, and so we have to take a fee for our guidance over this route to make our living from.
When, some months ago, less and less travellers came, it was queer, and my grandfather was worried how we should make ends meet before the winter. But we are tough, we got by by going back to what we love dearest- our beasts and our trees.
That isn't what caused me and my brothers to be sent out, however.
Ever more and more strange folk appeared near our dwellings, and especially to the south. Most of these persons none of us has ever seen the like. Some were slant-eyed and swarthy, others even resembled the orc-vermin."
As he said that, Valdavar spat out on the floor next to him, and received a very angry look from one of the hobbit workers whose job obviously was to lean on a broom all day and glare at the guests.
Valdavar just grinned at the hobbit, and resumed his explanation to Calimir and Beregond.
"And then it got even queerer... but you cannot expect me to talk of the incident which drove me here, gathering news and searching for certain people, if I do not know who you are and whether I can trust you. Please understand this - I do not mistrust you, but in such a case I have to be sure.
Orders from Gramps, and he knows what's good for us."
With that, Valdavar laughed again, something he had not done over the time he was talking about what happened in his homeland.
"Now tell me your story, if I may hear it, and if you want, we may seek a room with less ears and I'll see if you can be of help to my errand."
Valdavar put his hands, which he had just cleaned from the last cheese by rubbing them on his shirt, on the table, and looked from Calimir to Beregond with big wary eyes.
</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 4/12/01 1:18:12 pm
|