Take yourself a rest friend. Tis a slow day in all of Yliakum. Set down you weapon or your pick and concern yourself not with quest or duel. When was the last time you took a breath and just wondered at this gift under the crystal. Look at the apple grove near our smith Harnquist's shoppe. Focus your good attention, if you will, on that leaf fluttering in that closest tree. As it releases its grip on the high branch and starts its happless journey toward the ground. Ah! but it does not reach the ground. It lands instead in the bucket of that black bearded dwarf.
Phasad Cozen walked quickly across the grove waving to Harnquist as he passed. "Got fish to sell so I'll sell fish. Unless somebody wants one. I got more." He says this to no one in particular but to all who will hear. As usual many hear but no one listens to the mad little dwarf. His running and ranting are as common in Hydlaa as the leaf on his bucket and the townsfolk take notice of niether. But we see them.
Phasad carries his bucket across the plaza to Burdess Quirain, "Hello Phasad! How are you?"
"Good good. I got fish so I'll sell 'em. You wanna buy fish or do you need 'em? I'll give 'em to ya if you need 'em or I'll sell 'em." Phasad's eyes dart back and forth never really landing on anything as he speaks, especially anyone else.
"I'll buy your fish sir." said Burdess. She is our fish monger here in town and has no need of the fish in the old dwarf's bucket except maybe for bait. But Burdess thinks kindly of the eccentric little man who visits her most days to sell his catch. "How many have you?"
"I got five good ones. Well, four good ones and this one." Phasad looks down into his bucket. "How did that get there?" He plucks a leaf from the lip of the bucket and gives it a toss. It catches a little wind gust and blows across the courtyard where it lands against the armored leg of Percival Hawthorne.
"Five fish for me and ten tria for you Phasad." Burdess takes a hexa from her purse and hands it to the dwarf. "Now get a meal. Don't go drinking that up at the 'El. Phasad winks and says "Thank ye!"
The moisture from the bucket causes our adventurous little leaf to stick to Purcival's armor. He salutes his relief and leaves his post at the winch doors to get a meal at the Kada-El. As he passes through the plaza he nods to Ondren the gem cutter.
Our leaf breaks free of Percival's leg and once again takes to the wind where it lands on the cart of a gray bearded dwarf hard at work loading his crafting tools and rock pick onto the cart. His name is Padrig Ottersbrook and he is headed for Gugrontid to mine ore and work on his weapon crafting. Padrig looks about and sees nothing left to load. So off to the forest road he sets with his cart, his tools, and our leaf.
Gugrontid holds some excitement when Padrig arrives. Some ubernauts came down from the hills to attack the miners. Some of the miners ran but most dropped thier picks and drew their weapons. Padrig drew his sabres and joined in the fray. Padrig noticed his friend Taradiddle running from one skirmish to the next casting healing spells on the combatants. The ubers were dispatched in short order. Once they were skinned and looted the miners returned to their work. Padrig joined them but Taradiddle sat down leaning against the wheel of Padrigs cart. He remained there all day, occationally practicing a spell but mostly just resting and gazing at the sky.
Padrig Ottersbrook dragged a sack of ore over to the wagon at the roadside. He grumbled to himself looking at his idle, daydreaming friend, Taradiddle.
"Now might be the perfect time to offer your help." said Padrig.
"I would if I were not already quite busy brodr." answered Taradiddle.
"Doing what?"
"You see that cloud overhead?" said Taradiddle, "It has the precise form of a tefusang."
"And you have the precise form of an egg sack. You will never get anywhere just lying about and casting your silly spells. You need to find a career, go questing, engage in this world. You have no more experience than this!" Padrig plucked a leaf off the bed of his cart and tossed it into the air, where it swirled and went on its way.
