Pre-Date Jitters

After a successful Gnoll Hunt, and making arrangements for the next day with Bjorn Amberclan, Eldest and Youngest take a quick breather and then decide to head out to look about the Festival more, leaving their brother to comb squirrels and other small woodland creatures from his hair.

The two wander around the Festival, following a route they have memorised towards the blacksmith's forge, in the hope of seeing Gorm again. However, many of the festival goers make a wide berth of the pair, and suddenly they are approached by a strange halfling, who exclaims "Smell! Smell of Bad Dog!" Somewhat taken aback, Eldest holds the being away at arms length as the small creature explains they smell of 'Bad Dog' and in rough clipped common speech suggests they have a wash. The halfling, who explains his name is Cubb and he is at the Festival trading herbs and experiencing the new sights and sounds that he has never seen before, urges the firbolgs take some of his herbs to help them smell better in - exchange for helping him enjoy some of the games at the Festival, as he is not very familiar with the human world and is confused by metal coins (and is not comfortable with metal anyway) Sensing a kindred forest creature, Eldest takes Cubb's suggestion on board and the three head to the banks of the nearby Swift River and wash, however, the outcome is not much better than what they were previously. While the smell of 'Bad Dog' appears to have dwindled, it is with some confusion that the firbolgs appear to have bathed downstream of some small blue tents that have been set up by the Festival organisers for visitors to...tend to their necessaries.

Cubb

Together with their new friend, Eldest and Youngest head back into the Festival towards Gorm's stall, the crowds parting for the halfling creature being escorted by two large furry and somewhat offensive smelling firbolgs. Gorm is pleased to see the brothers and their new friend, and suggests they take him up on his challenge of lifting his anvil!

Gorm's Anvil

Eldest accepts, and using his firbolg powers, appears stronger and muscled, veins protruding from his biceps, now hard and fierce. His pectorals wiggling and his calves pulsing, he sets himself before the anvil and wraps his arms about it, then pushes and pulls, the sweat soon running down his forehead. But he is unsuccessful. Gorm shouts out, almost laughing "Bad luck Firbolg! Who's next?!"

Cubb steps forward and the dwarf looks down at the scruffy halfling, his hide armour loosely fitting and the mud of the forest and herbs and twigs sticking out from his person. "Ahem, well yes. Alright, little man!" There is then a gasp from the crowd as the halfling alters his form, and in front of Gorm stands a fully grown adult black bear! Such a sight is not strange to the Festival goers, and there is a cheer and then a hushed awe as Cubb, now a bear, steps back and then rushes towards the anvil, using his huge back legs to gain purchase on the ground - then reaches forward to engulf the anvil. Suddenly he slips, losing his footing and tumbles and connects not with the anvil gracefully, but with a loud CLANG as he almost knocks himself out. Dazed, the bear sits down and shakes its head.

Gorm laughs loudly this time, "A valiant effort bear! Next!" Youngest steps forward, and announces loudly he will show his elder brother and this bear how it's done! Wrapping his arms around the anvil he strains also, and while the anvil shifts somewhat, and Gorm raises an eyebrow, he cannot lift it. The surrounding crowd sighs audibly, and now that the firbolgs cannot lift the anvil some interest has waned from Gorm's challenge. However, the people remain, looking over the dwarves wares, and he shouts to the brothers, "Come back tomorrow and try again if you will!"

Leaving Gorm, the trio find In the centre of the village green there stands a 30 foot high pole, atop which a small bell sits. A group of several people have gathered around it, and one has stripped to the waist and is preparing to climb the pole. The man reaches up and pulls himself towards the top, his feet following suit, and he reaches about halfway up the pole before he starts to scrabble, his muscles tiring, and he slips down the pole, landing with a hard bump and a peal of laughter from the throng around him.

Eldest feels this greased pole is no match for him, and he purposefully strikes forward to the stall holder, who looks a little familiar. He is in fact Pietro, Rosie's brother, and he asks for coin before presenting the pole to Eldest. "Climb my greasy pole, and tickle the bell at the top, firbolg! Win a prize, and a free bath at the Gray Hare!"

Eldest follows the previous attempt almost exactly, and slides to the bottom of the pole. Holding back a giggle, Youngest presents his own coin, and he too attempts to climb the pole. Perhaps reaching a little further than his brother, he too ends back at the bottom, with a thud. Cubb, still in bear form moves forwards. Eldest pays his coin, and the bear attempts to climb. Pietro is not so sure this is allowed, on a technicality, but the crowd wills it. However, again, the bear, like his firbolg friends, is unsuccessful. The promise of bees at the top of the pole, and possible honey, not enough to see him rise to the occasion! Pietro cries for his next willing contender!

A little disappointed the three, bear, and two firbolgs, wander off heading towards a shooting range where they spot the elven Ranger, Finel, showing how adept an archer he is, his arrows hitting bulls-eyes with almost boring precision. Younger shouts a slur, not of the sort to repeat for you dear readers, and at this Finel turns his back on the targets and shoots his final arrow over his back to a hushed crowd, who cheer as his arrow pierces the exact middle of the final target. Reluctantly, the stall holder gives up the prize for 5 bulls-eyes and Finel walks away, smiling wryly at Youngest.

With stubborness, Youngest takes up the challenge, but shows that he is too an adept archer, winning a quiver of what may be magical arrows. The bear claps, or at least puts its hands together in a clumsy fashion, copying other Festival goers at how impressive the large firbolg is with a bow. Eldest, not to be out done by his brother also attempts to win this prize. Best not dwell on his performance, but he didn't out do his brother.

Seeking further fun, again the firbolgs and the bear approach Farmer Dane and his Mystic Pig, and are encouraged to guess the pig's weight to win a prize! The bear seems awfully interested in the pig, and the farmer backs away a little, tugging his pig to the back of his stall. Some confusion occurs with a voice in the farmer's head (the bear's, he thinks) and then a voiceless conversation with Eldest, the farmer and the bear occurs in which the philosophy of weight is discussed. Surely the weight of the pig is his own, so the answer would be, he weighs as much as a pig?

Eldest expands on this; no, he weighs as much as a certain measure. Measures afford the ability to give items a specific threshold in which calculations can be made in which to enable their movement or accessibility, and the energy needed by other bodies to interact with said item.

But the bear Cubb is confused by this; if measurements were different anyway then this confuses matters more by giving individual familiar items different 'weights'?

Youngest tires of this circular argument, and during the discussion returns to Gorm to ask him how much his anvil weighs, at which the dwarf tap his nose and says, "As much a pig, young firbolg. As much as a pig".. Even more confused, Youngest leaves the smith and upon returning finds his elder brother lifting the pig to get an idea of how much he might weigh. Sensing some magic, Youngest wonders if the pig is not actually a pig, and as if by some third sense, Eldest says out loud, "Is it a pig?" at which there is a flash and the enormous swine suddenly transforms into a tiny ceramic statuette!

Magical Pig Statuette

The pig farmer sighs, goes behind the stall and leads another pig out. Youngest, wanting his own magic pig goes through a similar process with Dane, lifting the pig, whispering is it a pig?, but then exclaims "It weighs as much as an anvil", at which Dane's eyes grow wide and he begs Younger to calm his voice, he's won the pig! Handing over the roped swine, which the bear is visibly drooling over,

Dane is taken a little aback when Youngest suggests his new pig friend be sent to Rosie at the Grey hare for her to arrange a meal of for his friends and their companions tonight! Dane takes the prize to the back of the stall, then almost as if by magic a new fatter pig appears. Dane then glares at the firbolgs and bear in a manner that obviously meant; 'Piss off, you lot, you're bad for business!', As the trio wander away, Dane strikes up his chant to passing festival goers, "Guess the weight of me pig, win a hock of ham!!"

Eldest turns the little pig over in his hands, and then notices that their new friend Cubb has transformed back into his halfling self and is distracted by something to the right. Looking up, Eldest and Youngest spot Cubb edging towards a pretty halfling surrounded by a group of many people, her sing-song voice lilting out across the dull noise of the Festival "Guess where ma acorn, is, win some coin!" Money exchanging hands around her, and Cubb is bounding up. Sensing this could go a little wrong, Eldest strides forward to catch up with the little man, his brother following suit.

Lily Lightfoot

A rough banner above her stall reads 'Lightfoot Entertainments', and she is in the midst of hiding an acorn between three upturned metal beer tankards, her hands a blur as she moves the mugs about. A large half-orc is bent over the table, peering and then he points at the middle jug. Lily lifts it and the acorn is not there. The half-orc growls and is restrained by his friends at which Lily lets a little laugh, flips a coin in the air and says "Bad luck my friend, who's next?" and then she glances at Cubb as he cautiously moves towards her, entranced by seeing another of his kind. Lily's eyes twinkle, either with affection, or the knowledge of an easy mark, but and a faint glow spreads across her cheeks. "You there, halfling friend, well met! Try some luck with ma acorn?"

Cubb is notably silent for once, but he nods rapidly, almost enchanted by the speed of her hands, and her voice, as she hides the acorn under a mug, with Eldest placing coin on her table for Cubb to play the game. The firbolgs continue to play Lily's game with Cubb, and then with luck he wins, somehow knowing where the acorn is - either through his own gifts, or perhaps the bard has let him win? She laughs a high laugh and hands Eldest coins, and a handful of acorns to Cubb, then asks the grubby halfling if she might see him again? Cubb nods, so excited at his wonderful prize of acorns, that he starts munching on them, spittle and nut flinging out of his open maw, and again Lily laughs, "You are a strange little one, but I like you!". Eldest and Youngest pull Cubb away, aware that Lily is a gifted girl with her mugs, and they haven't THAT much coin!

The twilight is starting to draw in in, and Eldest is aware that he needs to prepare for his own dinner date, but Cubb presses him to return to the greasy pole, he thinks he can win the prize! A large crowd gathered around the now lit up part of the Festival, a fire juggler distracting some away from the challenge. Eldest frowns, and mutters a few disparaging words about those that play with fire, but Cubb has rushed to Pietro. Rosie's brother looks at him. "Oh yes little one, want to try this eh? Don't think you- " he is then cut off as the halfling transforms himself into a gigantic spider! Eldest drops some coin into the aghast Pietro's hand, who stammers a little, and even the crowd, used to strange goings-on at the Festival in years gone past, move away a little.

The huge spider dashes to the top of the pole, its feet clattering and scrabbling, and then a pincer softly tickles the bell at the top, the TING TING TING ringing out true. The spider slides down the pole and then chitters in front of Pietro, its arms moving forward and a voice in Pietro's head screams out, "I win! Bath for me?!"

Pietro pulls a scrunched up parchment note from his pocket and the giant spider's pincers delicately take it as he backs away, his eyes huge in fright, "Yes, yes, you win, just, change BACK!" Cubb does so, but only because he wants to look at his paper prize, and turns to Eldest, "Bath for me?", at which Eldest laughs and says, "You ARE a handy fellow to have about!!" Proud as punch, with a free bath token, Cubb revels in the joy of his success with his new friends as they head back to the Grey Hare to wash and prepare for the evening. Rosie trades some herbs with the little halfling in order to get not just his free bath, but baths for Eldest and Youngest too, wrinkling her nose a little as the three smell of several distinct types of urine, mixed with the undertones of lilac, lavender and gnoll juices..

Back in their room with Middle, Youngest, Eldest and Cubb enjoy a hot bath (with bubbles!) while getting to know a little more about each other. Perhaps more than they had hoped - the firbolgs bare as babes and Cubb distracted by the swing of weaponry he had not seen before. Despite a little polite interrogation, the halfling explains his background and reasons for being t the Festival. The firbolgs accept that this strange creature is almost akin to them in the love of the forest, and keeping it safe. The brothers agree that Cubb would be a welcome addition to their company, and Eldest accepts that he would be able to share what he knows of humans with another - to help his brothers learn the ways of the world.

Next time, the firbolgs will entertain some guests over a roast pig, the promise of Dwarven treasure inspiring the would-be adventurers (with their new halfling friend) to avoid the Day of Fasting in town. What will their evening and day bring them? Love, Loot, or Loss? Find out soon!