You re-enter the dining hall and are greeted by a torrent of incomprehensible Elvish. The source quickly becomes evident when you see the three princesses chasing each other round the room with Talae trying to get them to settle down and eat with no success. You finish your bowl of tea and head for the cherrybean carafe, hoping that there is some left.

Elfyr meets you there, a bemused look on his face. "Good grief, how does she keep up with them?"

You refill your bowl before answering, idly watching Elfyr's eyes go big at the size of your 'mug'. "I haven't the faintest idea, but it looks like she's buying time, waiting for them to wear themselves out. What brings you here?"

Elfyr fills his mug. "Babysitting. I'd call it bodyguarding, but I don't think that will be needed. Not here. Not in the middle of Guild HQ, with four hardened combat veterans, Riben, the housekeeping staff, and the Chedal town guard in the way."

You shrug and snag several berry filled muffins off of the half-empty tray. "And how secure were they when the got grabbed?"

Elfyr frowns, then nods. "Point to you Aris."

You shrug and swallow a bite of delicious berry enriched goodness. "Mmm. Summerberry. How long until that heavy detachment gets here?"

Elfyr sips and watches Talae leap over an empty table to get ahead of the princesses. "Two days, three at most. Depends how much fight the Bad Moons put up."

You finis one muffin and consider the second. "Two days then. Riben has a ranger named Verra playing hunt-the-warchief. Any luck chasing down the Sirens?"

Elfyr grins over his mug at you. "My compliments on your raid. It broke their back utterly. Seven or eight survivors got torn apart by angry citizens claiming vengeance for past wrongs. Two, perhaps three more have turned up in unidentifiable bits. Four more turned themselves in. Mork has been... gentle with them. Surprisingly so. The Altheim guard would have simply ripped the secrets from their heads over this matter."

You shrug and sip cherrybean. "They have nowhere to go and they know it. Mork's playing along like he's their friend and getting them talking, telling more than they realize. I'm more worried about the Princesses."

Elfyr watches as Little Bird takes over the herding duties so Talae can get some food and rest. "Why? they look healthy enough for thirty year olds."

You finish your bowl and look Elfyr in the eye. "Talae called the Sirens child-breakers. She also deliberately crushed the man-bits of snake-head in combat."

Elfyr goes pale and looks down at his mug. "Coming from a Drow... that's scary."

Talae joins you and Elfyr by the carafe. "Considering their energy levels, and the noise, I think they'll be ok. Physically, they are healthy younglings, with all of the noise that entails. There are going to be scars, mental ones, that only centuries of time have the hope of healing."

Elfyr looks at his mug, eyes seeing nothing. "There goes the kingdom then."

You raise one eyebrow. "Oh?"

Elfyr shrugs. "The king isn't long for this plane, and the queen is his sixth wife. She's young, perhaps too young. Quiet, but she doesn't miss a thing."

You and Talae both look at him. Talae shrugs "that kind of attention to details will do her in good stead then, if she has the metal in her spine to not be bullied about."

You start your second summerberry muffin. "Where did she come from? Noble house?"

Elfyr shakes his head. "No, and that's what worries me. Merchant family. She was a placeholder, ‘till the plague wiped out the sons and daughters of the queens before her. Now her three children are all that is left standing between Altheim and a hydra-headed succession war."

You grin. "New arena, same game. She'll do fine."

Elfyr looks at you in disbelief. "What makes you say that?"

"Two things my Sergeant said, over and over again. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' and 'beware the quiet one.' Loud guy you hear coming, full of bluster and blather. The quiet one... well, it's not bluffing if you can do it."

Elfyr considers that. "With the right allies in the right places... yeah, she just might do it. But what about you Aris? Settle down, find a wife, have kids?"

You consider your empty bowl. "Snake-cult is still in the game, so I'm still in the game."

Talae nods. "Me too, and Little Bird and Aflia as well."

Elfyr sets down his mug. "So young, all of you. Four against a cult and its minions."

You set down you bowl. "Five. But we're going to need some training and support."

Elfyr looks at you for a moment, then gives a lopsided grin. "Five."

Status Report:

Money: 5 Gold coins

Food and water: 10 days of hardtack rations

Equipment: in good condition

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings

Total Deaths: 1