The Adventures of "The Nightingale"

This is a character story that I'm writing and would prefer it if no one would comment directly in this thread. I'm providing a separate link for any comments on the story but this thread will just be a single poster please. I do welcome any comments, but please comment on the link.

http://www.tesof.com/topic-comments-on-t...ightingale

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Garion rode into the village of Menevia, in the Duchy of Weyrest, and breathed a sigh of relief. Although there wasn't a lot of wilderness in High Rock, there were bandits. It was good to have made it here without incident. Patting his horse on the neck he dismounted. "Well Horace, we made it and the taverns looks promising. I'll get you stabled and fed and see if we can find you a nice apple or two. Then it's off to find a place that will enjoy the services I can provide."

Walking him over to the first reputable stable he could find he negotiated with the stableman for a reasonable price on fees. He then began walking through the village. Menevia wasn't very big, not compared to such cities as Weyrest, or even Gavaudon, but it did have several taverns. Three in fact. The first that he came too was called the Rats nest. And it definitely was. It was obviously the place the local troublemakers and lowlifes went. He'd need to spend one evening there to get the lowdown on this town, but this wouldn't do for his singing. The other two were the Highborn Stallion, and Rock-cutters tavern. The first seemed fancy, and the second seemed to be the locals hang out.

Dilemma. The Highborn Stallion would probably give higher tips, but Rockcutters would have more patrons. In the end he decided to go to Rockcutters. "Word of my singing will quickly bring in patrons from the Highborn. And their presence will make the owner of Rockcutters beg me to stay." He reasoned. With that he walked into Rockcutters.

Entering the tavern, Garion scanned and located the keeper. It wasn't difficult since the man was huge, standing around seven feet and easily weighed 300lbs. The apron he was wearing, and position behind the bar, also helped distinguished the man. As he approached the innkeeper noticed him and spoke. "Greetings stranger. My name is Josiah Rockcutter, and this is my place. What will you have today?"

"Your finest ale my good man. And a moment of your time for a proposition." Garion responded.

As he drew the ale from the barrel, the Josiah looked at Garion with a speculative eye. "Let me guess, bard, right? Do you sing, play, do poetry, or tell stories?"

Garion was a little off guard at the blunt statement, but was nothing if not adaptable. "Well, with the exception of poetry, I'm good at all of them. I prefer singing and playing. And for room and board, whatever tips I get, and a five percent share of any extra income you get while I'm here, I'd like to play here while I'm in town. I guarantee that I'll bring the customers in and keep them here longer, and to prove it I'll do the first night free. I require one night a week off to rest my vocal cords, and will start after sundown and continue till closing."

Rockcutter was skeptical, but bards did draw in customers. And it would be nice to tweak the nose of Marjorie Highborn. She always claimed to be better than him and the idea of stealing some of her customers even if it was for only a few days or weeks was very appealing. "I'll try you out for tonight, but if you are as good as you claim, I want a guarantee you will not work anywhere else in town during your stay."

Garion was happy to hear this, since that meant there was some sort of rivalry, which would mean the competition would try and hire him away. "I can't promise that, but I will agree to allow you the option of matching or bettering any offers made. Would that suffice?"

Rockcutter scowled and replied; "Well we can discuss the details in the morning. If you're not any good it won't matter, but if you are I'll know if you are worth the hassle." Pointing to a section by the fireplace, he continued. "Set up over there and I'll have a meal brought to you.

Bowing in a formal fashion Garion then walked over to the area and began setting up his equipment.

He began to tune his guitar and as he did the rooms boisterous fervor died down somewhat as people began to notice his actions. Using his knowledge of how to work a crowd he took just enough time "tuning" the instrument for the noise level to drop enough for him to be heard. As he began to play the gentle melody of a regional favorite, the crowd grew hushed. Then he began to sing.

Immediately everyone knew he possessed a remarkable singing voice. His baritone voice showed remarkable range and depth, and had the ability to perfectly reach everyone in the large tavern. His choice of the first song was a regional ballad of the tale of Dorian the Fingerless and his bumbling adventures in the kings army. It told the story of this young lad who desperately wanted to be a knight, but being of common blood he was barred. So he enlisted in the kings army and began to try and work his way up to officer. Dorian had only two things going for him. An uncanny ability to survive any mishap, and an inexhaustible exuberance of youthful optimism. He also was a notorious klutz.

Dorian's misadventures were numerous and full of comedy, and Garion soon had the entire tavern laughing and singing along to the ballad's chorus. As he drew the song to a close, the cheer and applause was loud enough that some of the passersby came in to see what was causing ruckus. This was Garion's intent, and he saw the basket for his tips began to fill. As he continued with several other Breton favorites the inn soon reached the point that there was barely any standing room, and the tavern keeper was smiling so much his cheeks were hurting. He looked like a kid in the sweets section of the bakery, who had just been told he could have whatever he wanted.

Garion continued until the early hours of the morning, breaking only long enough to eat a bowl of stew and drink some water occasionally. He finished his night with a slow and mournful sonnet of two star crossed lovers who's parents were rival merchants. Their love for each other was forbidden, and the both ended up in loveless marriages. The two would mourn their lost love with song each full of the moon and their song would reach the ears of the other from across the city. It was a bittersweet song, yet the final verse left some hope that they would one day be with their love. That left the audience with a quiet contemplation for the evening.

As he was packing up his instrument and other paraphernalia, the last of the taverns patrons were being let out and the owner came over. "You have a deal. I saw patrons coming in here that never have come in before. Why the mayor himself actually showed up." Shaking the hand of Garion he continued. "What is your name lad? I'm amazed you don't have a steady place at some dukes palace. You have the talent! How long do you plan to stay?"

Garion held up his hand to forestall any further questions as he answered. "My name is Garion, also known as "the Nightingale". I'm too young to be settling into a palace job, and I enjoy the travel. As to my plans for how long, I don't know yet, but will let you know before I leave. So we agree on the terms then? Five percent, and room and board? And I keep any tips I receive?"

Smiling broadly Rockcutter nodded and said; "Absolutely! And I'll expect you to let me know if anyone tries to hire you away. I may or may not be able to match their offer, but I'd like to try."

Rockcutter then showed Garion to a small but well kept room in the back of the tavern. "This is a room I've kept for employees who needed it, but nobody is using it at the moment, so you can sleep here."

Scanning the room he saw there was a window that opened, so he would be able to come and go as he pleased to do his excursions. "I'll need privacy while I'm not preforming, and I'll take meals in the common room. Will that be agreeable?"

"Certainly! Certainly! I'll instruct all of the staff that when your in here you're not to be disturbed."

"I'll also require my personal belongings not to be touched when the room is cleaned. I'll make sure that they are out of the way, but there are papers of a private nature, and my instruments are delicate. I would hate for any damage to happen to any of them."

"I'll make sure the staff know to not touch any of your belongings without first receiving your go ahead."

Garion smiled and held out his hand for Rockcutter to shake. "Then we have a deal!"

As they shook hands, Garion was already planning where he would hide his loot from his excursions he planned to make. There were several floorboards that looked like they might be able to be worked loose, and he could place his chest over them to keep anyone from "fixing" them until he left. As he retrieved his belongings from the stable he was observing the towns routine for this time of night. There didn't seem to be anyone around, and in fact the only night watch he saw were the tower guards at the towns walls. Oh this would be too easy, surely the rich would have guards in their homes, but once out of the home, he would not likely encounter anyone on his way back. Give it three days to get the lay of the town and find the prime targets, and he would be in business.

One week he had been here. One week and he felt he knew the town's layout fully. During the day he would wander the town and explore and meet people. This was ostensibly for the purpose of drumming up business and potential patrons. In reality though the real reason was to learn the town's layout. He now had five likely targets to hit. One in particular he would enjoy immensely, as it was Highborn manor.

Marjorie Highborn had approached Garion after the second night of performances. Her offer was not even as generous as Rockcutters original deal. When Garion had turned it down flat she had threatened to have him shut down for lack of a "permit to preform". After he still refused she did try and get him shut down, but through some work on Rockcutters part they were able to keep going.

He and Rockcutter had decided that Middas would be his off night. The first night off he went, in disguise, for a drink at the Rats Nest, and was quickly able to find one of the local thieves. Soon he gathered that there was no guild in the town to worry about, which meant he was free to plunder as desired. This also led him to a local fence. Now he had all the pieces he needed to begin his other "work".

in two days time the Flower Day Festival would begin and the people would be partying long into the night. When his set ended he would begin with his first target. He had seen a three story tower on the edge of town that looked forbidding, and had heard of a rich wizard living there. Normally he didn't mess with wizards, but this one had left on a journey to the capital this very day, and would need several day's to get there so he would be gone at least a week. With no wizard there, he felt he could safely hit the tower. He planned to hit all five targets in five consecutive nights so as to keep the risk down. He would then spend one more week in the town and leave then. That way no one would suspect his involvement.

That night he gave a spectacular performance, and had what seemed to be the entire town in attendance. This would make the Flower Day festival a grand event. He was already scheduled to perform on a specially built stage for the festival. Rockcutter had won the bid to provide refreshments fore the festival, and had graciously agreed to let Garion perform for the crowd. The stage was set to begin his one person crime spree. And with the vast number of travelers and strangers in town for the festival, he would hardly draw any suspicion, since he had already been here a week prior to any thefts and he would be here a week after they stopped.