Copperfox
Well-known member
Around the same time as events in the previous post, Brewster of Goliad rambled outside the castle, mingling with peasants and asking polite questions. Gloomenghast being much less isolated than its literary template, even many of the menials knew some words from the tongues of nearby countries. Brewster had also intentionally acquired some well-chosen Gloomenghaster words, like "where," "inside" and "outside." The condensed substance of his conversations would be roughly like this.....
BREWSTER: Do you have poisonous reptiles hereabouts?
LOCALS: Not near the castle, nor near the working-class population centers. More than a thousand years ago, our people began to encourage the nesting of birds which would prey upon the reptiles. The remaining dangerous lizards and snakes learned to avoid humans.
BREWSTER: Yes, reptiles are smarter than most people realize. // You obviously can't mine any metallic ores in the marshland. Do you purchase metal objects outside your kingdom's boundaries?
LOCALS: Yes. You may already have heard that our carvers do very well at selling their artwork to outsiders. Very early in our history, our people did mine and smelt ore from unsettled outside areas. That resource was all used up centuries ago; but by then, some of our people had found well-paying labor in Datsunsel and in Rosterzeeland, Hustelbeenor, Zeebeeland, Bossamossland-- I mean the next country north of us.
BREWSTER: My companions and I don't hear anything of evil supernatural beings preying upon your people. Does it happen at all?
LOCALS: Fortunately, the Mellow Druids frequented this region in the past, and they left an enduring power against evil. That is, there are evil things, but we Gloomenghasters are never assailed by monsters that we absolutely cannot fight by ourselves. Also, spiritually-strong heroes from Shangri-Blah have periodically come around here over the centuries, seeming to know miraculously when we needed help the most.
BREWSTER: I've sampled mild alcoholic beverages here. Some stuff in the castle, I know, was imported, but some was locally produced.
LOCALS: The local products are made either from shadowgold fruit, or from vegetables we have which resemble potatoes.
BREWSTER: Are some of your fabrics made by pounding the fibers out of tree bark?
LOCALS: So they are, and even shoes.
* .. * .. * .. * .. * .. * .. * .. *
Meanwhile, Quicktrout caught wind of Gwazpor teaching self-defense moves to Rawhide. He saw an opportunity here. At the soonest opportunity, he "casually" told Queen Zatruga that he "suspected" hostility from Rawhide against Master Chef Gimshelter. Next, when opportunity presented itself, he stole a knife belonging to the Steward.
The cunning young man created an alibi for himself by going outside the walls on a supposed errand--but promptly returning unnoticed, through a plotline-convenient secret passage. Shortly thereafter, he sneaked up on Gimshelter and laid the fat bully's throat open like slicing a loaf of bread. He saw no problem in leaving Rawhide's knife on the scene, because no one in this part of Planet Punksteema had invented the science of checking fingerprints.
When the ruckus over Gimshelter's death began, talk arose about asking Veevalamora to cast a spell to determine who was the culprit. But Quicktrout was quick to realize his omission, and fled the castle before the Elf could even begin to ferret him out.
Steward Rawhide was exonerated, and acknowledged that he owed a life debt to the Elf lady from Ruffnekkia.
BREWSTER: Do you have poisonous reptiles hereabouts?
LOCALS: Not near the castle, nor near the working-class population centers. More than a thousand years ago, our people began to encourage the nesting of birds which would prey upon the reptiles. The remaining dangerous lizards and snakes learned to avoid humans.
BREWSTER: Yes, reptiles are smarter than most people realize. // You obviously can't mine any metallic ores in the marshland. Do you purchase metal objects outside your kingdom's boundaries?
LOCALS: Yes. You may already have heard that our carvers do very well at selling their artwork to outsiders. Very early in our history, our people did mine and smelt ore from unsettled outside areas. That resource was all used up centuries ago; but by then, some of our people had found well-paying labor in Datsunsel and in Rosterzeeland, Hustelbeenor, Zeebeeland, Bossamossland-- I mean the next country north of us.
BREWSTER: My companions and I don't hear anything of evil supernatural beings preying upon your people. Does it happen at all?
LOCALS: Fortunately, the Mellow Druids frequented this region in the past, and they left an enduring power against evil. That is, there are evil things, but we Gloomenghasters are never assailed by monsters that we absolutely cannot fight by ourselves. Also, spiritually-strong heroes from Shangri-Blah have periodically come around here over the centuries, seeming to know miraculously when we needed help the most.
BREWSTER: I've sampled mild alcoholic beverages here. Some stuff in the castle, I know, was imported, but some was locally produced.
LOCALS: The local products are made either from shadowgold fruit, or from vegetables we have which resemble potatoes.
BREWSTER: Are some of your fabrics made by pounding the fibers out of tree bark?
LOCALS: So they are, and even shoes.
* .. * .. * .. * .. * .. * .. * .. *
Meanwhile, Quicktrout caught wind of Gwazpor teaching self-defense moves to Rawhide. He saw an opportunity here. At the soonest opportunity, he "casually" told Queen Zatruga that he "suspected" hostility from Rawhide against Master Chef Gimshelter. Next, when opportunity presented itself, he stole a knife belonging to the Steward.
The cunning young man created an alibi for himself by going outside the walls on a supposed errand--but promptly returning unnoticed, through a plotline-convenient secret passage. Shortly thereafter, he sneaked up on Gimshelter and laid the fat bully's throat open like slicing a loaf of bread. He saw no problem in leaving Rawhide's knife on the scene, because no one in this part of Planet Punksteema had invented the science of checking fingerprints.
When the ruckus over Gimshelter's death began, talk arose about asking Veevalamora to cast a spell to determine who was the culprit. But Quicktrout was quick to realize his omission, and fled the castle before the Elf could even begin to ferret him out.
Steward Rawhide was exonerated, and acknowledged that he owed a life debt to the Elf lady from Ruffnekkia.
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