[h3]THE STORY THUS FAR[/h3][hr]
Fade the Drow did not much like Ealdwine the Bard's singing, so she threw a knife that lodged in the wall by his head. A hush fell over the tavern. The bard, however, was undeterred. He insulted the Drow and commenced once again to sing, much to Fade's fury.

As this was happening, Jargo the Trickster secretly slathered blood on Dirion the Drunkard's neck and convinced him that [i]he[/i] had been the target of the knife. Dirion was not pleased.

The smell of this blood caught Fate the Werewolf's sensitive nose, and her eyes began to glow a feral, hungry yellow.

Fade the Drow, with mounting hatred, cast a spell of darkness on Ealdwine the Bard. The Bard was suddenly blinded by an expanding darkness around his head. The music halted once more, and for a few moments the only sound in the tavern was the light conversation at the crowded table (among Edward the Noble, Pallas the Bounty Hunter, Seloria the Blade Teacher, and Luca the Priest). The Drow stepped toward the Bard with evil intent, confident in her power.

While silence fell on the tavern, Jargo the Trickster insulted Edward the Noble then retreated to the bar with a grin. Edward, offended and dignified, stood to defend himself: he pointed his hand-cannon (a curious weapon no one had seen before) at Jargo and loudly demanded an apology.

At this moment, Ealdwine the Bard began to laugh heartily from inside the blinding darkness.

Dirion the Drunkard, feeling he was owed justice for his imagined injury, yelled angry words at Fade's back. Dirion flung a knife at the Drow. The Drow neatly stepped aside and let the knife fly past her.

The knife instead sliced deep into Edward's arm -- the same arm that held the trigger of the hand-cannon.

[b]BANG[/b]

Metal pellets exploded out of the hand-cannon. A pellet struck Fade's arm and left her injured and bleeding. Fate the Werewolf clutched her ears, and a pellet grazed over her head. Another pierced Dirion's tankard, and his ale made puddles on the floor. Teldryen the Elf jumped at the shot and spilled his drink.

A pellet struck the Bard's lute, chipping it and breaking a string. Ealdwine's laughter suddenly ceased.

Outside the tavern, Gharlyc the Dwarf was returning with a bottle of wine when he heard the shot. He raced to the tavern and entered through the back door.

[b]It is at this very moment that all Hell broke loose.[/b]

The tavern shook with a howling, bloodchilling roar. This was Fate the Werewolf, who had grown a longer snout and a bit more fur, and was very angry indeed. She leaped toward the smell of blood (which source happened to be Dirion the Drunkard) and swung her hammer into a barstool with a CRASH, turning it to splinters. She swung again at Dirion's head -- but Dirion slipped in the puddle of ale and the hammer whiffed harmlessly over his head.

Meanwhile, Ealdwine the Bard screamed a string of horrible obscenities, angry for the injury to his lute. He drew his rapier and charged blindly, slashing and stabbing at everything in his way.

Gharlyc the Dwarf placed himself in Ealdwine's path while he called for the Bard and the Drow to withdraw from violence and make peace.

Seloria the Blade Teacher, at Gharlyc's call for assistance, jumped over a table and parried the Bard's slashes while urging him to calm down.

Edward, shocked at the blood on his arm, fainted dramatically.

Meanwhile, Jargo the Trickster danced on a table and hummed a bizarre tune.

Milo the Siren -- overwhelmed and enraged at the chaos around her -- dumped a pint of watery ale over her head and screeched a high, piercing note that rang in everyone's ears.

This was a Siren spell of paralysis: all who heard it are now unable to move.