Cascade blinked at the mention of the judge, and she looks up to see the judge of the Poetry Contest. She gives a smile and a wave at the judge.

She takes her turn for the poetry, just rolling with her opponent's words,

"Aloha to you, Judge!
Please don't bear a grudge.
I didn't see you so high up in the boughs.
But I do see that our rhymes do rouse!
This is only the start of the contest,
But you decide who among us is the best,"

Rala had been silent since they returned from their last adventure. She had spent her platinum on merriment and drinks the night of, but since that harrowed night she had not spoken a peep. Inside, Rala could not get the mystery of that tower out of her head. Even as they had strolled into a band of highwaymen, she had narry said a word.

Rala had tried to find something to ease her mind as Ale and Mead had long stopped working. She mulled over the enticing offer to participate in a competitive duel or melee, but she had soured herself on the sport. Too many deaths at the end of her blade to feel comfortable swinging it at a friend. The more novel festivities hardly concerned her. She was an older woman and had long since lost interest in trivial games. Instead, she wandered the busy camp until at last, she found a nice weeping willow on the east edge of camp. She found herself sitting there for a long time, reflecting on who this Nanny May might have been. Before long, she noticed that the day was well on it's way to sunset, and so, being a productive member of her team, Rala went in search of any sort of lodging she could find. Personally, she had come to enjoy the starry nights, but she didn't trust that her belongings would go untouched by the riffraff here. Best to keep from prying eyes anyway. She had enemies of her own, and after their last encounter, she didn't know who was watching.

"Hey, least I'm not the one asking strangers riddles in our sleep," Flicker replied to Aura's comment. "Or answering them, for that matter." They shook their head slightly before folding their arms and turning away slightly from the other genasi as they waited for the aasimar to respond to Aura's answer. The strange tension that had been in their voice a moment before had gone and they seemed to be back to their usual, quieter level of grumpiness.

He mulled over Plasm's words draining his mug the rest of the way. "It is not odd to miss a friend, though not everyone will show it the same way. I will miss Arkisz as he is one of few that understand my craft and is a crafter himself. It could be that the others have dealt with people coming and going in their life in such frequency that they have learned to have processed the emotion quicker. I cannot say that with any certainty in regards to any of the others, but it is possible."

He looked back at Plasm and shrugged in response to the question about finding the new friend. "The others seemed more inclined in finding whoever this is. I do not know them and therefore they are not exactly a friend. Could they be in time, probably. Right now no."

When the server finally refilled his mug he lifted it towards Plasm. "Back home in the Northlands we often drink in memory and in honor of our friends both near, far, living and dead. Join me in a toast to our friends. May they have long lives and many adventures!" He waits for Plasm to raise their glass and starts to down his whisky when if they raise their glass.

---

Plasm smiled inwardly as it tapped it's mug against Jørmund's before theu removed their mask and, after forming a mouth, threw the rest of the mead back before yelling "To friends! Old and new!" Instead of placing her mask back on, Plasm would grab Jørmund's arm and tugged, "Where's a bard? Let's go find one".

@LostDestiny @XxFellsingxX
"While you should have no fear, that doesn't mean you should have no caution." The sleepwalking aasimar mumbled in warning. "For there is no power in all the multiverse capable of saving you from the consequences of reckless choices." Once more, the aasimar stirred. This time both eyes opened and he looked around in a half-awake daze. "Oh my..." He said, barely able to keep his eyes open. "I must be... sleepwalking... again..." With that said, the aasimar's eyes slid shut once more and he recited another riddle. "O. T. T. F. F. S. S... What is next?"

@Guardian Angel Haruki
The judge cat preened pridefully as Cascade addressed her next round of poetry to him. Leaves on the Breeze chuckled quietly at the cat enjoying the attention from his lofty perch. "Appealing to the judge cat's pride? That'll get him on your side." Leaves commented before returning her attention to the contest at hand.

"Rhyming words we do pursue,
To win this contest and claim what is due.
We search for poetic verses to cast,
So that we may be deemed unsurpassed.
To do such a thing, you need to be bright.
Especially if, like me, you do it all night."

@Birdboy
As Rala made her way through the hustle and bustle of the campsite to where the quieter sleeping areas where, her ears would soon pick of the sound of uneven, stumbling footfalls. These sounds belonged to an incredibly drunk orc who eventually drew level with Rala and began to speak. "Oi oi. You seem like yer smart. Smarter th'n me a'least." The orc slurred as he stumbled alongside Rala. "I need 'elp figurin' somethin' out. Y'see there's this guy, yeah? An' this guy, 'e's dead 'ard, yeah? An' 'e's got this axe what 'e uses ta do a lotta dead 'ard things, yeah? Then one day, this dead 'ard guy gets old, yeah? An' since 'e don't need 'is axe no more, 'e gives it to 'is son, yeah? An' the son goes on ta do even more dead 'ard things, yeah? But then one day the axe blade breaks, yeah? Now, the son could just get a new axe, but this is 'is dad's axe we're talkin' about 'ere, so it's got a special place in the son's 'eart, yeah? So instead, the son replaces the axe blade, yeah?"

The orc then pauses a moment to take a swig from a large jug of alcohol in his hand before continuing. "So the son goes on to do lotsa dead 'ard things jus' like 'is dad, yeah?" The orc said. "Then one day, the son gets old and passes the axe on to 'is own son jus' like 'is dad, yeah? Now the son's son also goes on to do dead 'ard things, yeah? But then one day, the 'andle breaks, yeah? Now just like 'ow the son coulda gotten a new axe but didn't, the son's son weren't about to throw away the axe of 'is dad an' 'is dad's dad over some broken 'andle, yeah? So instead, the son's son replaces the 'andle, yeah?"

The orc then pauses once more to let out a loud belch before speaking some more. "But now that both the axe blade an' the 'andle 'ave been replaced, is it still the same axe what the first guy 'ad or is it a different axe? An' also, if some wizard came along and used magic to fix the broken axe blade an' the 'andle an' put it back together, is that the real axe an' the one what the son's son 'as is a fake?"

Cascade shrugged in response to Leaves' question. She honestly hadn't even thought of appealing to the judge's pride when she came up with the previous rhyme. The paladin couldn't help but wonder if she got the subtle ability to flatter people from her mother...

Regardless, she decided to continue, this time on a different topic so that she's not cheating in garnering the judge's favor,

"It's admirable to pursue your passion all night,
But take it from me, no sleep can lead to a serious plight!
Don't forget to take care,
Lest you make a serious err.
Though, I should probably take my own advice,
Or I myself will be put on ice,"

"See, now he's threatening us," Flicker muttered to Aura, gesturing towards the aasimar as they did so. "Cryptically. In his sleep." They paused for a moment and glanced back at the stranger. "Assuming he really is asleep and not just messing with us right now." They took a step towards the aasimar, scrutinizing him in attempt to discern what his intent was and if he was truly asleep.

---

Rolled Insight check on Aasimar= 9

Rala was just starting to doze off, sitting with her weapon at her side, when she heard footsteps approaching her. Curious, but not yet entirely concerned, she opened an eye to see an Orc sitting down next to her. Groggy as she was, and drunk as he seemed to be, she managed to piece together the story he was telling. A faint smile on her face gave away her amusement at the situation.

As the Orc finished his long soliloquy, Rala paused as she tried to come up with an answer. Where to start? With a heavy sigh, she decided she needed something else to clear her mind, get on his level. Rala greedily reached for the booze the orc had. Her sort of 'payment' for her 'sagely advice'.



Rala took a hearty swig before placing the bottle bank down with a thud. With enough time to think and a nip to steady her nerves, she gave her answer.
"It's a matter of legacy. Whether it is or isn't the original doesn't matter as long as you leave your child with an axe" She uttered boldly, a hint of annoyance slipping out that she didn't quite intend. Quickly she tried to match his speed of the tongue.
"Your father wanted you to have the axe to pass on his legacy, a magical axe is just as fine as a handle of oak and a blade of ordinary steel" her words came swiftly but she paused to eye the bottle he had. She only hesitated because it seemed dangerous to take from an orc more than once.
"But to answer your question, no it is not the same axe. It wasn't when your father replaced the blade. But neither was its wielder. Perhaps your tradition is not the axe itself but the additions made to it" She said with a sudden surge of confidence. Has she been using the same short sword she once wore as a member of the guard, she may not be alive today. Upgrades and maintenance are essential for any weapon.

"may I see the weapon in question?"

Aura was no longer amused with this little game. It was starting to get, weird. "I mean. It was fun but it has run it's course on amusement for me. Not that it's too hard for me to get bored by things..." She looked around the area and called out to the nearest person. "Hey did this guys come in with anyone do you know...His friends might be looking for him." She thought briefly about casting charm person on this man but decided against it. Instead she walked up beside Flicker who was staring at him. She grabbed the man by both his shoulders and shook with all her might to attempt to wake him up without answering any of his riddles. She wanted to know what the heck was goin on with his man but still really wanted to go find the other Genasi. That was top on her list she wasn't going to waste too much more time on this man if she didn't have to.

---

Strength check to shake the man 5 (Clearly she has very little might XD)

Jørmund was starting to feel the effects of the whiskey having now downed two glasses of it. He had managed to set his mug down when Plasm started to tug on his arm. They wanted to find a bard. Jørmund got up from the table and grab some of his meal, took a quick bite chewed and swallowed. "Let's go find a bard. There was one that greeted us at the entranceto the camp." He took off leading Plasm through the crowd back towards the entrance to the camp.

@XxFellsingxX @LostDestiny
The aasimar, who Flicker would quite easily see was in fact sleepwalking and not pretending to do so, jolted awake after a few light shakes from Aura. "Huh? Wha-? Wha-?! WHA-?! I'm awake! I'm awake!" The aasimar exclaimed before taking a moment to rub his eyes and get his bearings. "Oh! Hello. I hope I wasn't bothering you too much just now." The aasimar said.

@Birdboy
There would be no need for any slight of hand on Rala's part. The moment he noticed the way she was eyeing his alcohol, the orc would offer her the jug. The orc then listened to Rala's words attentively... Or at least as attentively as he could in his drunken state. It took the orc a moment to realize that Rala had asked to see weapon, and the eventual realization made him jolt in surprise. "Oh. Oh! Yeah. Sure... One moment..." With that said, the orc reached into a satchel with a face embroidered into its lid flap and began rummaging around inside. After a few moments, the orc let out a small "Aha!" before pulling from the satchel a halberd that should have been far too big to fit within it. "This is it." The orc said as he presented the halberd to Rala.

@Cao the Exiled @Lurking Krog
Once they reached the campsite's entryway, it wouldn't take them long to follow the sound of music to where the bard was performing. The bard stood before a semicircle of benches on which and audience sat. The audience were all staring at a collection of stringless wooden puppets that were being manipulated to re-enact a great battle by the bard's magic as he played exciting music on his lute and told a story that Jørmund was all too familiar with.

"And so it was that the two hosts met in battle! Haraldr and his bloodthirsty band of raiders fought viciously, thoughts of pillage and plunder on the mind of every man among them. But Jørmund and his brave militia? They fought for something far more valuable than any treasure in the world. They fought for their homes. They fought for their families. They fought to protect that which was theirs and those who they loved. And it was these things that Jørmund's host fought for that gave them the strength to seize the initiative and push back the raiders... That is, of course, until Haraldr himself took to the field!"

The music the bard was playing shifted them from exciting to foreboding as a puppet that stood a head taller than all the others pushed its way past the raider puppets to get to the frontline of the battle. Jørmund would see that the puppet bore a pretty decent resemblance to the raid leader he had fought in defense of his home on the day he earned his status as a folk hero.

"With longsword and shield, Haraldr set about him and took back in but a single minute all ground that Jørmund and his militia had gained after an hour of battle. Though the ferocious Haraldr looked to be unbeatable, Jørmund refused to admit defeat. And though he had lost his mace and shield in the battle, Jørmund stood before Haraldr, ready to fight the brutal raider with his bare hands!"

As the bard spoke, the Haraldr puppet and another puppet that had been fighting on the front lines since the start of the battle squared off against each other. The Haraldr puppet's opponent had neither shield nor weapon and bore just as good a resemblance to Jørmund as the Haraldr puppet did to Haraldr himself.

@Guardian Angel Haruki
Leaves on the Breeze nodded in agreement with the advice that Cascade, before letting loose her final rhyme.

"Advice from those who themselves needed.
That's advice that should be heeded.
Folks with those faults would truly know,
That such are things that truly must go.
And your advice I'd say is right.
The wisest thing I've heard all night."

With that said, Leaves looked up at the judge cat. The contest's feline looked between Cascade and Leaves for a time as he deliberated. Then eventually, the judge cat let and a small meow, before settling down to nap on the branch.

"Our judge cat has declared a tie. You have won and so have I!" Leaves clarified to Cascade "No silver need now be exchanged... Unless you'd like to go again?"

Flicker looked alarmed when Aura started shaking the aasimar. They'd heard on more than one occasion that waking a sleepwalker was generally not a great idea, and if done should be done gently. However, before they could protest, the man did indeed wake up, seemingly no worse for wear. Flicker opened their mouth, looking as if they might berate the aasimar... or Aura... or both of them... but then they stopped themself, and instead let out a sigh and shaking their head. "You... were sleepwalking," they said, trying their best to keep the irritation out of their voice. "And talking to us. And asking us riddles." They paused, looking the man up and down once more. When they spoke again, their expression and voice softened, if only slightly, "Are you okay? Is this sort of behaviour... normal for you?"

Cascade looked up at the judge cat in anticipation of the verdict. She gave a wide grin at the verdict of a tie. She answers Leaves' question, this time not bothering to rhyme, "Nah, that's okay. Mahalo for the offer, but there are a lot of other games I'd like to participate in. Mahalo for the contest, that was a lot of fun!"

After giving Leaves a shaka, Cascade continues throughout the camp, thinking about which game she wants to try next...

Rala was confused by the way he was carrying around the weapon. While the Halberd was definitely a surprise, Rala found herself eyeing the bag wearily. She was still thinking about the hags, even now. The bag had a familiar magical nature to it that made her think of the hag crafts. Reminded again of what troubles her, she snatched up the jug once more and took a hearty swing.

"A fine weapon, the royal guard carry these. Your father and his father's father would be proud of your...axe" She said in an attempt to be reassuring. She didn't know if the orc was coherent enough for a lecture on weapon specification.

Aura nodded along to Flicker's words as they spoke to the Aasimar male. She had backed off when the man was finally shaken awake. "Yea, it was kinda entertaining at first but is started to get a little creepy the longer it went on. You gave us some pretty cryptic messages." She looked the man over not really looking for anything in particular just giving him a good once over. "Most people don't sleep walk, let alone give random strangers riddles while they sleep walk..."

---

As Plasm homed in on the bard telling her team mate's story, Plasm slowed to a stop, surprised at the puppeteer's play. Plasm knew some of Jørmund's background, that he was a soldier or hero of some type. But to hear his story and see it play out in such a way was... fascinating. Using her Eldrich Sight, Plasm not only watched the puppets at work, but attempted to see what magic was involved. As if transcribing it to memory, the ooze retreated into their mind, fixating on every word. Without much thought, Plasm used Encode Thought to create a simisolid ribbon of magical energy which imprinted the words onto it. Looking at the the ribbon in hand once the story ended, they would then look up at him after rolling it up, "is the story we've heard factual, or an embellished bard's tale?"

Jørmund listened to the bard and quickly realized the tale he was telling. The earth Genasi hadn't thought much about that day in years. The memory played through his head, it had been early morning when the raiders had attacked. Most of those who could fight had left an hour or so earlier to investigate a nearby by clearing. Jørmund had wanted to go with them, but he was told that he needed to stay and help his smithing master with the forge. When the raiders had arrived most of those in the village were unprepared and forced to flee to their homes or out of the village. Jørmund heard the horn sounding that the village was under attack, two short bursts and one long. He grabbed on of the other younger villagers and handed her a spear, shield, and helm. Once she was armed he told her to gather anyone she can and get them here to the forge so they could be armed with what was available. Jørmund armed himself with a chain shirt, shield, and mace. The wait after felt like hours even though it was just minutes.

With a shake of his head Jørmund left his recollection bringing himself back to the present moment. Plasm's question had been what had brought him back from the memory. "His tale is mostly true. The details of the fight with Haradlr is a bit exaggerated. I had started to learn to use the magic granted by the divine as well as found a replacement for my mace, an axe. Where the idea that I fought him entirely bare handed came from the fact that when the rest of the village got to where we were, he had pulled the axe from my hand after it caught in his shield and mine was in splinters. I did manage to punch him hard enough to bring him down but after having used some of my magic. That was not a pleasant day. By the time it was done I think we had lost nearly twenty of those that fought with me and several more who had initially fled." The earth genasi started to turn away from the performance not wanting to watch it anymore. His tone shifted to a more somber one as he finished his abbreviated retelling to Plasm.

"I'm going to go back to the feasting tent to eat." Jørmund told his companion before starting back to the tent they were at earlier.

@XxFellsingxX @LostDestiny
The aasimar was looking pretty darn sheepish by the time Flicker and Aura were done talking. "Oh my. How embarrassing. I most sincerely apologize to you both." The aasimar said before addressing Flicker's inquiry. "But to answer your question, blessed of Corellon, yes this is actually pretty normal for me. I am a seer, you see, and my gift manifests mostly when I am sleeping. During these manifestations I am subconsciously driven to seek out specific bystanders and pose three riddles to them. For each of the three riddles they answer correctly, my gift rewards this cleverness with insights into where they stand in the grander scheme of things... Once more, I truly am sorry for any bother I've caused you. I'll get out of your hair now."

With that said the aasimar walked away, but paused after a few steps. "One more thing, actually." He said as he turned back to Aura and Flicker. "You're looking for someone, yes? If so, go to the feasting tent, there's a good chance you'll find who you are looking for there." And with that, the aasimar left.

@Birdboy
"The Royal Guard 'ave axes like this?" The orc asked. "Oof, I pity them. What with them 'avin to watch King Tadmund's back all day every day, they must be surrounded by snobby nobs constantly insistin' that their axes are actually birds." The orc shuddered at the thought before gesturing that he'd like his halberd back. Should Rala return the halberd, the orc grins and gives her a thankful nod. "Thanks fer straightenin' things out fer me." The orc would then say as he puts the halberd back into his bag. "If you like the beer in that jug, you'll find more of it in the feastin' tent."

@Lurking Krog @Cao the Exiled
As Plasm gazed upon the performance with her Eldritch Sight, she would see that each of the puppets are under the effects of a transmutation spell being cast by the bard, who shifted the tone of the music he was playing to a tense battle tune at the Jørmund puppet and the Haraldr puppet engaged in a climactic duel as the bard continued to narrate.

"Although it did seem to everyone around him that he was unarmed, Jørmund would prove to be anything but as he wielded divine power against his foe! Despite this however, the great and terrible might of Haraldr left the two evenly matched. Their duel came to an intense deadlock that lasted almost twice as long as the battle that came before. But eventually, as the sun began to set, Jørmund and Haraldr knew that their battle was almost at an end!"

The Jørmund puppet and the Haraldr puppet ceased their fighting for a moment and stared each other down. The Jørmund puppet looking rather worn out, and the Haraldr puppet looking rather arrogant and assured of his impending victory.

"Jørmund was tiring from both the battle and the duel, but Haraldr still had strength to spare. It seemed for a moment that victory would go to the dread raider... However, this assumption made Haraldr cocky. He cast down his shield and held his longsword with both hands, looking to take Jørmund's head off with one final fell blow. It was this act of hubris, this simple discarding of defense in favor of extra striking power that gave Jørmund the opening he needed. With mighty battle cries on their lips, Jørmund and Haraldr charged! Haraldr swung for Jørmund's neck, but Jørmund ducked beneath the blade at the last moment! Haraldr only had a moment to realize what tossing away his shield had cost him before Jørmund's fist came crashing into his nose!"

The Jørmund puppet punched the Haraldr puppet in the nose, causing the Haraldr puppet to fall to the ground, his nose now pressed flat against his face. At the sight of this, all the raider puppets then ran away and all the militia puppets began celebrating.

"Seeing their leader fall, the raiders broke and ran. At the sight of this, the brave souls who had joined Jørmund in his quest burst into joyous celebration! Victory was theirs! With their home saved and Haraldr defeated, Jørmund's militia carried him home on their shoulders. As for Haraldr, who had survived Jørmund's finishing blow, came back to consciousness several hours later. Alone."

The Haraldr puppet was shown slowly standing up a few moments after all the other puppets had left, before also making his own way away off the stage that the puppet show took place on.

"From that day forward, Jørmund became known as Jørmund Hammer Fist in honor of vanquishing his foe that day barehanded. And when not even magical healing could restore his nose to its original shape after being flattened by Jørmund's strike, Haraldr became known as Haraldr Flat Nose. I would advise against calling him that to his face though. Of the few bold enough to do so, none have lived to tell the tale."

With that said, the bard's story ended and the audience cheered as he took a bow. Once the applause died down, people from the audience began heading off in various directions.

@Guardian Angel Haruki
"You're very welcome. I too found it fun." Leaves on the Breeze called after Cascade as she took her leave. "Should you ever wish to rhyme again, you know where to come!"

As Cascade searched for something else to do about the campsite, she would be stopped by a highwayman she had made the acquaintance of during her time among them. "Hey Cas! Remember how you said you were lookin' for Jørmund Hammer Fist?" The highwayman said. "Well he's here! I saw him headin' on over to the feastin' tent. If you hurry, you should be able to find him there."

Upon seeing a highwayman she met earlier, she greets him happily, "Oh! Howzit!" She listens to him, and she looks surprised, before a wider and happier smile can be seen on her face, "Really?! He's here?! Really?! Oh, Mahalo Nui! I better go right away! Thank you!"

She also whispers a Thank you to Deep Sashelas as well. She couldn't believe her luck!

Like a great white shark drawn to blood, she proceeds to sprint through the grounds towards the feasting area. As she sprints, she could be heard calling out,

"Jøøøøøøøøøørmuuuuuuuuuund Haaaaaaaammeeeeeeerfiiiiiiist!!!"

Jørmund could practically hear her voice from a distance and her voice just drawing closer and closer until finally she appears in the feasting tent. Panting heavily she looks around for the man with hammers for fists.