<I decided to make use of the bonfire area at the Pax Istaria celebration by hosting a barbecue and telling fish stories. It was sort of on-the-spot so the stories are rather rough, but it was lots of fun to do. I handed out leftovers from our last annual guild ball as goodies to all attendees.>

[MarketPlace: Awdz] i'll be preparing a roast and then we can exchange fish stories as i serve the food :-) but it will all be locally done on new koraelia at the firepit by the zoo

[MarketPlace: Awdz] i do have some goodies for dessert ;-)

[MarketPlace: Awdz] *gets busy erecting her portable [<!--LI 8432625 11049855>Grand Barbecue Spit<!--/LI>] at the bonfire in new koraelia for the occasion*

[MarketPlace: Awdz] *waits for folks to arrive in new koraelia*

You wave hello with the ancient greeting of the gnomes.

Lunalove_unity says, '*hugs*'

[MarketPlace: Lunalove_unity] *smells roasted fish and starts to drool*

You say, 'i was hoping more folks would come'

[MarketPlace: Lunalove_unity] ohh thy much Awdz- Appetizer:-))

Lunalove_unity says, 'I know- I had the same opnce with winterevent'

* Awdz wraps [<!--LI 8432625 15067058>Red Snapper<!--/LI>] in [<!--LI 8432625 11493135>Nightshade<!--/LI>] and places it on hot stones around the fire

Lunalove_unity says, 'I am honored to be with you here LadyGnome:-)'

[MarketPlace: Awdz] well i figure everyone loves [<!--LI 8432625 15069321>Granny Nuffle's Festival Punch<!--/LI>] and [<!--LI 8432625 14296405>Granny Nuffle's Festival Cookie<!--/LI>s], so why not have them too?

Lunalove_unity says, '*lov told her to be VERY polite- if amongst famous elder Istarians)'

You say, 'it's my pleasure to have you here! i love cooking off-recipe for my friends :-)'

You wave hello with the ancient greeting of the gnomes.

Stormvy says, 'alo'

Stormvy says, 'thnx'

* Awdz checks the [<!--LI 8432625 15068520>Roasted Pumpkin Seeds<!--/LI>] to see if they are crisp enough yet

* Awdz Awdz eats some Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

You say, 'mmmm, these are yummy when still hot! i like them with lots of salt, though'

* Awdz cracks a [<!--LI 8432625 11163544>Salt Rock<!--/LI>] with her [<!--LI 8432625 10291291>Socketed Mithril Fitting Mallet<!--/LI>] and sprinkles extra salt on the roasting seeds

You wave hello with the ancient greeting of the gnomes.

Lunalove_unity says, 'uhh Awdz- you are such a genious cook'

* Looniel salutes crisply everyone around.

Lunalove_unity says, '*wave*'

You say, 'i still need to get the main course going... shall i start it now?'

* Awdz scampers off

Looniel says, 'Things, things, things smell good here.'

* Awdz returns with an arbotus carcass over her shoulder and dumps it on the dirt next to the bonfire

You say, 'i need to grab the stuffings, i'll be right back'

* Awdz scampers off again

* Awdz returns with [<!--LI 8432625 1500344>Elm Bucket of Cooki<!--/LI>ng] overflowing with headless stalks of [<!--LI 8432625 10155034>Wheat<!--/LI>], cracked drippy<!--LI 8432625 11364353> [E<!--/LI>gg], dirt-covered [<!--LI 8432625 10102486>Potato<!--/LI>], limp [<!--LI 8432625 10102488>Carrot<!--/LI>], large [<!--LI 8432625 11163544>Salt Rock<!--/LI>], slimy <!--LI 8432625 10983786>[Maggot Entrail<!--/LI>s], spicy [<!--LI 8432625 10299017>Black Pepper Berry<!--/LI>],<!--LI 8432625 11471710> [Mandra<!--/LI>ke] with<!--LI 8432625 12234194> [A Decaying Crick<!--/LI>et] on it, and<!--LI 8432625 11771248> [Severed Rooster H<!--/LI>ead]*

Lunalove_unity says, '*looks intersted and has NO idea what gonna happen next*'

* Awdz plunks down next to the arbotus carcass and begins stuffing every available orifice of it with unwashed items grabbed randomly from her [<!--LI 8432625 1500344>Elm Bucket of Cooking<!--/LI>]

Pharaxes used Khutit Form.

Selected "Research Assistant Pharaxes Sphaerideion"

* Awdz tries to strike up a conversation as she crams [<!--LI 8432625 10983786>Maggot Entrails<!--/LI>] deep into the arbotus gullet

Pharaxes waves hello.

Lunalove_unity says, 'hallolo Phar:-)'

You say, 'so, have you seen much of the festival yet?'

Lunalove_unity says, 'nothing at ll'

Pharaxes says, 'neither did I'

* Looniel starts inspecting the dishes in preparation, with a greedy look on his ugly face.

Lunalove_unity says, '*sigh* as usual I am far behind all there is to do'

Pharaxes says, 'and I dunno if I want to hunt for more masks *smirks* the ones I have seen so far are not worth the trouble'

Lunalove_unity says, 'oh let me see pls'

Pharaxes says, 'I only have seen them on others so far. they look very... unicolored'

* Awdz puts [<!--LI 8432625 14275953>Almonds<!--/LI>] in the arbotus's left ear. "yes, show us please!"

Lunalove_unity says, 'will check'

Lunalove_unity says, 'and you are NOT ugly!!!f'

* Awdz lifts up the arbotus tail and crams in [<!--LI 8432625 14155304>Clam<!--/LI>] still in its shell and spitting seawater

Looniel says, 'Who, who why would say that?'

* Pharaxes eyes the library

* Pharaxes checks if he has books he hasn't

Draa says, 'D'awww...Phary in small. *grins*'

* Awdz pushes [<!--LI 8432625 12562921>Blackberry<!--/LI>] still on the vine into the arbotus's right nostril, and when it does not all fit, winds the rest of the vine up around a leafy extremity on it

* Pharaxes just ignores that

[MarketPlace: Looniel] These "portable libraries" are so cool! *loves the look of it*

Draa says, 'Woah, thanks Awdz.'

Lunalove_unity says, '*eats all the appetizers and gets a hickup*'

* Looniel is confused, his eyes don't seem to settle on one thing, switching from food to books to these khutits then to the fire.

Draa says, '((and doesn't even notice the huge red ancient right behind him ;P))'

* Awdz finishes emptying her [<!--LI 8432625 1500344>Elm Bucket of Cooking<!--/LI>] by overstuffing the arbotus carcass

* Awdz pulls out [<!--LI 8432625 8105162>Special Mortar and Pestle<!--/LI>] and blends together [<!--LI 8432625 10336091>Chicken Sou<!--/LI>p], <!--LI 8432625 10113601>[Maple Sa<!--/LI>p], [<!--LI 8432625 12897016>Chili Pepper<!--/LI>], [<!--LI 8432625 14306817>Chocolate<!--/LI>], [<!--LI 8432625 11739213>Banana<!--/LI>], [<!--LI 8432625 11731044>Red Licorice<!--/LI>], and [<!--LI 8432625 10084636>Gnomian Peppermint Taffy<!--/LI>] into a gloppy mixture

* Draa breathes some fire into the firepit to make the fire bigger and warmer.

Pharaxes says, 'hmm what is an Evocator of Epochs?'

* Awdz spreads the gloppy mess all over the carcass, turning it over in the dirt and dipping each appendage to get all parts covered

You say, 'it means i like to tell stories :-)'

* Awdz pulls out an extra long, extra sturdy [<!--LI 8432625 11049646>Geostone Cooking Skewer<!--/LI>], hefts it, and plunges it lopsidedly through the carcass

* Awdz looks at the skewered gloppy overstuffed arbotus carcass, then at the tall support posts for the [<!--LI 8432625 11049855>Grand Barbecue Spit<!--/LI>], and then at the taller creatures all around her

You say, 'any chance one of you could help me get this crosspiece up on the support posts for the roast?'

* Looniel mumbles something while Awdz messes with the food, apparently not very pleasantly surprised by the dirty details of the process, and turns his head away at the question.

* Awdz uses a little bit out of [<!--LI 8432625 10936136>A bucket of maple tannin<!--/LI>] to secure the carcass on the skewer

* Draa nods, stands up and lifts the carcass on the support posts with a paw.

You say, 'thank you draa!'

Draa says, 'No problem.'

You say, 'pardon me for a few minutes while i get cleaned up'

* Awdz scampers to the beach to wash the cooking muck off her armor

Distant sounds bearing the familiar cadence of speech emanate from the Southwest.

You say, 'there was no beach that way!'

You say, 'sorry about that!! there are far more cliffs than beaches here!'

* Awdz flings a [<!--LI 8432625 14665067>Fresh Bluegill<!--/LI>] caught in her armor at you

You say, 'sushi appetizer?'

* Awdz checks on the [<!--LI 8432625 15067058>Red Snapper<!--/LI>] wrapped in [<!--LI 8432625 11493135>Nightshade<!--/LI>] cooking around the bonfire

* Looniel notices Awdz doing something towards him, and out of surprise it pushes her away.

You say, 'well while we're waiting for the food to cook, anyone have a fish story to share?'

Lunalove_unity says, 'upps- again pls*looks sad at the fine fish that fell into dirt cause of clumsy paws*a'

The trade with Lunalove_unity was completed successfully.

Lunalove_unity says, 'ohohoh- thy much*snifffffff*'

* Awdz waves a partially cooked [<!--LI 8432625 15067058>Red Snapper<!--/LI>] in the air as she gets ready to tell a tale

* Looniel nods in apology of sorts, to Awdz, and picks up something she was actually holding for him, then sits down, still kinda confused.

You say, 'you know how the seas of istaria are considered too dangerous to travel'

You say, 'they were not always that way - half-giants in particular used to sail across the waters a great deal'

Draa says, 'Because we can't swim?'

Looniel says, 'They are dangerous!'

You say, 'the half-giants in those days were much more selfish and evil than the gifted ones we know now'

You say, 'they used to capture saris and sslik for slaves, selling them to elves for profit'

* Looniel , the elf, nods and looks away.

Lunalove_unity says, 'oh and drags could not prevent that?:-(('

You say, 'the downtrodden races cried out in anguish to the gods'

You say, 'this was before dragons took an active interest in the other races'

You say, 'since dragons considered them lesser species'

* Draa mumbles with a grin. "And still do, hehe.."

You say, 'kassha heard the ssliks' cries and merrasat heeded the saris' cries'

* Looniel mumbles something, probably displeasant.

Lunalove_unity says, '*nods and is silent-a bit ashamed*'

Synovus says, '(Thank you Awdz)'

You say, 'and the fish or the seas, which once swam intermixed, began to be riled up'

You say, 'suddenly each was consumed by great hunger'

You say, 'the tiny minnows ate all the grasses near the shore, causing beaches to be bare of plant life'

You say, 'the [<!--LI 8432625 11993483>Fresh Bluegill<!--/LI>] hunted the minnows'

You say, 'so the minnows fled to safer waters, and gathered in schools for safety'

You say, 'but the bluegill were then subject to being hunted by [<!--LI 8432625 11039115>Fresh Bass<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'so the bluegill abandoned their chase of minnows, and gathered in the safety of the waters of the peninsula, also forming schools for safety'

You say, 'the bass in turn were sought by<!--/LI> [<!--LI 8432625 9904978>Fresh Trout<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'they headed for the safety of frozen waters by trandalar and mahagra'

Looniel says, 'You know a lot about fish... *mumbles as he continues to listen*'

* Awdz chuckles. "it comes from trying to satisfy ted, the laziest fisherman that ever lived"

You say, 'the trout were doubly beset, by [<!--LI 8432625 11081768>Fresh Mackerel<!--/LI>] and [<!--LI 8432625 15067058>Red Snapper<!--/LI>]'

You say, ' so they headed for the hot shores off of dralk, where the ashy waters repelled their predators'

You say, 'the red snappers were particularly tasty to [<!--LI 8432625 11501461>Fresh Halibut<!--/LI>], and their numbers were decimated. the halibut then turned to the mackerel as well'

You say, 'the mackerel found the marshy swamp to be the best place for them to hide from their predators'

You say, 'at least, until the bloodskulks moved in, but that was a different issue'

Lunalove_unity says, '*writes all down to tell about it to Lov and Flame*'

You say, 'the few snappers that were left still hide with the mackerel to this day'

* Miiralaeuntryr looks at the food and starts to drool a little bit, before wiping it off her maw.

Lunalove_unity says, '(which is some strange runes that look like fish in the sand in front of her- but she feels a bit importnt^^*'

You say, 'the halibut were unable to rule the sea, however, as [<!--LI 8432625 11490712>Swordfish<!--/LI>] came after them'

You say, 'they found refuge in the waters around the dragon academy at draak'

You say, 'until the withered aegis destroyed it'

You say, 'and now occasional [<!--LI 8432625 11490712>Swordfish<!--/LI>] can be found preying upon the [<!--LI 8432625 11501461>Fresh Halibut<!--/LI>] there'

You say, 'but none of those were large enough to stop the slaving ships'

You say, 'it was the larger creatures that prey upon the swordfish in the deeps'

You say, 'the gods caused giant [<!--LI 8432625 11434851>Squid<!--/LI>], tremendous [<!--LI 8432625 13639156>Crab<!--/LI>] and incredibly huge [<!--LI 8432625 12227025>Lobster<!--/LI>] to be hungry as well'

You say, 'these nearly wiped out the swordfish population, and turned to other prey - the ships'

You say, 'no longer was it safe for the half-giant raiders to wade to shore for their attacks, or to carry their spoils back to their ships'

You say, 'for a while, both half-giants and their victims were equally slaughtered'

You say, 'until the half-giants learned to stop raiding'

You say, 'the gods know the hearts of mortals are fickle, however'

You say, 'it may be peaceful now, but should the withered aegis be beaten back, the gods know we are likely to start fighting amongst ourselves again'

You say, 'so they left the giant creatures hungry in the sea'

You say, 'and the withered aegis - they learned not to attack by water'

* Looniel seems caught by the story, even moreso than one may have expected. He listened intently, forgetting to taste thhe fish in his hand, eyes to Awdz.

You say, 'but their presence upsets the natural way of things'

You say, 'so the once-submerged giant crabs clamber upon the shore, for gifted to push back'

You say, 'just take a look along the shores near delgarath if you don't believe me'

You say, 'and remember - if you think those are big, there is always a bigger fish...'

* Awdz curtsies at the end of her tale

You say, 'does anyone else have a story they'd like to tell?'

You say, 'like the one that got away?'

Looniel says, 'Need time to think it all over... I thought fish are more stupid than that.'

* Awdz giggles, "not sure if they're stupid, but they sure are slippery!"

You say, 'would someone mind turning the roast over for me?'

* Awdz points at the half-charred, half-raw arbotus on the spit

Miiralaeuntryr says, 'Knowing me, I'd overtip it. All brain, no brawns I'm afraid.'

* Awdz pulls out her [<!--LI 8432625 10740988>Steel Salvage Awl<!--/LI>] and tries to turn the skewer with it

* Awdz manages to knock down one end of the skewer off its post

You say, 'ack!'

Araluna says, 'Do you want..help?'

* Awdz jumps back from the shower of sparks. "yes please!"

* Looniel looks at the fish in his hand, then at Awdz and the fire. He puts down the fish and goes trying to turn the roaster with his bare hands.

Looniel says, 'Gah, this thing is burning!'

* Looniel seems to have made ... a discovery.

* Draa chuckles a little. Then puts the arbotus back on the posts and turns it.

You say, 'thank you!'

You cast Improved Revitalize V on Looniel.

* Draa smiles. "You're welcome."

You say, 'so does anyone have a story or should i tell another?'

* Looniel blinks, and thanks deeply to Awdz for the healing, checking out his hands.

You say, 'if you've wandered about this island enough, you've probably found ted, the world's laziest fisherman'

* Draa grins a little and nods.

You say, 'he was not always so lazy when fishing... he just got too frustrated'

* Looniel shakes his head, and sits back down near his unfinished fish meal of sorts.

You say, 'he used to catch all kinds of fish, happy to take on a challenge'

You say, 'but then one day ol' Hoody Wearns over there gave him one that sort of ended them all'

You say, 'he told ted that in the lakes of tropical new vassarak, there was a golden fish'

You say, 'the tastiest of any kind of fish, but not one you'd dare eat, because it would grant you a wish'

You say, 'well don't you know, ted just had to go after it then'

You say, 'he traipsed around every lake on new vassarak, searching for the prize fish'

You say, 'he was about to give up, and buy hoody the drink they'd bet on his catching it, when he finally spotted a glimmer of gold'

You say, 'it was under the waterfall on new vassarak, a very slippery place'

You say, 'ted tried fishing for it there, baiting his hook with all kinds of things'

* Looniel tries to focus on the new story, but the burning episode seems to take its toll, as he keeps checking his hands, slowly, blinking, exhaustion in his moves. He then finds a better position among the stones and lies down on a side... closing his eyes at times.

You say, 'apparently the golden fish had a taste for sweet things, as [<!--LI 8432625 10084651>Maggot Chews<!--/LI>] got nibbles where [<!--LI 8432625 10983786>Maggot Entrails<!--/LI>] were not touched'

You say, 'finally, ted decided to try some unorthodox fishing methods'

You say, 'he tossed [<!--LI 8432625 11292656>Practical Trap<!--/LI>] in the water and was sure he'd trapped the fish, only to find [<!--LI 8432625 12758392>Golden Apple<!--/LI>] in the trap when he pulled it up'

* Draa waves a paw to Bephza

You say, 'he tried netting it, again sure that he had it, only to find [<!--LI 8432625 14278639>Golden Bell<!--/LI>] where the fish had been struggling moments before'

You say, 'he tried spearing it, but only managed to spear [<!--LI 8432625 13803234>Gold Papyrus Stem<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'which he found very odd, as it did not even grow around there'

* Bephza nods to Draa "Greetings everyone"

* Araluna waves shyly

You say, 'he tried hiding above its home and grabbing at it when it peeked out, but just got a handful of [<!--LI 8432625 12845557>Golden-bloom<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'pulling the wet blooms out of the water, he shook them in frustration'

The trade with Bephza was completed successfully.

You say, '"there has to be a way to catch this thing!" ted screamed'

Bephza says, '(thank you kindly)'

* Draa notices Araluna and nods to her.

You say, 'and indeed, there was a way, but not for ted'

* Araluna gives a small smile at Draa

You say, 'if you seek out the [<!--LI 8432625 13625924>Dragon Stone of Knowledge<!--/LI>], you can learn that the wishing fish can only be captured with an [<!--LI 8432625 13542124>Imbued Gold Clasp<!--/LI>], a [<!--LI 8432625 11100733>Cask of Holding<!--/LI>] and bait of[<!--LI 8432625 11189949>Dragon Nippe<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'so ted eventually gave up in frustration'

You say, 'but he still ponders how to catch that one that got away'

You say, 'and does not bother with actually catching any traditional fish anymore'

You say, 'and Hoody Wearns over there cannot seem to find him, because ted is hiding from him'

You say, 'ted does not want to buy Hoody Wearns that drink which would be admitting defeat'

You say, 'so that's the tale of the one that got away'

* Awdz curtsies

* Araluna Blinks, "woww, your really good! I could listen to you all day!" Araluna smiles happily

You say, 'ooh! i think the roast may be done!'

* Awdz grabs her [<!--LI 8432625 10740988>Steel Salvage Awl<!--/LI>] and drags the carcass down through the embers and ashes to the dirt at her feet

* Draa drools a little as he looks to the roast.

* Awdz pulls out [<!--LI 8432625 10306445> Socketed Mithril Tree Axe<!--/LI>] and hacks the carcass up into randomly-sized pieces

* Araluna watches intently, "hmmmm" Araluna's stomach growls loudly

* Awdz serves up a portion of charred arbotus on [<!--LI 8432625 1214668>Crumpled Shield<!--/LI>] with stuffings as trimmings and<!--LI 8432625 11060714> [A bottle of Dwarven Bran<!--/LI>dy] on the side as flavor enhancer to each attendee

* Pharaxes Yum Yum Pharaxes eats some Fall Festival Candied Apples !

You say, 'any other fish stories?'

Miiralaeuntryr says, 'Ah, thank you Awdz. This will be delicious as always. But what is this? *pointing to the bottle held carefully in her claws*'

You say, 'it's like a dwarven version of [<!--LI 8432625 11310402>Flask of Distilled Fire<!--/LI>]'

Draa says, 'Heh, firewater.'

* Pharaxes eyes to the [<!--LI 11895379 12874172>Knut's Fire Whiskey<!--/LI>] he has

Araluna began using Granny Nuffle's Festival Punch.

You say, 'i was traveling along the beach one day looking for shells, and guess what i found?'

Araluna began using Caramel Apple.

* Araluna Yum Yum Araluna eats some Fall Festival Candied Apples !

You say, 'i found a tiny little [<!--LI 8432625 13639156>Crab<!--/LI>] clicking its pincers! it looked so cute, i put out my finger to pet it...'

* Looniel shivers, opens his eyes, and looks around confused, at the newcomers and the freshly roasted piece in front of him.

You say, 'and it pinched me! ouchies!'

You say, 'i danced about with it on my finger for a few moments until i could fling it off'

Looniel says, 'Fish are bad, even if they're not stupid!'

* Miiralaeuntryr swollows, going a bit pale at the cheeks. 'uhh... i think.. i'll pass on the drink Awdz. I still remember what that flask did' *nervously looks at the bottle, putting it down and scooting it away with her tail as if it was a viper*

You say, 'and then put my hand in the water, hoping the cool water would soothe my finger'

You say, 'but i was right next to some rocks where [<!--LI 8432625 11620871>Eel<!--/LI>] lived, and it must have thought i was threatening it'

* Draa takes a bit out of his piece of roast, but looks a bit confused at the whiskey, wondering how he could drink it.

You say, 'it was an [<!--LI 8432625 11620871>Electric Eel<!--/LI>], and it put its nose out and shocked me!'

Looniel says, 'See!'

* Araluna sniffs the whiskey and blanches, "yuck!"

You say, 'my hair stood on end, i started to smoke unnaturally, and i fell over into the water'

You say, 'the brisk water on my face helped me recover from the shock, although i came up sputtering terribly'

You say, 'my splashing was so disruptive, it caused a nearby [<!--LI 8432625 11434851>Squid<!--/LI>] to ink me'

* Looniel shakes out his head, apparently expressing his disagreement for whatever reason, but probably more to wake up fully.

You say, 'so i moved to cleaner water to try to wash it off'

* Draa shrugs and carefully opens the bottle with one talon, then just pours the drink in his throat and gulps.

You say, 'i stepped right on a [<!--LI 8432625 12227025>Lobster<!--/LI>], who was very grumpy about it'

You say, 'the [<!--LI 8432625 12227025>Lobster<!--/LI>] pincered my ankle - it hurt!!'

You say, 'i hopped about on one foot trying to get it off'

You say, 'luckily a [<!--LI 8432625 11490712>Swordfish<!--/LI>] happened by'

* Araluna Giggles at Awdz story, picturing it all her head

You say, 'i grabbed it and used its nose to pry the lobster off me'

You say, 'but it did not appreciate being forced to help'

You say, 'it started trying to skewer me, and chased me through the water'

You say, 'until i tripped and landed in a bed of spiny [<!--LI 8432625 11364423>Urchin<!--/LI>]'

You say, 'i came up with urchins covering me like burrs from a thistle'

* Araluna struggles to contain her fits off giggles

* Draa smirks.

You say, 'i grabbed a [<!--LI 8432625 14155304>Clam<!--/LI>] and used its shell to scrape the urchins off me'

* Miiralaeuntryr laughs some thinking of old traditions in some seaside towns

You say, 'it did not like that one bit, and kept shooting streams of water at me, aiming for my eyes'

You say, 'i finally dropped it when it snapped its shell on me'

You say, 'i scrambled out of the water and dropped on the beach, only to have a swarm of sand beetles crawl all over me'

You say, 'let me tell you, beetles in your armor are far worse than sand there!'

You say, 'i peeled off my clothes and cast [<!--LI 8432625 380017>Dark Cyclone<!--/LI>] on myself to get rid of them all'

You say, 'which left me with a very sensitive rash'

* Looniel carefully draws his palm to the piece of roast, testing if it's still too warm. He gains more courage as it goes, and takes a bite.

* Araluna burst out laughing with a few snorts here and there

You say, 'it took a great deal of ointment to recover from that'

Pharaxes began using Granny Nuffle's Festival Cookies.

You say, 'and i do NOT search the beach for pretty shells any more'

* Awdz curtsies at the end of her story

You say, 'have any of you ever gone through something like that?'

* Awdz looks around at the assembly, hoping someone else has a tale to share

* Araluna covers her snout, attempting to stiffle her laughter, "Nope-hehe-but it was a good story!"

You say, 'have you been fishing lately? was it easy for you?'

* Bephza chuckles some "talk about a bad day eh? And thankfully no, I didn't"

* Draa shakes his head.

Miiralaeuntryr says, 'Not when I spent a good part of a day in the icy waters of Mahagra to get that lazy Ted his bass.'

You say, 'i've found the fishing lately to be easier than when i first started'

You say, 'which may be simply that i'm better at it'

* Draa sighs a little. "I will leave now..I..have to talk with someone." He bows.

Draa bows respectfully.

* Awdz waves farewell to Draa Gul Imperial Sell Sword

You say, 'now i only have to put my head underwater to see the fish'

* Araluna Grins, "I think I'll run the maze again!"

You say, 'but once i know where they are, i can generally reach them with my [<!--LI 8432625 10457552>Socketed Yew Fishing Pole of Master<!--/LI>y]'

You say, 'it used to be that the fish stayed out in deeper waters'

* Araluna smiles and gives a small bow, "thank you for the wonderfull stories!"

You say, 'i would cast my rod, and it would fall short'

Araluna bows respectfully.

You say, 'you're welcome!'

* Miiralaeuntryr streches and stands

You say, 'so i would wander into the water'

You say, 'well over my head'

You say, 'and cast underwater'

Miiralaeuntryr says, 'Awdz, thank you for the roast and stories, but if you could forgive me my depature please? '

You say, 'thank you for coming!'

* Awdz waves farewell to Miiralaeuntryr, Knowledge Seeker

You say, 'i tried tinkering devices to help me breathe at depths'

You say, 'but they kind of... did not work'

You say, 'a half-giant's helm, while it holds lots of air, does not let me see unless i tilt it to lose the air'

* Bephza heaves himself up and stretches "I will leave now too, take care"

You say, '[<!--LI 8432625 10069560>A coil of rubber tubing<!--/LI>] kinked, so i put <!--LI 8432625 9931989>[Steel Tinkering Sprin<!--/LI>g] in it'

* Awdz waves farewell to bephza

Bephza bows respectfully.

You say, 'but the steel made the tubing tear'

You say, 'i tried using inflated bags on my arms to keep me on the surface, but they interfered with my casting and then deflated, leaving me to sink anyway'

You say, 'the best i could manage was hopping for air, diving for a couple of casts, then hopping back up for more air'

You say, 'eventually i managed to get the fish i needed'

You say, 'and i learned a lot about the habitats of the various fish'

You say, 'by literally getting immersed in my work'

* Awdz curtsies to signal the end of that rambling

You say, 'well that's all the stories and food i had planned'

You say, 'i think i'll go run the maze now too :-)'

Looniel says, 'Maze, yeah, sounds interesting.'

You wave goodbye in a gnomelike fashion.

Looniel says, 'Thank you for the treat, you!'