The Seventh Ratatosk

"Greets to thee, fellow mortal! Come in, cutters! Just right of you, there's a free table, so take a seat! I'll come to you in a minute!" The three adventurers looked at each other, a bit surprised, then sat down at the table, obviously not caring about the mud on their boots. The barkeeper, a man of about forty years and of very strong build, hurried to them with a piece of paper and a pen in his hand. Strangely, the barkeeper was wearing chainmail below his dirty apron.

"I'm Fragos, barkeeper and owner of this tavern. So, my guests, what can I bring thee?" He stared at them, obviously trying to analyze them. The adventurers, who had just come back from a great battle against an ultroloth and his minions, felt very uneasy.

"I'll take an ale," said Janny. Her hand didn't move from her sword. "Same for me and my brother," said Grondar. He and his twin brother looked amazingly handsome, except for the fact that both their jaws were like sharp razors. They were, of course, tieflings, though neither knew what kind of fiendish blood ran through their veins.

The barkeeper hurried off again. It took less than a minute before he brought the ale. "Anything else?"

Mesmoroy, calm as always, looked up at the barkeeper for the first time. "What's all this?" he asked.

The barkeeper smiled. "What exactly?"

"This whole building. We came here about a week ago, when we met that 'loth who navigated us over the Styx. There was no tavern back then, and I'm neither barmy nor did I come into contact with Styx water."

"Well, I guess this question can be solved easily. This tavern's a planeshifting one. About a week ago, you could've met me in the Outlands, not far from a bariaur tribe living there. I gotta say the shaman didn't really like me, that's why I left again."

Janny stared at the barkeeper. "You think we're barmy, do you? You're planeshifting with this whole cage of yours?"

"Unfortunately, that's the only way I can survive nowadays. Believe me, I had to pay much jink to a really good mage to get this effect. And I can't even use it more than once a day."

"Sounds like you got some enemies," Mesmoroy said.

"Truth has countless enemies. I seek truth. So I have countless enemies."

"Why d'you tell us all this chant so freely if you got so many enemies? We could be eager to kill you, as well."

"You didn't listen, friend. I said I seek truth. I can't find it if I don't tell it myself. It's risky, of course, but I'm experienced with my weapons and I'm a priest of Gond, the Wonderbringer. If you plan to kill me, expect the unexpected."

"We don't, at least not yet. I've got to say, though, that all this is very strange," Janny said. "Who, for example, are the other guests? The black-skinned creatures over there look like fiends, if you ask me." Mesmoroy glanced darkly at the five beings just six yards away.

"Actually, they are fiends. Or rather, they were. They're rogue tanar'ri, whom I met when I was in the Abyss just two weeks ago. They're wild and sometimes even cruel, I admit, but they've turned to goodness. And besides, they belong to the same sect as I do."

Grondar looked up again, too. "And which sect is that?"

"The Darkseekers ." The barkeeper rolled up his shirt until they could see a tattoo of a sword above a big tome on his forearm.

"What about the other guests?" asked Janny. She looked a bit frightened of the two humanoid figures, completely covered by strange, green plate mail armor.

"Servants of the Baatorians, unfortunately. They've made a deal with the fiends, and it seems they were betrayed. Then, they started to enjoy the servitude into which they were forced. The power, I guess. I've been discussing a lot with them these last hours, but we stopped after I gave them an argument that they couldn't counter. They're currently trying to find a counter-argument. To be honest, I'm really keen to hear their answer. One never knows what will come out in the end."

"One more question," Mesmoroy said, now also looking somewhat frightened. "What does the name of this tavern mean?"

The barkeeper smiled, this time very brightly. "That, friend, is the only thing I want to keep to myself."

"I think we've got to go now," said Janny, put some coins on the table, and left with her two companions.