"What!" Levi shouted, "Again?" He paces back and forth in front of the vendors Flint and he had hired to sell the families wares. "This is my third trip today, don't you think I have anything better to do than to ferry potions here for you to sell?" he asks. "I have to get out to hunt and sew, I'm completely out of leather items again and Violetta is complaining of nothing to do." What do you think I am Woman....." Levi stops himself.

"What am I doing? These people are here at my bidding to sell our products and make the family money."

Looking up he sees Lynda the potion vendor in tears. Fritz the scroll vendor, standing next to her is scowling at him and shaking his head. And Violetta, sweet Violetta who has sold his clothing these past three months stands ready to flee up the stairs. He feels ashamed.

"Has it come down to this? No joy left in the making, only work, just a job?"

He reaches up and take the tears from Lynda's cheeks never noticing his own spilling down his face. "I'm so sorry" he apologizes, "Really, I'm not mad at you, its myself I'm upset with." Gently he seats her speaking quietly "It's alright, I'll be by later with more, consider it a rest well earned." He mounts his horse and forces a smile he does not feel. "That goes for everyone, take the evening off for a change, you all deserve it." He turns his horse and mumbles "Kal Ort Por." The last thing they hear before he disappears is a sob.

Flint picks up the hammer. He had never noticed before just how heavy the thing was. "Ha, you must be feelin' your age, Old Man." he speaks aloud. He takes the metal from the fire, fine strong iron glowing read within his fist. As always he closes his eyes to better "see" the piece he would try to make. It was Flints firm belief that the metal already "knew" what it wanted to be and it was up to the smith to coax out the secret from the metal. But again today the image would not come clear to his mind. "Come on Flint old boy, Concentrate!" he chides himself, "You have to get these weapons and armor sets ready."

Levi, his brother, had been by earlier with the list and once again it was dreadfully long. Something had been wrong lately. He kept failing to make the quality of work that was exceptional enough to put his mark to. "Is it me?" he wonders. "Maybe so" he decides. First his mastership of carpentry had faltered, try as he might it was becoming harder and harder to make any progress within that skill. And then, overnight, his tinkering skill had come to a stop. Unable to sometimes make the simplest of items he was becoming increasingly frustrated with his complete lack of progress. "Why?" he questioned aloud, "Why do I go on, day in and day out, making the same things over and over watching my skills slowly drain away?" He puts down the hammer, leaves the cooling metal lying upon the anvil, sits in his big comfortable chair and sighs.

"More, More, More!" Trillium singsonged to the empty room. Her back aches, her feet are sore and her poor gentle hands feel as if they would never recover. "If that Man walks into this room demanding greater heal potions one more time I'll, I'll, I'll..." she lets the sentence trail away. She sits down upon her stool, "Well, I'll just have to make more then, won't I?" she chuckles.

She prepares yet another hundred bottles and thinks, "Just where do they put them all?" Shuffling back and forth across the room gathering the items of her crafts she pauses for a moment and casts her awareness into the ether searching for spirits. With a start she returns to awareness and chides her self, "Silly old cow, what a waste of time, talking to ghosties, bah, utter nonsense" but she always listens.

Stopping by the table she intones "In Mani Yelm" and a ham appears upon the table. She laughs, "Why does it always have to be ham" and proceeds, in a most unladylike fashion, to gobble it down. "I really must start cooking again," she thinks, "I really love to bake."

And so it goes, never idle for long, Trillium is like a force of nature. This room she seldom leaves is the model of efficiency. This is her domain, her realm, and her kingdom. And though weary at times she is content to be here making the potions and scrolls that others may venture safely out into adventure.

*Ping* *Ping* *Roar* Minuette struggles with the grizzly bear as her friends look on. Her health is failing, she fumbles with the bandages but it is so hard to heal herself even when not in the midst of battle. *Roar* In desperation she strums her lute and raises her voice in gentle, peaceful song, but the notes are discordant and her skill has fled along with her life.

RAGE!

White hot and ready to explode. "Why Did You Let Me Die" she cries. But they cannot understand. They are as surprised as she is, but she cannot penetrate through the red that clouds her vision. Massalla pulls a scroll from his back, "An Corp" he reads aloud. She feels life coursing back into a corporeal from and she returns to the world screaming.

"You let me die" she accuses again. Mordoc is stunned to silence and Massalla casts he eyes down in shame. Standing and glaring at her long time friends she feels the rage leave her and now it is shame that she feels. What right has she to blame her death on these, her closest friends? She opens her mouth, but for the first time in memory, she cannot find the words.

Orcs are heard in the distance.

"Go!" she says, "I need time to collect myself." So they flee her. A short time later she catches up with her victorious companions and they go on, but not a word is spoken. Again they come upon a group of orcs. Still heeling her defeat she charges recklessly forward. The first three orcs pass her by intent upon some unknown foe, but the forth orc attacks. Raising its arms it makes strange sounds which she soon realizes are the chants of a magic spell. A fireball leaps from the monsters hands but is turned aside by her magic protection and reflected back at the orc mage. He smiles, hideous to behold and she wonders why he is grinning as it starts the second spell. "Kal Vas Flam," he intones. "I Burn!" she screams as her whole body is enveloped in flames and her world fades to black.

Once again it is up to her friends to come to her rescue. The same friends she had only a short time ago released her anger upon. They dispatch the orcs, one removes the items from her body while the other goes for another scroll. Once again they return her to life and once again she has no words of thanks. Mordoc is called away leaving only her and Massalla. A black mood befalls her. Moving along the mountains Minuette attacks everything in her path. Somehow Massalla keeps her alive till they reach the town of destiny. Here Massalla takes his leave, he is so tired, she watches him go and still has not said that she is sorry.

She returns home, down trodden and distraught. She lowers herself to the floor, and grabbing her lute with both hands, breaks it in two over her knee. Casting it across the room into the corner she cries "What good is my music if it fails me in my time of greatest need?" Angry and crying, she vows never to play again.

One by one they come into the room. First comes her sister Trillium, who takes her into her arms and attempts to calm her. Then Flint comes down from his shop, big and strong, forever like a mountain and yet he looks weathered and old. Patting her upon the head he mutters a nonstop stream of nothings as most men will when faced with a distraught woman. A voice from the corner says "A fine family picture this makes." Levi looks not much better than Minuette as he comes to his feet and crosses the room.

Just then the door crashes open and in comes the Buzbee Bandt. Grinning ear to ear with a spring in his step and a jingle in his pocket the youngest of the family enters the room like the carefree rogue that he is. "Buz, close the door." drones Levi. Buzbee rolls his eyes and shuts the door, turning to his family he says, "Oh, not again, seems like every time I come home of late I finds one of ye in tears." "Its enough to make me jump on me ship and sail right off the edge of the world." Buz sneers. But deep inside he is worried. He has watched the unhappiness grow in his siblings, but never has he seen quite so bad as this.

He approaches his brother Levi and puts his hands upon his shoulders. "Maybe tis time we all get on me boat and sail away," he says. "We could go looking for Shadow the sister I never knew or just sail the oceans looking for adventure." Buz reaches down and holds out his hand to Minuette, "Take it" he suggests and she does. With the other he takes hold of Levi's and Levi reaches out for Flint and so it goes around the circle till all are joined.

"What is your will Family?" Levi quietly asks. "Aye" Flint growls. Minuette only nods, unable to speak. All eyes turn to Trillium. While Levi runs the family finances it is the eldest sister to which they turn for family decisions. She meets their eyes each in turn and when she finally speaks it is with caution in her voice that she says "Let us no go hastily into this, our night. For if we go, we shall surely never return, this I have seen. Let us each, in turn, ponder on what leaving this land forever means. Think of your friends, your careers, the places you have not yet gone and the things you have not yet done. And when you are sure and it is time, come to me and we shall go."

And so each has gone off to look at his and her life. But for me, Minuette, I have already made my decision. For what is life, without music?

-Minuette, Broken Bard

The characters:

Levi Strauss: Grand Master Tailor and Tactician, Master Swordsman. Adept at anatomy and tracking.

Trillium: Grand Master Medium, Mage, Alchemist and Scribe. Adept Stoic and Cook.

Flint FireForge: Grand Master Smith, Master Tinker. Adept at Carpentry, Music and Arms Lore.

Buzbee Bandt: Master Fisherman and Miner. Adept at Picking Locks and Cartography. Journeyman Thief.

Minuette: Grand Master Bard (musician). Master at the art of making peace and tactics. Adept Fencer, Mage and at the art of anatomy. Novice Healer.

Flint Fireforge
Hastens towards the realms of the fallen
Minuette Wanders