Once upon a night in Langstay, Rumfus was enjoying a tall mug of ale at his favorite tavern, as he does most nights.

Excluding, of course, when he travels to acquire ingredients for his ale, or when he’s tending to serious matters elsewhere.

On this night, Cetrid had joined Rumfus at The Grog Bog, but not for recreation purposes.

Paperwork needed to be filled out by Tedly for his next order.

Cetrid was standing on one of the stools at the bar, writing on a piece of parchment.

After he finished, he slid it over to Tedly, who picked it up and inspected what Cetrid had written.

“Alright, yeah, this seems fine.”

Tedly put the parchment down and filled out the spots that were left blank for him.

“I still can’t believe your prices haven’t gone up after all this time.”

Tedly slides the parchment back over to Cetrid.

Cetrid picks it up and folds it a few times before putting it away in a small pouch that was hanging off the stool.

“Well, we try to do a… uh… quantity and quality over profit, so we end up selling more because the price is so low.

Tavern owners would rather buy a cheaper product that… uh… tastes better, overall.

The repeat orders and expanding… uh… ends up being the… profit...”

Tedly stares, confused, as Cetrid attempts to explain.

“Yeah… anyways, keep the good stuff coming.”

Cetrid is about to jump down from his stool as the Tavern door swings open.

A Goblin wearing dirty, tattered clothing runs into the Tavern while carrying what looked to be a clump of fabric.

The Goblin puts it on to one of the stools before climbing on top himself.

When he gets up, he places the fabric onto the bartop, an odd clang is made when the object hits the bar.

The Goblin frantically looks towards Tedly.

“Tedly!

I’ve done it!”

Tedly, having already been looking at the goblin, sighs.

“What have you done now, Dolde?”

Dolde leans forward and wraps his arms around the fabric.

“What we were talking about several days ago, Tedly, I have it!

I’ve got it!”

Rumfus looks down at the Goblin and sees that his eyes were bloodshot and a number of his veins were bulging out.

Tedly begins to walk closer to Dolde.

“What?

That’s not possible, it isn’t supposed to be real.”

Dolde grips the fabric tightly.

“Well, it Is real, and it is now mine!”

Cetrid looks past Rumfus to see what the Goblin was talking about.

“If you… uh… don’t mind me asking, what is it you’ve found?”

Dolde quickly Turns towards Cetrid and Rumfus.

“A relic!

A relic left by the Ancient Ones, and now it is Mine!”

Rumfus rolls his eyes.

“The Ancient Ones?

We don’t even have proof that they even Actually exist.”

Dolde leans closer to Rumfus.

“Not until today, Human!”

Rumfus looks at Cetrid.

“This is stupid.”

Cetrid looks at Rumfus for a moment before looking back at Dolde.

“I don’t know, Rumfus, there’s a lot of unexplainable things that Could be possible proof that the Ancient Ones were… uh... real, let’s just hear him out.”

Rumfus took a sip of his ale before looking back at the fabric and Goblin wrapped, so-called relic.

“Let’s see this ‘proof’, then.”

Tedly shrugs at Dolde.

“Well?”

Dolde begins slowly peeling back the layers of fabric.

“It has taken me Years to find this!

I first heard rumors of this object when I was working as a Lore Keeper for King Dazgax, my reports and findings were being sent to the Nine Nations to be reviewed and archived.”

Rumfus raised an eyebrow when he heard Dolde mention the Nine Nations, but let him continue.

“Scouts came back from a remote cavern, they had found several diaries and notes at the end of the cave.

They mentioned a relic, This relic!

I became overwhelmed with curiosity.

I stole anything that mentioned anything about the relic and I went in search of it, myself!”

As Dolde pulled back the fabric, Cetrid and Tedly began to feel strange and unsettled.

Rumfus wasn’t really paying attention.

The Goblin revealed what looked like a battle horn made out of some type of metal that had not been found in Langstay.

Cetrid his behind Rumfus a bit.

“But, if you’d have told the Nine Nations about this, however long ago, wouldn’t they have been able to… uh... help find it faster?”

Dolde furrowed his brow as he slowly turned towards Cetrid.

“If I told them about it, they’d have kept it for themselves, abused its power!

...no … no, it’s safer with me…”

Rumfus looks at the Goblin.

“I don’t doubt that the Nine Nations would abuse whatever power that… thing could possess, which is what, by the way?”

Dolde began caressing the horn, creepily.

“From what I was able to discern, this horn, when blown, was used to unite people for a cause that the user found just.

I couldn’t let the Nine Nations wield such Power, they would abuse it, no doubt.”

Tedly cautiously takes a step back.

“Have you… did you blow it?”

Dolde continued to caress the horn as he looked up to Tedly.

“Yes… and the sound was magnificent… would you like to hear it?”

Dolde began to lift the horn, Cetrid and Tedly began to lean in out of curiosity.

The Goblin lifted the horn close to his mouth.

Suddenly.

PAH

Dolde is hit in the face with an empty mug.

KSSHH

As the mug smashes on the ground.

Dolde hisses as he turns towards where the mug had been thrown from.

A Troll is standing up at a table.

“Hey!

I came here for a quiet night, there ain’t supposed to music until tomorrow night, ya Drunk!”

Dolde turns towards the Tavern door.

He jumps down from his stool and sprints out the door into the darkness with the horn.

The Troll sits back down.

Cetrid and Tedly look at each other for a moment, then Cetrid sits down on his stool.

“I’m not sure what just happened… but I… uh… got a bad feeling about whatever it was…”

Tedly scratches his head.

“Yeah, that was… odd.”

Rumfus looks down at his mug, which was now empty, then lifts his gaze, angrily, towards Tedly.

“Hello?

Your best customer needs an ale.”

Tedly shakes his head.

“Right, one second.”

Cetrid looks up at Rumfus.

“I think I’ll wait to go home with you, Rumfus, I don’t want to… uh… run into that Goblin alone in the dark…”

Rumfus nods.