Lannstucht chuckles at the stableman's expense. "Oh, who would have guessed that 
a Rochladabred battlestallion might possibly bite? You might want to stay on his 
good side." 
 
Glim looks around the room, nodding companionably to the scowling patrons. He 
decides he'll have to have a talk with the village blacksmith later. For now, 
there is a tale he needs to hear as soon as Katrina can be persuaded to share 
it.
 
Katrina pays Segev's stabling fee as offerred, bidding her horse to behave when 
he attempts to act up. He complies, remaining quiet but alert. Ananzi curls up 
in the straw in the stable, keeping to the shadows where he can remain hidden. 
Entering the inn, Katrina ignores the stares at the bird perched on her shoulder 
as she chooses a table, keeping her voice low. "More public than I would prefer, 
but finding another lead is always welcome."

"Perhaps we can arrange our night's rooms, and hold more private discussions 
there," Segev mentions.
 
After enjoying the show/rodeo, Lannstucht takes her pack into the inn and speaks 
to the bartender regarding possible entertainment for the evening, haggling a 
bit over recompense if she is amenable to the idea.
 
"Our regular entertainer is at the baron's right now," the bartender mentions, 
sizing up Lannstucht. What kind of payment are you expecting?"
 
Lannstucht smiles pleasantly, the expression quite transforming her face. 
"Lodging for the night, stabling for my horse, breakfast and dinner for both of 
us. Any gratuities I receive from my audience are, of course, mine to keep."
 
"We only have the common sleeping room," is the bartender's reply, "so that will 
suffice for lodging I trust. Dinner is a simple stew of roast pork, vegetables, 
mushrooms, and rice, served with a mug of ale. Breakfast is leftovers."
 
"Ah, then we are agreed. I shall eat supper and commence play in
approximately half an hour."
 
Lannstucht's performance is exceptional that night, as she performs a number of 
songs in her repertoire. (Presumably, she performs mostly songs from her native 
Rochlad.) The entire audience pays her rapt attention during the performance. 
Only the bartender seems to frown from time to time, glancing at the door and 
the coins going into Lannstuch's purse.
 
Come morning, the condition of the town is quite apparent. Most of the houses 
are in really bad shape, many with large holes in the walls and roofs that look 
like they haven't been repaired in ages. Most of the locals are working the 
fields, and smoke rises from the blacksmith's and tavern's chimneys. The keep on 
the far side of town, however, has fresh tapestries hanging out the upper 
windows. The keep is also the only building in town that has glass windows. The 
guards have changed during the night; two new guardsmen stand by the gate, 
bugbears by the looks of them.  Yet, the people move with renewed vigor as they 
go about their routine.
 
The tavern's main room is nearly empty as you eat your breakfast, which consists 
of leftover stew and a glass of water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mythology Lesson #6
Fehrest's Nature and Deeds
Fehrest is the goddess of women and the protector of children. In the druidic 
faith, she represents the unity aspect, the combination of all three goddesses. 
In the more common faith, she is the wife of Galsus, and is generally depicted 
as a mature woman with regal features and shoulder-length brown hair. She is the 
mother of many of the gods and goddesses: Ryl, Navor, Vy, Gessa, Moradin, 
Vilhelmo, Akanksha, and Kael.
 
As the queen of the gods, she is often seated to her husband's left hand. As the 
goddess of women, she is often invoked during childbirth, lending strength to 
both the mother and the midwife.
 
Fehrest is happiest in the kitchen, and has the secondary aspect of being the 
patron goddess of taverns and kitchens. Her kitchen is her domain, and none may 
enter without her permission. Even Galsus does not dare enter her kitchen 
without first announcing himself and waiting for her invitation. The first and 
last time he did, she literally attacked him with her rolling pin and frying 
pan, one in each hand. Trys witnessed the scene, and was spreading its tale, 
with embellishments of course, throughout the pantheon within moments.
 
In times past, Galsus has proven rather indiscriminate in who he shared his bed 
with. Fehrest has granted him more children than most others, as his passion 
dwindled after each extra-marital affair. A number of his daliances were not 
romantic, but part of a plan, and Fehrest has grudgingly accepted these; she 
finds she is more hurt by his flings that were not romantic in nature. She has 
opened her home to many of her husband's conquests, and has consoled both mortal 
and immortal many times over. She remains loyal to her husband, and loves him 
with all her heart.
 
Hannass's Nature and Deeds
Hannass is the twice-born goddess of nature, and represents the natural cycle of 
life, death, and rebirth. Formed as Hassann by Galsus when the world was first 
formed as both a partner and a mate, Hannass can claim motherhood over the first 
full "generation" of gods. As related elsewhere, she was killed by Hextor and 
reborn through Golma's actions. As such, the world annually goes through a 
similar cycle: nature blooms in the spring, flourishes in the summer, and 
effectively dies in the winter, only to be reborn again the following spring.
 
She is the only immortal to claim two fathers: Galsus and Golma. At first, she 
was Galsus's wife, but now considers herself Golma's daughter. Her marriage to 
Galsus was legally annulled when she was reborn in another body. Fehrest claims 
to have carried her to term, but even then claims she was only the midwife. As 
such, Fehrest is the only goddess to claim to be both mother and daughter to 
Hannass.
 
Hannass is typically represented as a humanoid with both human and elven 
features--often refered to as the only half-elf goddess--with bright green eyes 
and golden hair, dressed in simple flowing green gowns and sandals. Her older 
form, that of a humanoid with long green hair and bark-like skin, is no longer 
used, having been killed ages ago.
 
Hannass is the goddess of agriculture. She taught the mortal races the basics of 
growing food, irrigation, and conservation. She introduced crop rotation to the 
elves, who spread its knowledge to the humans, gnomes, and halflings.
 
As the goddess of rebirth, decreed upon her upon her own rebirth, Hannass is 
responsible for finding new bodies for the souls that have left their old ones. 
Her father Golma occasionally rejects souls of the dead, and it falls to Hannass 
to find these rejected souls new homes. She is usually quite chaotic about her 
placement of souls; many a paladin's soul has screamed when placed in the body 
of one of the monster races. She is often invoked by druids when they cast their 
reincarnation spell.
 
Hextor, the god of evil, has long desired Hannass, and sought to make her his. 
She resisted, fleeing across the face of the world in many animal forms. He 
caught up to her near the Barrier Mountains, where he forcibly laid with her as 
she changed forms to try and get away. Hextor matched her form for form the 
entire time. She managed to flee while he was asleep, and secretly gave birth on 
the island of Athrin, where men cast no shadows. 
 
This child she presented to Galsus as Kesuul, who became the god of 
lycanthropes. She declined to answer when asked of his parentage, although 
Hextor later made it public during the next Conjunction by taunting Galsus about 
it.