Demetria Arcuri arrives, following Josephine.

Sparte checked dexterity + artwork at difficulty 9, rolling 25 higher.

Today finds people gathered in the Arena of the Golden Hart as much by word of mouth as any proper planning. People heard something about Gild and prizes, and imaginations tend to run wild with such things, don't they? The disappointment of many is obvious when what they find waiting on a small stand taken out of the Hart's storage is no prize worthy of a king or a prince. It is a boot, and perhaps the worst looking boot in all of Arx.

Those that doesn't immediately leave out of disappointment end up circling the nearby tables where there is a bit of a competition going on to win the boot. Not one of swords and shields, archery and jousting. It is a competition of storytelling in honor of Gild, with the best story winning the boot from the current owner. From the looks of it, that'd be Sparte.

Sparte drops The Gilded Boot.

3 Tyde Houseguard arrives, following Lethe.

'master Sparte, that boot looks like it has traveled" Josephine calls out as she moves to take a seat.

Petal arrives while adorned her simple Shav gown and toting along her very large sewing basket. She peeks over the area, trying to get a feeling for things here. She then smiles over to Sparge and gives the boot a close study. She waves to Josephine as well.

Jyri is eyeing the boot a bit dubiously, staring at it. "Bet that boot could tell some stories," he comments to anyone nearby, his rough voice carrying well even if he isn't shouting. He looks at Sparte, upnodding at him; he showed up for this too, but if he's got a story to tell isn't a sure thing. Onida the dog looks at the boot like he wants it VERY MUCH. Looks like a great chew toy?

Lethe walks inside and takes a curious look at the stand. "A boot!" She looks amused. "That's interesting."

Sparte grins and nods to Josephine. "The name is well deserved, don't you think?" He gives a raised hand to Petal in greeting. "I go looking for oddities when I'm traveling, and I found that boot with a merchant while traveling the isles. They'd in turn gotten it from a sailor with a false leg that'd been wearing it, who claimed he found it in a lake. I thought a boot like that doesn't deserve to rest in one spot, so in honor of Gild, may the best story of travel take the boot with them." He grins. "Who knows, maybe they'll find the match to the set. Or someone with a foot to fit it."

"Surely there is someone with a foot who will fit this relic." Josephine laughs, settling in near Petal with a smile.

Onida whines, wagging his tail, looking up at Jyri with that begging look. "No. /No/. Not a chewtoy. And you will leave my boots alone too, you damn mutt," Jyri says, but it's said goodnaturedly enough. Onida whines again and lies down with a sulking sigh. Jyri turns a glance around the rest, and gives Petal a small smile before he finds a seat near her and Josephine. "Greetings," he offers. "I'm Jyri Tersk, Kennelmaster of the Iron Guard." Said in general, to those present that do not know him.

Petal goes to find a place to sit, lifting her huge sewing basket and placing it upon the table. She then looks over to Jyri, having a gentle smile for the guard and the smile reaches her brown eyes. "Hi, Jyri." She says in her accent, her very heavy Shav accent.

"Jyri. Josephine and this is Petal. One of the finest seamstresses in the compact, likely even Arvum." But the boot. Oh the boot. Josephine looks to it with a smile. 'Should? Can you imagine it in my shop?"

Lethe has joined the line.

Jyri has joined the line.

Josephine has joined the line.

Lethe looks around and decides to tell a story. "I'm not the best storyteller, but it can't hurt to give it a try."

Sparte sits back, putting his soupflask on the table and unscrewing the top. Apparently he likes his stories with a tall cup of... Smells like broth made from parsnips and carrots. He nods to Lethe. "Well said, you've got the floor."

Sparte gets insulated soupflask of the Iron Guardsman from a double wrap sword belt made of quality leather.

Sparte drops insulated soupflask of the Iron Guardsman.

Turn in line: Lethe

Petal has joined the line.

Demetria Arcuri leaves, following Josephine.

"It is good to see you in town, Petal." Jyri leans back near Petal and nods at Lethe in an encouraging manner. "Neither am I, but I will tell a story never the less. I look forward to hearing yours," he explains simply.

Petal seems a bit shy, but she is in the line. "I don't know how to tell stories either, but I figured, I would try." She says and then gives Lethe an encouraging smile that reaches her brown eyes. She looks back to Jyri well up him anyways. "It is nice to see you as well Jyri."

Lethe looks nervous as she decides what to say. "Once there was a young woman in a small village. She always dreamed of travel and adventure, but her family needed her. One day she was outside doing some chores when a cloud appeared overhead. There had been a bit of a drought lately, so she was hoping for some drops of rain. But rain is not what dropped out of the sky. Instead she was surprised by something large falling. She held out her hands and surprisingly caught the object. When she looked closer she saw it was a toad. "Hello." Of course she screams and drops the toad, but after composing herself she listens to more of his story. The toad tells her that the cloud had carried him away, and that he had to return home to his family. He lives in magical waters and if he's gone for too long he'll certainly die. She sets off without a word to her family. They'd just try to stop her. So she begins her journey through a dangerous forest, but she's brave nothing will stop her. Of course she eventually runs into danger in the form of a bear. Sadly she and the magical toad are eaten, and the lesson is that no matter how exciting the journey don't be stupid. Be prepared." She looks around with a grin and goes to sit down.

The story is listened to with rapt attention by Jyri, who, when it ends, even lets out a short bark of a laugh - he applauds that quite vigorously. "That is a great story!" he exclaims, grinning appreciatively at it. "I will remember it. A good lesson."

Turn in line: Jyri

Sparte nods and grins at Lethe. "A very good story. I wouldn't want to be caught unawares." He glances around to see who'll go next."

Petal listens to Lethe's story with close attention, seeming quite interested in such. "That was a good one." She says.

Jyri looks around, realises he's up and stands up and moves in front. This time, he leaves Onida snoozing where he is and just stands there to tell the story. He's not the most charming man, but he's got a commanding enough presence and his voice carries well.

"It was a cold winter that year - and the wolves were tired and hungry. Hunting was hard, the snow deep and layered with the hardened shells of thawing that then had frozen. All animals struggled.

The Red Wolf was not the leader of the pack, but he was a good hunter - he hunted smaller game, rodents and rabbits and shared with the pack. The other hunters scoffed at him, for this; 'That little bite isn't going to help! We need to hunt deer!'

The Red Wolf admitted that a deer would help the pack, but that the snow would exhaust them and the deer were lighter than them, and would be able to run on the snow and get away on the plains and lakes, while they would sink down and cut themselves on the rough edges of icey white.

The lead hunter laughed, and told Red Wolf; 'Then you hunt the little things, and we will go hunt deer!'"

Jyri pauses here, and looks like he's lost in this story himself.. almost as if recounting an old memory.

Jyri continues his story, speaking with some emotion. "The Red wolf watched most of the pack leave, the younger wolves and pups staying, with the beautiful White wolf that had young ones. 'I will hunt for you here in the forest, where the snow is not so deep,' he told them - and he set out to do so.

That day, he caught several rabbits and several rodents and brought them all back to the young ones and the White wolf. They ate enough not to go hungry, and there was enough for Red Wolf to get a bite too. They fell asleep, content and warm, together.

The next day, Red Wolf did the same - he fed the remaining pack. The other hunters had still not returned.

On the third day, the hunters returned - exhausted, hungry and with no deer, their legs bleeding from cuts. They saw to their astonishment that the pack was well fed and happy, the pups playing with lots of energy.

'Red Wolf - did you catch a deer on your own?' asked the leader of the pack.

'No,' responded Red Wolf. 'Sometimes small things come together to something big. If you had stayed here, and hunted rabbits and rodents - we would have feasted and been rested and warm together. We can hunt big deer when the time is right. Now is the time for small things.'

And so it was, that Red Wolf became the White wolf's favorite, and became the leader of the pack. Not because of being a great big game hunter - but because he did the Small Things that mattered."

Jyri finishes the story there, and shakes out of whatever emotional memory he was lost in, giving everyone a bit of a glare as if warning them to comment before moving to take his seat again.

Turn in line: Petal

Jophiel has joined the line.

Lethe listens eagerly to Jyri's story. She seems to really like it. She smiles as she looks to Jyri with a nod but doesn't comment.

Having observed the stories so far, Jophiel has found it intriguing enough to slip into the line himself and prepare a story. The Bisland gives a smile to the others, but he saves his introduction, as he does not want to interrupt anyone's stories.

Petal listens to Jyri's story with all this interest and then she gives him a smile that touches her brown eyes. "Oh, that is very good and well sometimes small things are good." Petal says in her heavy accent. She is barely five foot herself. She then realizes it is her turn. "Um..." She starts with him and seems to have on idea what to say. "Once upon a time there was a...was a..was a..." She starts to say and her cheeks are so very pink. She darts out of line after that!

Turn in line: Jophiel

Jyri watches Petal leave the line with red cheeks, and hides a grin, making room for her. "Tell us a story about flowers," he tells her quietly. "You know flowers, don't you? Either or, I'll listen to those." He crosses his arms over his chest now and looks to see who's next in line, that one eye glinting with curiosity.

Bedivere shows up with a curious expression to his hazel eyes. He already has a couple boots (on his feet below), but he shows up despite this!

Petal smiles sheepishly over to Jyri. "Oh I do know alot about flowers." She says. She has a smile of greeing for Bedivere as he arrives.

Jophiel gives a slight bow and slips out of the line at that point to listen to the next tale.

Bedivere might be fairly late. He dips his head to Petal after her smile to him then steps over toward wherever the line is. He has no idea what he is in for but is going to try anyway!

A few others at thet able offer up their stories in turn afterwards. There is one about a cow, something about a person who did a pilgrimage to Redrain and had a flock of geese follow him, something else about a turtle? That one isn't very coherent. At the end, Sparte thinks it over and gestures to Jyri. "Congratulations. You've a new not-chew toy to guard, Master Jyri."