BBG: Chapter 39

Jaheira and Khalid were seated at a table between the bar and a trio of tables where people were dicing. The dicing drew my attention, as the games were being held by a Shou Man, a Kozakuran Man, and a Laothanese Man from Kara-Tur and Northeastern Malatra. The Shou man had three, six-sided dice and a bowl and was playing a game that I knew as Cee-Lo, while the Kozakuran had a pewter cup, two dice, and was playing a game I knew as Cho-Han. The last man, the Laothanese Man, was playing a game with three specially carved dice and a board with various animals on it that I knew as Bầu cua cá cọp. It seemed the uniqueness of the game in these parts had drawn a load of spectators, alongside the Wanese and Koryoan Women who were advertising a challenge in accented Common for all comers.

"Come try luck! First who wins three straight games at each table wins big prize!" Called out the Wanese Woman in her kimono.

"Everything in strongboxes for big winner! Courtesy of East Kara-Tur Trade Coster!" Added the Koryoan Woman in her Hanbok.

Judging by the pile of Danter that was currently being scooped into a series of decent-sized iron strongbox, nobody had won that prize just yet, while plenty of people had decided that they were going to try gambling until either they won it or they ran out of money, with the latter being the one that had so far always happened. Maybe it was the unfamiliarity of the games in the Western Heartlands? If so, and it wasn't because the Kara-Turans were playing with loaded dice or anything, then I had a leg up on everyone here. I planned to take advantage of that leg up just as soon as I finished talking to Jaheira and Khalid. After all, I was now the lowest on Danter I had been in a long time, since I arrived here, in fact. I needed the money if I was going to get myself equipped well enough to take on Sarevok's group again and try to reclaim my stolen Danter, equipment, and other items.

For now, though, I made my way over to the table where Jaheira and Khalid were sitting, drinking some sort of ale out of flagons and eating a platter of sausages, cheeses, and bread. As I approached, I noticed they looked almost exactly like they had in the Games, just more realistic, owing to this being real life. Jaheira wore studded leather armor, with a sling and pouch of slingstones hanging off her belt. Her copper hair was pulled into a ponytail rather than allowed to hang loose, and I remembered that she didn't begin braiding it until Baldur's Gate Two happened. Next to her, a wooden quarterstaff was leaned against the table. Khalid, meanwhile, was the same, clean-shaven, tanned-skinned Calimshite as always. He wore splint mail, with a longbow and a small steel round shield on his back. At his hip, a quiver of arrows hung on one side of his belt, while the other side bore a longsword. Next to him, a winged helm sat on the table, off to the side of his plate.

They must have spotted me, because Jaheira got a smirk on her face as I approached, while Khalid excitedly waved me over to their table. They could not have had a more different reaction from each other to my approach if they tried.

"So, you finally deigned to wake up and grace us with your presence?" Questioned Jaheira, snarkily.

"P-please, come s-sit with us." Stammered Khalid, timidly.

I recalled that he was the timid one in the relationship from my memory of the game, with Jaheira being far more blunt and outspoken. Either way, I made my way over to the table with a grin and a nod to speak to the pair.

"Thank you for the invitation and for helping me out." I nodded before pulling a chair over to the table and taking a seat.

"Yes, well. Helping others is our mission. Or at least, it was. We have a more specific mission now." Remarked Jaheria.

"Indeed. W-we are w-waiting for someone." Agreed Khalid.

"Funny enough, so am I. My Goddess has me here to help someone out. Unfortunately, I was waylaid by certain people and. . .diminished." I offered.

"Oh? Y-you're some kind of C-cleric?" Queried Khalid.

"No. I'm a Bard and a Swashbuckler. However, Tymora does so like to send me places." I opined.

"The Goddess of Luck? Is that where you found that equipment?" Asked Jaheira.

"Some of it. The rest I purchased from Bentley over there. Unfortunately, I seem to have been robbed when I was waylaid as well, though thankfully, they decided to go for my Bag of Holding and Sea Chest instead of my coin purse. Fair dues to them, that was where I kept the bulk of my coin and equipment, but I had enough in my purse to make do." I confirmed.

"W-we found you w-with just y-your tunic and b-belt." Nodded Khalid.

"Indeed. Though I am a bit curious as to your mission from Tymora." Added Jaheira, changing the subject.

"I suspect it's the same one you are currently on." I responded.

"And how do you know what mission we're on?" Questioned Jaheira.

"N-nobody should know a-about our mission except G-Gorion and ourselves." Pointed out Khalid.

"The Gods know. Tymora filled me in while I was unconscious. Jaheira and Khalid, two Harpers looking to aid the Ward of Gorion in solving the Iron Crisis, yes?" I retorted.

"Keep your voice down!" Hissed Jaheria.

"Y-yes. P-Please d-do." Insisted Khalid, stutter getting worse with nerves.

"Very well. I will do so." I nodded, lowering my voice.

"How do you know that?" Queried Jaheira in hushed tones.

"I told you, Tymora filled me in. She has a vested interest in seeing Bhaal not return." I whispered.

"Y-you know a l-lot because of T-Tymora." Pointed out Khalid, quietly.

"Yes, unfortunately. However, I do not believe you to be working for our enemy. After all, the telltale signs of our enemy were all about the sight of your attack, fighting against you." Intoned Jaheira softly.

"Then perhaps we should travel together?" I asked, still speaking in a low register."

"I-Indeed." Murmured Khalid in hushed tones.

Jaheira just nodded in agreement, giving a silent affirmation to my suggestion. As the sensitive part of our conversation ended, I raised my tone of voice back to a normal pitch as we continued speaking.

"I am Robar the Red, originally of Ruathym. Now? I travel around." I introduced myself.

"Jaheira, though you already knew that." Snorted Jaheira.

"K-Khalid." Chimed in Khalid.

"So, we aren't going to be meeting up with our mutual client, so to speak, for another day or so. What were you planning to do until then?" Questioned Jaheira.

"Well, I have a couple of plans. First and foremost, I'm critically low on Danter after having to buy new equipment from Bentley. I thought I would try my luck at the Games over there to see if I couldn't win myself some Danter, along with whatever the prize is that they're advertising." I informed.

"That? I've seen everyone who tries lose eventually. What makes you think you can do better?" Queried Jaheira.

"N-now, Jaheira. H-he is the Chosen of T-Tymora." Pointed out Khalid.

"Indeed, there is that. There's also the fact that I'm familiar with those games. I have some knowledge of Kara-Tur, after all." I nodded.

"Fair enough. I suppose if nothing else, it will prove the veracity of your claims. What are your plans for afterward?" Asked Jaheira.

"I might make my way around the Inn to get the lay of the land." I shrugged.

"S-sensible." Offered Khalid.

"I thought so." I agreed.

"Well, if that is your plan, then I suppose we should tag along. There have been sightings of a group of Hobgoblins in the area, after all." Intoned Jaheria.

"Y-yes. It's part of the b-bandit problem that's b-been cropping up." Affirmed Khalid.

"I would appreciate it, thank you." I thanked.

And with that, Jaheira and Khalid finished the rest of their breakfast of sausages, bread, and cheese. Then they washed it all down with what was left of their ales, from the golden yellow colour and the smell, a pair of Golden Sands Ales from Calimshan, though notably the basic variety and not any of the ones with extra flavoring. The whole thing took less than ten minutes. Then the three of us stood, with Jaheira grabbing her quarterstaff and Khalid taking his winged helm off the table and putting it on, before we made our way over to the trio of tables that had been taken up by the Kara-Turans with their trio of foreign gambling games, all of which used dice.

As I made my way over, a Nobleman in a teal outfit was grumbling as he stalked away from the Cee-Lo table. Behind him, a pair of Cloth of Gold Pantaloons was being carefully folded by the Wanese Woman and placed into one of the iron strongboxes, along with a gold and jeweled ring. Apparently, this was the Nobleman who would have originally given the Golden Pantaloons out to Mei and Company were this the original sequence of events. As the man grumbled about losing his father's ring, I stopped him, smelling a sidequest for more than just the Golden Pantaloons.

"Can I help you?" Questioned the Nobleman testily.

"I was just wondering what it would be worth to you to regain your father's ring?" I queried.

"You think you can win in those rigged, foreign games?" Asked the Nobleman.

"I know I can. For one thing, I know the rules of all of them." I nodded.

"Please. Even if you could get my father's ring back, I have little and less coin to pay you with. Those foreigners took all of it!" Scoffed the Nobleman.

"What about that sword?" I questioned, pointing to the Longsword Plus One he had hanging off his belt, alongside a Dagger Plus One.

"This? This is a mere trinket. One of a dozen traveling blades that I had in my townhouse." Frowned the Nobleman.

"If I can get your signet ring back, I'll take the sword in trade." I opined.

"Done. It is easily worth that much. If you manage it, know that Daven Sashenstar of the Baldur's Gate Sashenstars will owe you a debt." Nodded the Noble, Daven Sashenstar.

Then he brushed past us and made his way up the stairs to the upper floors of the Friendly Arm Inn. I grinned at that, getting the favor of a Noble from an established and wealthy member of the Baldur's Gate Merchants' League. Interestingly, I was fairly sure that the Sashenstars were one of the families that had been infiltrated by Doppelgangers during the events of Baldur's Gate One. Clearly, Daven hadn't been replaced. A Doppelganger wouldn't care about the Ring of a Low-Ranking Member of the Sashenstar Family. After all, Daven clearly wasn't a son of Aldeth Sashenstar, as Aldeth had only one son, Dabron Sashenstar, the famed Adventurer. He was probably a distant nephew or cousin, something of that nature.

Regardless, I made my way over to the first table and sat down across from the Kozakuran Man, who was running the Cho-Han Game with the two dice in the cup. The man was the oldest of the three running the games, at least on sight. His hair was still a lustrous black, but the lines on his face said he was clearly in his forties and well on his way to fifty. As I sat down, I noticed the Mon on his blue, floral-patterned Kimono, three triangles arranged in the form of a larger triangle, similar to the Triforce Emblem from the Legend of Zelda. I knew that was the Mon of the Hojo Clan, who had recently been forced to bow to the Takenaka Clan after losing a Civil War in Kozakura. Clearly, he was here as part of an effort to rebuild his Clan's Finances through trade, though I had no idea what the story was for everyone else.

"Greetings. I would like to play." I nodded.

"Excellent! Thank you for participating in the East Kara-Tur Trade Coster's Promotional Games. I am Hojo Toshi of Kozakura, currently here with the trade coster to trade Silk in the West. If you should win, don't hesitate to visit our stall in Baldur's Gate next week to buy something. Perhaps for the lady there? She would look good in silk." Grinned the Kozakuran, Hojo Toshi.

"He and I are not romantic partners." Scowled Jaheira.

"A-although I do agree w-with Master Hojo. You m-might look good in a K-kimono." Hedged Khalid.

"Then you could do worse than the East Kara-Tur Trade Coster." Pitched Hojo Toshi.

"What is the East Kara-Tur Trade Coster, then? Forgive me for saying this, but a Wanese, a Koryoan, a Kozakuran, a Shou, and a Laothanese is a seldom-seen grouping. What exactly drove you all together and sent you all this way to Faerun?" I queried.

"We are all from a collection of Clans and Noble Families who specialize in various mercantile ventures and decided to band together. My own family is from a part of the Hojo Clan that specializes in the Silk Trade. Wong Ping over there is from a Family from Tsingdao in Eastern Shou Lung who specializes in the Porcelain Trade, while Matasuuri Yumi over there is from Nakamaru in Northern Wa and a very distant relation to the Shogun of Wa, whose family contains many Bladesmiths and Armorers. Meanwhile, Meo Hana over there is from the Meo Family of Xai Chung in Southwestern Koryo. Her family specializes in the Tea Trade. Finally, Trinh Cuong over there is from the Trinh Family of Binkohn in Northern Laothan, and his family specializes in Wooden Goods and Lacquerware." Explained Hojo Toshi.

"Interesting." I mused.

"Not nearly so much for me." Scoffed Jaheira.

"Jaheira, p-please. Be n-nice." Pleaded Khalid.

"Regardless, I will take my shot here." I grinned.

"Very well. Do you know the rules? I ask because all of our other patrons today seem to have gone in blind." Asked Hojo Toshi.

"I'm familiar with all of your games. Cho-Han, Cee-Lo, and Bầu cua cá cọp." I nodded.

"Wonderful, then you know how all these are played. Perhaps you'll be able to prevent accusations that our games are rigged, as that last Gentleman claimed." Beamed Hojo Toshi.

And with that, we got to playing. I knew the score and bet one hundred Danter that the dice would come up even, with a further one hundred on an even sum, and a further one hundred that the sum would be doubles. It was a very risky bet to come out with, but risk was my business, and I had Tymora's Ear. Just in case, I whispered a prayer to Tymora for her to grant her agent luck as Hojo Toshi put the two dice into the pewter cup and began shaking it violently. I had just finished my prayer for luck when Hojo Toshi slammed the cup down onto the wooden table. I sucked in a breath and held it for a few moments, before Hojo Toshi lifted the cup to reveal the dice. Two and Two, which gave me everything that I had bet on.

"Nizoro no chō! You're a lucky man. Six hundred to you!" Announced Hojo Toshi.

I was slid my winnings by Matasuuri Yumi, whose silk Kimono was red and white, rather than the primarily blue Kimono of Hojo Toshi. She was a pretty young Woman who was maybe in her early twenties, though certainly no older than twenty-two. As she slid me stacks of Danter, I nodded at Hojo Toshi and put another two hundred down on Odd, with another hundred on it being Odd Sum. He nodded at me and put his dice back in the pewter cup, shaking the cup down. He slammed it down on the table, and this time, when he removed it, he revealed a five and a six, for a total of eleven, winning me both my bets again.

"Goroku no han! Another lucky roll, Sir!" Exclaimed Hojo Toshi.

This time, when Yumi slid over another six hundred danter to me, she favored me with a slight smile and a nod. I grinned back at her and placed my next bet, this time, three hundred on even with a further two hundred on an even sum. The dice went back into the pewter cup to be shaken up. This time, when Hojo Toshi slammed them down, he revealed the dice at six and four, ten, which won me my third and final game of Cho-Han in a row.

"Shiroku no chō! You must truly have your Goddess of Luck's Favor! That's one thousand to you and three in a row!" Piped up Hojo Toshi.

With that, I was a third of the way through. Yumi slid my one thousand Danter over and I put the entire lot, totalling two-thousand-two-hundred Danter, into my Coin Purse. Then I got up and headed over to the Cee-Lo Table, where Wong Ping was seated. Yumi followed along, as her Koryoan Counterpart, Hana, was busy at the Bầu cua cá cọp table, where a Gnomish Jewelry Merchant from Waterdeep on his way to Baldur's Gate was busily losing hundreds of his hard-earned Waterdhavian Dragons by making bad bets. Wong Ping was a Shou man in his late thirties to early forties with a thin mustache wearing a dark blue-green robe. As I sat down, he nodded at me and spoke up.

"Greetings! I am Wong Ping of the Eastern Kara-Tur Trade Coster. Thank you for engaging in our promotional efforts!" Introduced Wong Ping.

"I'm familiar with the game of Cee-Lo, and am playing for the Big Prize." I told him in Kao Te Shou.

"Ah, you speak my language! Fantastic! Do you speak any other languages from Kara-Tur?" Questioned Wong Ping in Kao Te Shou.

"Sadly, no, though I do want to learn." I refuted in Kao Te Shou.

"A shame. However, just speaking Kao Te Shou puts you well above the others here." Offered Wong Ping in Kao Te Shou.

"I suppose. Shall we begin?" I queried in Kao Te Shou.

"We shall." Affirmed Wong Ping in Kao Te Shou.

I put down a thousand Danter, matched by Wong Ping, and we began, with Wong Ping handing me the trio of dice and nodding at me. With a muttered prayer to Tymora for luck, I rattled the dice in my hand and tossed them into the porcelain dish. The trio of dice clanged around with the first settling on four, the second settling on five, and the third settling on six. That was an automatic win of the whole pot, and Yumi slid my money over toward me. The next toss, I bet another thousand Danter, which was matched by Wong Ping, and I hit three sixes, which was another automatic win. Yumi slid my money over, and we played the last of my three hands, betting one-thousand-five-hundred Danter, again matched by Wong Ping. This time, I landed two dice on three and the last on five. Wong Ping grinned as he finally got to throw. His dice landed on two, two, four. As five beat four, I won the pot, though my luck was clearly starting to fade now. I was still lucky enough to win three in a row, as well as putting seven thousand Danter back into my purse.

"Lucky man!" Chuckled Wong Ping.

"I have Tymora's Favor. For the moment, at least." I shrugged.

"Clearly." Confirmed Yumi with a smile.

"That being so, maybe we should continue to the next game, before whatever luck you have runs out?" Questioned Jaheira.

"That m-might be p-prudent." Added Khalid.

With that, I stood up to head over to the table where the Gnomish Waterdhavian Merchant had just gotten up after losing over four thousand or so Waterdhavian Dragons on bad bets. I nodded at Trinh Cuong. Easily the youngest of the three who were running the games, Trinh Cuong couldn't have been a day over twenty-seven, with a chiseled jawline and short hair. Near him stood Hana, who was likewise in her early twenties, though clearly no older than Yumi. She was wearing a multicolored Hanbok and had her hair done in a single braid that hung across her left shoulder. As I made my way over to the Bầu cua cá cọp, I made no pretenses about what I was here for, eager to finish this while whatever luck Tymora was granting me still held.

"Welcome to my Bầu cua cá cọp table, and thank you for partaking in the East Kara-Tur Trade Coster's Promotional Games." Offered Trinh Cuong.

"Yes, you come closest to winning Big Prize." Beamed Hana.

"Hopefully that luck continues." Remarked Jaheira.

"H-hopefully." Chimed In Khalid.

"Now, I have to warn you that unless all of your bets pay off, they will not count toward your win total for the Big Prize." Warned Trinh Cuong.

"No? That's kind of misleading, isn't it?" I queried.

"You win too much already." Pointed out Hana.

"Indeed. We have to make it more difficult, after all." Nodded Trinh Cuong.

"Fine. Let's do this." I sighed.

This time, when I made my bets, I kept the numbers small. I only put down one hundred Danter per bet. I put one hundred each down on the Calabash, Tiger, and Prawn. The die came up two tigers and a fish, which meant I received two hundred Danter for the tiger, but lost my bet on the calabash and prawn. It also didn't count toward my win total. Next, I placed bets on crab, prawn, and fish, but only crab and prawn came up. This time, however, I at least made money instead of a draw. True, it was only one hundred Danter, but that was something. It also didn't count for my win total. The next bet was Calabash, Tiger, Crab, and thankfully, I won all three, getting six hundred Danter back from a three-hundred-Danter bet. The same thing happened with Prawn, Calabash, and Chicken next time. The last bet came up Crab, Chicken, and Calabash, which I had money on all of them. That won me six hundred Danter for a total of seven hundred Danter and three straight wins, which was enough to get me the big prize.

"Congratulations! You've won the Big Prize!" Beamed Trinh Cuong.

At that, all five members of the Eastern Kara-Tur Trade Coster began clapping. I grinned as I stood up and took a bow. Yumi and Hana made to go collect the trio of Iron Strongboxes and begin unlocking them as I straightened up from my bowing.

"I'd like to thank my Patron Goddess, Tymora. Without her favor, this likely wouldn't have been possible." I offered.

"Please." Scoffed Jaheira.

"It's n-not a b-bad idea to thank your p-patron Goddess, Jaheira." Insisted Khalid.

Regardless, my winnings were substantial. A total of fifteen thousand Danter or their foreign equivalents, including the ones I had won playing, the Golden Pantaloons, a Darkwood Club Plus One that had apparently been wagered earlier in the day by some Elven Woodworker who had left the Friendly Arms Inn in a huff before I arrived, a Darkwood Composite Shortbow Plus One that had been wagered by that same Woodworker, an Adamantine Dagger Plus One and a Hand Crossbow Plus One that had been Wagered by a Wandering Halfling who had decided to eat breakfast in his rooms after losing, three Gold Rings, Four Angel Skin Rings, two Ziose Gem Necklaces, a Ruby Ring, and a Laeral's Tear Necklace, plus the Golden Pantaloons, and Daven Sashenstar's Father's Ring.

"Come see us in Baldur's Gate in a week's time and spend some of that back there, yes?" Pleaded Hojo Toshi.

"We have plenty of things adventurers like yourself might want to buy. Bows, Armor, Blades, and so on." Added Wong Ping.

"Spread Luck Around." Nodded Yumi.

"Is good luck to spread luck." Added Hana.

"Come on, let's get rid of some of this." I opined.

"Don't want to be seen lugging pantaloons and jewelry around?" Asked Jaheria with a smirk.

"Who w-would?" Questioned Khalid.

"Here." I nodded, handing off the Club to Jaheira.

"Thank you." Offered Jaheira.

"W-what about m-me?" Queried Khalid.

"That's why I got back Daven Sashenstar's Father's Ring. The Longsword is for you." I answered.

"And the Dagger and Composite Shortbow?" Pressed Jaheira.

"For our mutual friends. Let's just say I have a feeling our client, so to speak, won't be arriving alone." I intoned.

"F-fair enough." Nodded Khalid.

In the meantime, I kept the Hand Crossbow for myself and headed over to Bentley Mirroshade, selling the jewelry except for the Golden Pantaloons and Daven Sashenstar's Father's Ring. Those both went into my backpack, though the Ring wouldn't be there for long. Of course, I only wound up making two thousand Danter from selling all the jewelry, though that put me at seventeen-thousand-six-hundred Danter in total. Accordingly, I purchased Studded Leather Plus One for Jaheira, along with a Sling Plus One and an Open-Faced Helmet. I also purchased a Longbow Plus One, Splint Mail Plus One, and Buckley's Buckler for Khalid. All three of us got Rings of Protection Plus One, while I purchased forty Bolts for my new Hand Crossbow. That brought me down to two-thousand-seven-hundred-forty Danter, but we were all now better equipped than we had been previously.

Once that was done, we headed up to the third floor to return Daven Sashenstar's Father's Ring to him. He thanked us profusely for that, swearing that he would never forget what we'd done for him this day. He parted with the Magic Longsword easily enough after that, and I handed it off to Khalid, who replaced his mundane Longsword on his belt with the Plus One Blade. With that done, we were pretty much finished for the time being inside the Friendly Arm Inn. Jaheira turned to me when we were done with that to ask what I wanted to do now.

"All right, where to now?" Asked Jaheira.

"I b-believe Robar wanted to g-go exploring." Remarked Khalid.

"Aye, I did." I confirmed.

"Then let's do it." Mused Jaheira.

"Indeed." Concurred Khalid.

"All right." I assented.

And with that, the three of us headed downstairs to the common room, then over to the door to head outside to check out the surrounding area. I knew there was a Ring out here that I could definitely use, along with some Hobgoblins to slay, among potential other issues. It should prove a good time to get all that done. As we headed outside, I had no idea just how true that would be. Moments after collecting Evermemory, we would come across a sight that I hadn't anticipated coming across today. Mei the Bhaalspawn and Imoen were facing off against twenty or so Hobgoblins blocking the road to the Inn from the Coast Way. They seemed to be losing, too, though Mei and Imoen had downed at least seven of them. The rest seemed to be ready to overwhelm them, though, and that just wasn't something I could allow.

That was when I drew my blade and charged into the fray, Jaheira and Khalid behind me, ready to aid our mutual client in taking out the small war party of Hobgoblins. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. Robar not only meets up with Jaheira and Khalid, but there's also a trade caravan from far-off Kara-Tur coming through, who have been using Gambling and the carrot of a big prize to drum up business. Unfortunately, that Caravan with its constant promotional tactics and wealth of expensive trade goods has caught the eye of a small warband of Hobgoblin Bandits. Thankfully, Mei the Bhaalspawn and Imoen arrived before the Hobgoblins could try to attack the Inn. Unfortunately, there were just too many of them, and now Mei and Imoen are about to be overrun. However, fortunately, Robar, Jaheira, and Khalid have arrived to help them out.

At any rate, the next chapter will include the fight with the Hobgoblins, as well as the first meeting with Mei the Bhaalspawn and Imoen. I'll also have some more images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .