The two porters start running back and forth and Butterbur starts to carry large bowls filled with beer. I watch the group confused and step outside to see three large people with lanky limbs sitting on the ground in front of the stage, one of them is wearing large horns.
Walking up to the group I smile and give a slight bow, "Hello I am Owen Oaks."
The one with the horns looks at me, "I am Chief Tuokki. These are Eetu and Reko."
"I've never seen anyone of your kind. I don't think Butterman has either, he seems a bit out of sorts."
"None of the earth kin live in this part of the lands. We are traveling to see our cousins past the wastelands."
"We have heard they are having trouble," Reko says.
"It seems problems have filled the lands," Eeto says.
"The dark lord rising again has caused many threats to reappear," I say.
"The earth kin are strong, we will not be beaten easily," Chief Tuokki says.
"Where is your tribe located?"
"We are in the dark lands. I believe you call it Angmar."
"A lot of our enemies live in that land," I say. "It must be hard to have so many threats around you."
"Threats yes, but we also have allies among the hillmen and rangers. Those that travel into the land seem happy to help with our tasks for a small amount of the shiny metals your people prize."
"It seems as though they'd do anything for it," Reko says. "I was able to get one little person to bring me the claws I needed. I tend to break them when I hit the little creatures with my club."
"I got silk for our clothes from the spiders of the feet of the mountains," Eeto says. "I don't like spiders but I need the silk."
"You shouldn't fear something so small."
"They are creepy and have far too many legs."
"Where did you get the money to pay for help?" I ask.
"Orcs carry around many pieces of shiny metal," Reko says.
"We know little people like shiny things so we offer them," Eeto says.
"The orcs are easy to deal with when they wander away from their camps so gathering shiny metal is easy."
"The orcs are odd creatures and seem to be working with the evil men from the northern cities," Chief Tuokki says. "I do not know why the orcs are interested in the empty plains south of the dark land but they cause problems going through our home. I did not understand the use of the large wooden towers the orcs kept with them but now I see that you keep walls around your towns. Ordering them broken was a good idea."
"If they have siege weapons that means they are preparing to attack a town," I say.
"If they need them it will take time," Eeto says. "The towers can not move at this time."
"I think the orcs were dragging the towers," Reko says. "If that is how the towers move the number of orcs slain will slow them greatly."
"I worry more of the winged creatures than orcs that seem to hold little interest in us," Chief Tuokki says. "They seem far more dangerous than othe rlittle things we've come across."
"That is true but the group sent to the scout seemed to be able to deal with them," Eeto says. "They were able to deal with the leader of the creatures."
"They seemed to find little trouble from those enemies," Reko says. "They were able to take their time to gather fruits between fighting."
"That is true," Chief Tuokki says. "We should not spend too much time with our cousins though. I want to return home shortly."
"There are always adventurers headed north," I say. "Keep taking shiny metal from the orcs to pay them and they will continue to help with whatever you need."