Atal shares a look with Uthal, then makes his way over to the bar, joining the others.  "Give me some cider if you got it.  Not too hard, I'm feeling wimpy tonight," he calls out to the bartender.  When his drink is delivered, he raises an eyebrow, thumbing at the chair, and the objects scattered around it.  "What was that all about?" he asks the bartender, thumbing at the chair as if he had no clue what was going on.  (His 'Nack' had gotten up and walked away, and was now standing idly outside the lodge, picking his nose.)  "... And what's with the pile of winged creatures barbecuing outside?"

The cloaked bartender accepted the coin for the room, and pointed behind himself with his thumb, "Number 4, out back." However, he left the 10 gold where it lay on the bar counter. "Depends what is it, you all want to know?" He said now eyeing the group as it formed around the counter. Holding a cider out for Atal, he shortly said "three copper" as he awaited further as to the specifics of what the group was searching for.

He let out another single breath laugh as Atal inquired about the chair and the bonfire of bodies. "Convienently enough. They're related. I take it you're not from around here, given the questions. Any of you familiar with the Castle of Aaaaargh?"

While the cloaked man spoke to the party, Nik and Nack both stepped back from the bar, each with a drink in hand, having consumed all the others. And had since begun to dance while singing "I AM A DWARF AND IM DIGGING A HOLE. DIGGY DIGGY HOLE. DIGGY DIGGY HOLE." While other lyrics were involved, it seemed to consist primarily of those lines.

As Uthal specifically approached the bar, following Atal, the gnoll turned his attention from Current, and began sniffing towards Uthal.

Uthal takes notice of the gnoll but does nothing about it, looking at Nack and considering whether it's worth getting the real one pelted.

Austin shrugs to the dwarf. "I don't think he has anything I need to know about." Austin says as she leans her hip against the bar. "Viggo is with these royals we are hunting you see. If I am to find him I only have to continue on as we have been. Sure that ranger there could give me background information on Viggo himself, likely why he started down this path he is on, and such things, but I dont really care why he turned evil you see, so it doesn't matter that much to me to dig further. Certainly not worth enough to give ensentive for such information."

Current looks confused at the man that is making advances on her and just shakes her head, "I think I already have some company," Current gestures to the group, "but thanks for the offer." She clearly misunderstands the man's intentions but thinks nothing of it as she continues on to join the group at the bar.

"Vaguely," Atal replies to the bartender, scratching his ear.  "I heard there were monsters in there.  That they attacked Midgar recently.  That city sure seemed to be in shambles, so maybe it's true.  I love a good story, so tell me the tale," he says with a grin.

At Atal's request, the man begins the tale, looking between the members of the party whom seemed to be paying attention, as they stand around the bar. "Beasts certainly. Monsters, perhaps to some. Though I doubt they laid waste to the city. It's been common knowledge in these parts that for decades the old castle was home to bats of unusual size.  Whatever attacked Midgar was something else entirely, though it could have accounted for the increased sightings of the beast on the road months back." The cloaked man rubbed his chin, lost in thought for a second as though his mind was compartmentalizing something for later contemplation.

"Well, anyways, those who come to this Lodge brings tales and trophies of hunts for more than just simple game, they also hunt beasts and creatures of the dark. There was this low nobleman, I'd say about eight or nine years ago, from Cathaan. When I say low nobleman, i mean barely, like the lord of some town with less than a handful of buildings and some farms. His name escapes me. 'Gastione' or something of the like. So he comes along boasting and bragging about all the hunts he'd been on and beasts he'd killed. Even had a song about how amazing he was and brought antlers and rugs and hides, a few stuffed animals. He stuck around for a good three or four months. And he made himself at home." The cloaked bartender then pointed past the party to the fireplace and the large empty chair.
"The bastard even commissioned that chair be built as a testament to his achievements. I allowed it because he also paid to have the fireplace built, and I didn't mind because he had the coin. Well eventually his stories got the best of him. A couple hunters challenged him, challenged his word that he'd ever killed anything and ousted him in front of a full house one night because some of his 'trophies' had been ones those hunters had sold to the same shop the nobleman bought them from."

As he continued the story, the gnoll began slowly inching his head towards Uthal. Still on the other side of the counter and several feet away, the creature was far from invading Uthal's personal space, but the movements appeared direct. The gnolls nostrils flared as he took in whiffs of air from Uthal's direction.

"Now the nobleman's honor and manhood for that matter questioned, embarrassed in front of everyone, he swore he would prove his worth. He was going to take anyone that wanted to come along down to the Castle of Aaaaargh, so they could witness him single-handedly find and kill the biggest bat in the place; the great beast in the castle, he called it...long story short, that did not happen. He managed to find it, the largest of the bats, one that stood out from the rest. But in trying to escape, the beast chased him to the top of the castle, and he ended up falling and killing himself. And his chair over there," he said nodding in its direction once more. "a testament to the biggest damn fool that ever came through here."

The man saw the gnoll's attention it was giving to Uthal, but continued on with the story, as if it was not necessarily something to be concerned about.

"Now where that burning pile out front comes into the story is that a few weeks back, the Arbitrator of Midgar had a large crew take explosives out to the Castle of Aaaaargh and destroy it. Nothing but a pile of rubble now, and no word as to why. But with the Castle destroyed, it forced a hell of a lot of giant bats out in the open. So much so that everyone that came through he brought multiple corpses to barter with as trophies. If it was another beast, maybe that could do, but not giant bats. They're bones are lightweight and brittle, their fur is rough and coarse, their hides begin breaking down as soon as they die, and their meat is tainted. There's no use for them. So hence the large pile being disposed of so we don't just have dead bats laying everywhere."

Uthal finally deems to pay attention to the gnoll's advances. "It's armor, made from rabbit hide. Sturdy but a bit under my usual needs. You want it, 10 gold. That's the exact price I paid for it. Worn once, no damage, been in my bag since."

Atal nods.  "I can imagine.  And the stench, of everyone bringing them here... gods, you poor man."  Atal flips him another 2 copper, in thanks for the telling of the story.  "So have eager trophy-hunters managed to take care of most of the bat problem, or do they still plague the countryside from time to time?  Specifically, out there, on a night like tonight," Atal say, tilting his head over towards the communal campground.   "Nothing worse than to have your traveling camp broken up by monster-sized guano."

Austin listens to the story, but, again, does not see how it relates to her search for Viggo. She remains quiet.

"Plague is strong. But the swarm certainly scattered. If you're going to be traveling, you may run across a..." The cloaked barman's attention was slowly drawn from speaking to Atal, and drifted towards the gnoll. The creature's feet still planted where they were, but he was leaving forward towards Uthal, saliva now pouring from the corners of his mouth. 

Seemingly having not heard Uthal's words to the gnoll though now giving the goliath his full attention, the man addressed Uthal. "Any chance you have a decaying animal or part of your body is rotting away? Never seen Wulf look so hungry."

"I'm travelling with those two dwarves so likely my brain." Uthal replies in a flat tone. "I've already told him, it's a set of rabbit hide armor, only used it once. He wants it, 10 gold and its his. That's what I paid for it, so I think that's a fair price."

"Rabbit hide armor?" He responded to Uthal skeptically. "Don't imagine it's very durable. If it's something you're looking to unload, let's take a look."

"Across a...?" Atal prompts, eyebrow raised.

Uthal pulls out the armor.

"Uh..a few of the beasts." The barman said referencing the conversation about the giant bats, quickly turning back to Atal before looking upon the odd hide armor that Uthal first purchased when arriving in Cathaan. It seemed like a patchwork of pelts and hides stitched together more so than common hide armor, but did the job all the same.

As Uthal removed it from his gear, the foul odor of the thing, in all its glory, spread outward, noticably impacting those who stood nearby. While some looked towards the party curious of what was generating the smell, the general consensus was simply moving away. Even Nik and Nack stopped dancing and singing, backing away at first, but soon crowding on either side of Uthal to see, both holding their noses.

A slightly different reaction can from the gnoll that the barman referred to as Wulf, as it lunged its face at the thing, snapping it's jaws. However a quick reaction seemed to abruptly halt Wulf. The barman flicked his wrist in a quick backhanded motion, a slight whitish glow coming from a metal band around the wrist. The same glow emitted from the metal collar worn about the gnoll's neck, as Wulf suddenly, almost forcibly, snapped back, standing straight up. Wulf seemed to strain against an invisible force holding him in place.

The barman pulled the armor across the counter, towards him, examining it, even getting his face closer than any other person likely would care to risk. The wildest part of the display was when he physically licked at a tuft of the hair on the armor, before setting it down.

"Ten gold?" He said, rubbing his chin. "It's a deal."

The barman places a stack of ten gold coins on the counter and slides it over to Uthal.

"You've been carrying that stinking thing all of this time?" Austin says with a wrinkling of her nose. She shakes her head in bafflement, and turns away as the barkeep hands over the coins. "Likely best being rid of the thing, as it'll be easier to sneak around when not having a rancid pile of furs in your pack..."

Uthal shrugs after picking up the coins. "No matter how it smelled it was functional armor. It could still serve its purpose. My people do not rid ourselves of useful things lightly."

The barman watched Uthal take the gold, before picking the armor up off the counter. 

((Uthal remove 'Old Rabbit' Hide Armor from inventory and add 10 gold))

"The odor could be a small sacrifice for what nature's oddities can do." The barman nodded towards Wulf, hinting that he was referring to more than just the armor. He then carried the armor away, eventually out of sight.

The dwarfs flanking Uthal had been watching the goliath pocket the coin. "Buy us drinks." Nack blurted out. "Or better, Nack, we can show him how to make more." Nik addressed his brother before turning up towards Uthal, "We found out about you. Uthal the Destroyer. Fighter in the Maiden's arena. They have brawling here too, you know." Nik's voice was sing-songy as if he thought his words would be inticing to Uthal.

"Uthal the Destroyer?  Who'd you kneecap last time?  You know what, probably better I don't ask."  Atal instead turns his attention to Anaeris and Austin.  "So you two.  Did you get us 'rooms' here?  Are there any rooms to be had in this place without walls?  Anything interesting happen?  You heard just as much as I did about the bats on the barbecue outside."