From: bdavis@staccato.cray.com (Brent Davis  {67000 CF/DEV})
Subject: Kalendraf [Inn]: Dramic's Wager
Date: 12 Jan 93 13:04:04 CST

   Once inside, Dramic spotted an empty table, and he motioned for Kalendraf
to take a seat.  Then Dramic headed to the bar and tried to get the attention
of the barkeep.  Kal's eyes followed Dramic that far, and then began to survey
his new surroundings.  The Dragon's Inn was a busy place, as evidenced by the
fact that this was one of the last open tables.  As Kal panned the room, he
realized that not all the customers were human.  He was used to seeing elves,
dwarves and gnomes in his own world, but he was unaccustomed to seeing dark
elves and other monstrous creatures associate so freely with humans.  It also
became apparent that the construction of the inn provided over a dozen dimly
lit corners: each occupied by a shadowy figure.  Again he pondered, 'what
manner of people are these?'

   Cold wetness on his neck turned his question aside.  The snow on the
collar of his cloak had begun to melt from the warmth of the inn.  The cozy
comfort from the crackling fire brought some reassurance to Kalendraf that
this was indeed a safe place.  Smiling to himself, he was thankful that Dramic
had invited him on the tour of the city.   

   Kalendraf looked back to the bar in time to catch Dramic whispering
something into the bartender's ear.  The bartender shook his head a few times.
Then Dramic said something else, and finally both men agreed.  Dramic opened a
large leather pouch and proceeded to pay the bartender several coins.  Then he
turned and addressed the entire room.  "Good friends o' Generica, will ya join
me in a toast?  A toast to a man who has journeyed far to be with us tonight -
A toast to the man who saved the life of a Sea Mage - A toast to my good
friend, mista Kal!"

   Kalendraf was taken by surprise.  Dramic had offered some kind of toast in
his name, and now everyone in the room was looking at him.  Unsure what to do,
he stood up and bowed slightly, then returned to his seat.  He felt extremely
awkward being scrutinized by the entire bar, and he nervously twisted the clasp
on his cloak waiting for Dramic to come back.

   When he did return, Dramic was carrying two mugs.  "Try the local brew.
I think you'll like it."  The seaguard waited to see Kal's response to the
alcohol.  Kal picked up his mug and emptied it in almost no time.  "So you like
beer too.  Good!  Very good!  Now just hold on mista Kal, we're gonna make us
some money."

   Dramic took the empty mug back to the bar and handed it to the
bartender.  Then he turned and again addressed the bar.  "Good friends o'
Generica - no this isn't another toast, but a wager.  My good friend mista Kal
thinks he can drink a lot of beer.  I'm willing to wager some money in his
cause, if any o' you kind folk are interested."

   "So what's the wager?," shouted a heckler from one of the dark corners.

   "I'm glad you should ask.  How many pitchers do you think he can drink?,"
Dramic replied (as if on cue).

   "Three pitchers!" came the reply.

   "I'm willing to bet you 10 pieces o' gold (ADMIN: If this seems to high,
then reduce it to silver.) that he can drink more than that!," returned
Dramic.  "Any other takers?," he offered, turning to address the rest of the
inn.

   "I'll take that bet!," bellowed another customer.

   "So will I!," shouted another.

   "Four Pitchers!," injected yet another customer.

   "Four you say?  Well, to make this a fair bet, let's make it 3 to 2 against.
If he can't drink over 4 pitchers I'll pay 10, but if he does drink over 4 you
pay 15.  OK?"  Dramic looked calm and almost cocky running up the wagers.

   "I'm in!," replied that last customer.

   "We're all in!," chorused an entire table.

   "Five!" shouted a figure from another dim corner.

   "Five?  Remember good friends that this is a man, not a horse.  If I'm to
make this bet it'll have to be 2 to 1 against."

   "Then I'm in at five!" the figure answered.

   "Any other takers?," Dramic continued.
---
ADMIN: Well Pub'ers - jump in on the wagers if you like.  Since money isn't
much of a factor on a.p.d-i, don't worry about winning/losing your bets.
Dramic will go higher: 6 pitchers at 5 to 1, 7 pitchers at 10 to 1,
and 8 at 20 to 1.  My next post (target date of 1/17) will close off the
betting and start Kal on his binge.  By the way, Dramic paid Littlefair a
deposit to hold this contest.  If there isn't a big mess or a fight to clean
up after, Littlefair will return the money.
--
bdavis@cray.com
Cray Research, Inc.
Chippewa Falls, WI