Oathbreaker

X: The Warlock and her Patron

A large, burly man slammed his hand of cards down on the wooden table, jeering and boasting about his winning hand. The other men around the table cursed and frowned as the man gathered the money from the center of the table and put it near his other winnings. At a different table, a half-orc was challenged by a dwarf to an arm wrestle. They sat at their table and began their match. The dwarf, with the advantage of standing on his chair to reach the half-orc's arm, managed to pin his opponents hand against the table in seconds flat. The half-orc slammed the table and demanded a rematch, swearing that the dwarf had somehow cheated. At another table on the other side of the tavern, a man sat alone, a glass of powerful booze sat in his hand. He sipped from the hooch that burned his pallet and sulked. The tavern was filled with laughter and chatter, yet here he sat, alone and sad.

A red curtain raised up from a stage against the far wall of the tavern. There, sitting on a stool and holding a violin, sat a petite, beautiful woman. She had light brown hair, her face was scattered with prominent freckles, and her eyes were a piercing violet. She held her bow against the strings of the violin and the instrument began to sing. The notes she played barely made it to his ears above the tavern patrons chatter and merriment. He decided to move closer to the stage, maybe her music could keep him company as he drank himself away tonight. He found a table whose sole occupant was a clearly drunk, napping wood elf. He pulled up their chair next to the elf and focused in on the notes flowing from her violin. The first song she played was slow paced but cheerful sounding. The lonely man marveled at the beauty of the violin player. Her long locks of earth colored hair cascaded down and flowed over her shoulders. Her figure was tight yet curvy, and she wore a rather colorful wardrobe, which was typical for most bards you could find playing in taverns like this. Her face was mostly shrouded by the drab lighting of the tavern, but of the little bit of her face that was visible to the audience, it was only one upped by the sultry tones that flowed from the violin.

The woman began a second ballad. A slow, rhythmic amalgamation of notes echoed across the tavern as people had started to gather. The tavern patrons looked up from their games and mugs of ale, and crowded unorganized about the stage, listening to the soothing singing of the woman's violin. Men and women alike were lured to the stage as the woman played. A few people in the crowd began to sway and dance along to the notes as the player increased the tempo. Foots were tapping along on the wooden floor, a few men at a table near the stage seemed to recognize the song, and began singing lyrics in a foreign language. The woman rose from her stool walked closer to the edge of the stage, letting the notes she played grow louder as they bounced off the tavern walls and ceiling. Once again, she picked up the tempo of her song, her bow ripping across the strings and her fingers dancing across the fingerboard. Several people in the crowd danced along now, rising from tables and joining the group that were now swinging and cheering in a circle. The lonely man climbed onto the table where the sleeping elf lay his head and began to dance his own jig. His feet clattered on the empty tabletop, people below took from his example and began climbing on other tables. The room became a riot as other patrons started throwing mugs full ale and bottles of wine. A foot was stepped on in the dance circle, and the foot's owner responded with a stern fist to the person's face. A large brawl broke out in the circle, with several men throwing fists, kicks, tables and various other objects. The violin player played right along with the change in the crowd, playing louder and faster as the action increased. She carefully glided across the stage, stepping mere inches away from the edge and lifting her instrument in the air as she spun back away from the edge of the stage. She spun several times as the notes she played repeated a few measures. She then planted her feet on the stage and drew her bow across the strings once more, ending the song at its climax. She bowed toward the crowd, who erupted in cheers and applause. Even those who were brawling stopped their fighting to cheer for the woman. She stood proudly on the stage, lifting her instrument and bow into the air and grinning from ear to ear.