“How have I been?” she said finishing her drink and letting her eyes rove the ceiling as she leant back in her seat.<br/><br/>“Well … Just the usual”, she said a hand sliding back to axe and almost caressing its haft, “Caravan duty mostly.  Boring stuff.   More fights amongst the guards than with bandits.  Oh!  there was a time or two when Snigger had more of a feast than a snack.  Nothing that wasn’t more messy than challenging.”<br/><br/>“There was of course the time …” she said her eyes going back and forth between her companions, “When I had to head through the Draggut mountains.  Unexpectedly, you understand … a misunderstanding over a dice game. Nothing serious.  Still I left hastily and the Dragguts offered the quickest way home.”<br/><br/>“Stupid horse”, she muttered recalling another beast that had failed her.<br/><br/>“Wellll, “she continued snagging one of the other tankards she had brought over, “I ended up on foot and after a chat with a troll I thought I’d try out a short cut under the mountains.  Goblins, hobgoblins, strange pasty white fish men. “<br/><br/>“It was dusty work”, she said as she sipped.<br/><br/>“The trail kept getting deeper, and I was running low on provisions.  The underworld has little in the way of respectable food.   I was even forced to burning that smelly muck they use as fuel in my lantern.  Ruined it!  Damned goblins!  But at last it seemed I was gong in the right direction.  The cave floors flattened out and even seemed to rise a little.   Occasionally I could feel a breeze on my face instead of at my back.  I was feeling pretty good just then, food and water was low, but I knew I could make it now.”<br/><br/>“Then I found myself walking in to a cavern a big one.  The air here was both fresher, a definite breeze could be felt, but also a burning stench unlike anything I had smelt before.  I limbered old Snigger and head in.  what choice did I have?  I caught a gleam of something, and then more.  One, two and more sparkles appeared.  The closer I got the more it gleamed.  The closer I got the more it stunk.”<br/><br/>“He he he”, she giggled girlishly, “A dragons hoard! What luck I thought!  Right here in front of me for the taking!  I stopped a moment and took stock, loosing a sack from my pack and making sure everything else was tied down and ready for quiet, and quick, in and out.”<br/><br/>Brynhildar sat back a smile on her face as she sipped her ale.<br/><br/>“So what’s the story her Vahn?”, she said<br/>