"Death Spirit Grog"
by Viv

The lounge door opened, and two female empaths tottered in, looking a little the worse for wear. They paused, gathering breath, and gestured. Instantly their bodies took on a renewed appearance, and they began chattering and laughing. They plopped down onto the overstuffed sofa after grabbing some snacks from the table.

"...and then she took ANOTHER dobek, and this guy came in and said, 'Do ya need any help?' and she was like, 'Uh, am I on the ground?' She was so irritated," one woman said.

"Oh, Naiyo," laughed the other one. "We both know your sister has a history of taking on things she shouldn't. Even if she WERE in trouble, she'd never say."

The empath with the chicken leg in her hair grinned at her friend and responded, "Yeah I know, but still...she's been making camp in those grounds for how long now? But ya know, Vivi," she continued as she wandered back toward the table, "that's all part of who she is."

"I know," Viv sighed. "But she really should be more careful. Speaking of careful," she continued, as Naiyo took a drink from her glass and fell to the floor, "you really should be sitting when you drink that stuff. Even your sister could have told you that."

Naiyo peered quizzically at Viv. Viv blinked in surprise at Naiyo.

"She never told you?"

Naiyo shook her head.

"Oh gah. Sit down, you need to hear this story." Viv patted the sofa. Naiyo shook her head to clear the dizziness and then scooted over to the sofa. Curled up, she took a much smaller sip from her mug of Death Spirit grog.

Viv was silent for a few moments, smiling slightly while she gazed into some distant memory. Her long fingers gently toyed with the gold locket that hung about her throat. Then her gaze cleared, and her eyes focused again on Naiyo. She flashed a blinding smile.

"Death Spirit Grog first made an appearance at my wedding. Vratt created it in honor of our Best Man and Maid of Honor, your sister, Stephania."

Viv managed to barely duck the sprinkling of grog as Naiyo began to choke. After a few pats on the back, Naiyo rasped, "Go on."

"Well," continued Viv, "Stephania has always had a tendency to hunt in places she knows she really shouldn't be. Rock trolls when she has the skills and know-how for wood trolls, fire sprites that remove her arm in a single swing...and then she found out about Death Spirits." Viv rolled her eyes.

"She must have just graduated from her fifteenth year of Paladin instruction at that point, and she became obsessed with Death Spirits. She knew she wasn't ready...she used to go in, hack at them once or twice, and then jump out again. It was almost like she was taunting them, saying 'Here I am, come an get me if you dare!' A few times, it was a challenge she lost."

Viv chuckled. "A few times she took me or Vratt with her. Oy! Those were interesting adventures. By the time the day of my wedding was being planned, Stephania had made camp in Death Spirits...much as she has now on Ratha."

Naiyo nodded.

"At that time, weddings were conducted in such a way that the wedding package included wedding outfits for the bride and groom and two members of the wedding party. Since Stephania was serving as both Maid of Honor and Best Man, the final outfit was divided amongst the rest of our wedding party. Many of the items we wished to use for the wedding we had already purchased separately, so some of the items requested as part of our package were to be used during the reception and the honeymoon trip. We..." Viv noted the glazed look in Naiyo's eyes and flapped her hands.

"Ah well, back to the grog story. See, when your sister was working with the designers for her outfit, she requested a special set of boots. She wanted grog boots, ones that would make a hollow sound when she walked and would have a small pocket where she could keep a supply of blood grog, her favorite drink at the time. She laughingly referred to them as her Death Spirit Grog boots, because when things got too hairy for her in the mists, she'd be able to pause and toss back a drink.

"She was bitterly disappointed when she was told that the cobbler did not have the skill to create the subtleties she wished for, and rather than accept a modified version, she elected to eliminate them entirely from her list. Aware of her disappointment, and being the one arranging things with our caterer, Vratt spent several days in deep discussion. He wouldn't tell me what he was up to, but I could see him working late at night, stirring and mixing. Then, one day near to our marriage date, he had me take a sip of this." Viv waved her hand toward the table and the barrel of grog.

"Needless to say, it knocked me on my rear. And standing not so far above me was my beaming halfling groom, who announced, 'I'm calling it Death Spirit Grog and we're having it at our wedding.' Guess I wasn't arguing with that."

Naiyo and Viv exchanged grins.

"So after the wedding ceremony, the reception tent opened, and there was the punch bowl full of Death Spirit Grog, sitting right next to the wedding cake and the bowl of sugar-dipped strawberries. It was an instant hit with the guests, and several people stashed some for later. Occasionally, it has been found at other events, but the recipe was always somewhat rare. Now, almost twelve years later, the grog has resurfaced. I am certain that there are few who know where it came from. But I know. Stephania knows. And now," Viv smiled, "so do you."