[The X Phial]

The feast was well underway when Tane found Borgand. The latter was a practicer of restraint, and so was only on his second glass of wine, though a number of the settlers and even the rangers were well into their cups by this time. The food was excellent, helped of course by the best spice of all, the hunger of a long day's work.

"Borgand, we need to talk about some important things," the ranger started, interrupted by a burst of laughter from a nearby table.

The one-legged man smiled at his counterpart. "Tane! I'm glad you could make it! Here, have some of this venison steak, it's fresh and cooked to perfection."

Tane smiled a bit, and sat down, but did not eat anything. "Borgand, this is important. Things are insecure here. I walked into the settlement with nary a challenge after dark! Do you know how dangerous that is?"

Borgand sobered. "Yes, of course I do. I didn't realise it was quite that bad, but with so many of our soldiers engaged in building and hunting I guess we are stretched a little too thin."

He looked around at his soldiers, mostly well past the level of useful sobriety, and sighed. Real improvements would have to start in the morning. For now, he could pull maybe 5 of these men to beef up the patrol in addition to the 10 he had asked not to drink heavily so they could relieve their brethren halfway through the celebration.

He turned to the ranger, "I will send out some more men as soon as the prizes have been announced. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Oh, that reminds me, would you like to announce your prize yourself?"

"No...no, thank you. I'm not much of a public speaker. I have these tokens from the trading post for the winning team. Kaben will give out 25 silver pennies worth of goods for each. I hope that is acceptable."

Borgand's eyes widened, he had no idea the rangers could afford to be so generous.

"Oh, yes, that's an excellent prize, Tane. You are very generous," he was quick to assure him.

He stood and knocked his now empty plate against the table to get the attention of the crowd. All through the hall songs, stories and conversations slowly died down so people could hear Borgand speak. A whispered undertone continued though, excited voices wondering what would come next. Borgand cleared his throat.

"Well, we all know why we're here tonight, to celebrate the completion of this hall, " he paused for the cheers to die down, " and also to honour our hunters on both teams who have made this feast and many future meals possible!" There was a louder and longer cheer this time, and Borgand could not help but smile as he noticed several of the settlement's hunters blush in pleasure. "And so, without further ado, we will announce the winners and declare the prizes." This time the cheering was short and to the point. Everyone wanted to know what the prizes would be, and at least one of the winners was still a mystery.

Borgand continued, "Now, the prize for the first catch comes from the settlement, and so it is my pleasure to announce that the ranger team will be receiving in appreciation a barrel of Gondorian wine, brought all the way with us from the wineries of the South! They can share their prize as they wish amongst themselves, or choose to share it with others, but the barrel is yours, gentlemen!" He bowed to the ranger team, mostly sitting together on one side of the room and was pleased to note that the cheering from the settlers was appreciative and friendly in general. The wine was very valuable, and people would be sorry to see it go, but no one really begrudged the winners a decent prize. He added, playfully, "We just ask that you not drink it all tonight!" This produced a laugh and broke up some of the remaining tension people might be feeling over losing.

Borgand raised his arms for silence once again and the crowd grew a little less rowdy. He smiled at his people, proud of them for their generosity and their strength. He winked at Illith, who was holding a sleeping Bregand in her arms, and continued.

"As many of you know, the ranger's leader Tane has generously added another prize to the mix. There is skill in finding a herd, and there is skill in capturing the most game; and so we decided on an additional prize for the team that brought in the most! I am pleased to announce that talliers from both sides have agreed that the settler team brought in more game!" This time the cheer was almost deafening and rung through the hall for a full two minutes.

Borgand raised his arms for silence once again. "Tane has provided a most excellent prize for the winners. Each member of the team will receive one token for the trading post worth 25 silver pennies!"

A racous cry went up and Borgand could hear men around the hall calling for toasts to Tane and the rangers. He looked at Tane, glad things had worked out so well, and then caught Calumdril's eye. The Ithillien was pleased, but restrained. He had overheard the conversation about security, and Borgand could see that was torn between the feast and organizing some sort of patrol. He smiled at his friend and hoped he would stay in the feast just a little bit longer. If anyone deserved a break, it was Calumdril.

He raised his voice again, "Winners should come and find me before the end of the feast to collect their prizes. And now, back to the food!"

He got no argument from the crowd, and singing and laughter erupted around the room once again. The feast was over for Borgand, however. He had men to find, a patrol to organize, and fears to allay. He sighed...leaders never get a day off.