"Oof!" exclaimed Taran as his hand thumped down on the table-top, rattling the mugs that were three-quarters full of ale. Luckily, nothing sloshed out.

Taran rubbed his bicep. "Damn. You beat me, fair and square," he said, glancing across the table to where his arm-wrestling opponent sat.

"It hardly seems fair that someone who is as fast as you is that strong. Didn't you best Odaban in a footrace just last week? And he is just a scrawny little runt who would get blown away by a stiff breeze."

"Must be my clean living," Lothar said with a chuckle. "Next time I go out on a hunt, come into the Wilds with me. It will give you a good workout. Do that often enough, and before too long you will be as quick and strong as me."

"Or more likely, 'twill get me eaten," Taran muttered darkly. "No thank you. I'm much more at home in the shield wall, with stout fellows on each side of me."

"Each to their own," Lothar said with a shrug.

"But speaking of getting eaten, I've heard some dark tidings about your Proving. I've got mine coming up before too long, as you know." Given his tone of voice, it seemed that Lothar might be fishing for information.

Taran shook his head. "You know the rules. I can't talk about what happened with anyone who did not go out on my Proving with me. Besides, they are all different. Yours will be completely different from mine, starting with you going to a different place than we did."

"It would be too easy if everyone went to the same place and did the same thing. In spite of the rules, sooner or later someone would talk, and then everyone would know what to expect."

"I suppose that's so," Lothar agreed.

Downing the remainder of his ale with a quick gulp, he rose to his feet. "Well, I must be off. I want to be on the trail before dawn tomorrow, and I need to make ready."

---

OOC: Lothar is well-tanned, with black hair and beard and brown eyes. He wears his hair long and his beard short.

He appears to be in his mid-twenties, stands right at six feet in height, and weighs in the range of 190-200 pounds.

I will address his equipment once he gains some, in-game. :)