Entering Blackspell

[drpete]

As the weather warms up, you prepare to depart on your journey.  As the month of Sweetrain begins,supplies are assembled, goodbyes are said. You board the Avalonian ship Mer Mesta once the captain's other cargo is stored, and make yourselves at home among the haughty, blue skinned Avalonians.  It is not long before the ship heads out into the Estuary, leaving the City State behind.

For the next week, you travel along the wide river.  For days, you travel north along the river, with the orc-infested Dearthwood Forest on your left, and mountains off to the right. Eventually, the ship clears the Mouth of the river, and you head out into open water.  For the most part, you head west, staying within sight of the coast, which drifts lazily by. At one point, within sight of land, a group of sea elves swim up to the ship, offering to trade pearls for gold.  They ask for news of a Kraken, and warn you to be on guard, but the journey is otherwise largely uneventful.

Eventually, the ship turns north, and a few days later, rounds a spur of land and enters a large bay.  The ship hugs the south side of the bay, and you see that the land is largely wild, covered with light forest.  You settle into a cove by a fresh water stream for the night. On the second day in the large Bay, you pass a ramshackle village at the mouth of a river.  The forest along the coast grows much denser as you continue along.  Later that day, you spot another village along the coast, and start to see small fishing boats.

As night is falling, you reach your destination, the halfling village of Blackspell, where you are greeted by a welcoming committee of a harbor master and a troop of little guards. They look you, your gear and your horses, already being unloaded by the Avalonians, and the harbormaster asks you the nature of your business in Blackspell.

[The-Dungeon-Shaker]

Minos Torak, fighter.

The gigantic warrior walks off the ship and looks around, slightly surprised by the welcoming committee. He waves at the halfling guards and turns to the harbormaster.

"Don't worry...master. We're travellers from the city-state, and we hope to explore these lands full, as we heard, of hidden treasures and mysteries. For now, we're just looking for a warm place to spend the night. A decent meal wouldn't hurt too, and we'll pay with good gold. We probably won't bother you for long."

That said, Minos helps the Avalonians unloading, meanwhile keeping an eye on his stuff.

[drpete]

The harbor master looks over the horses coming off the ship. "There's an import duty of 1 gp per horse. I make it what, 10 horses? Stable is up that way. There are two inns in town. The 'Old Troll' will be rowdy, especially with a ship in port, and cots for your men. The 'Golden Ale' tavern is a little nicer. You you'll find private rooms, and the food is much finer." He holds out a hand, clearly expecting Minos to give him some money.

[Rodriguez]

[color=#]Pay the man Ludwig. [/color]
Says Damiane while walking down the plank as gracefully as she can. She already changed into her silk gown, making her look like some noble women of the city states. "I think we best stay in the Golden Ale then and make sure oir horses sre well cared for."
Yes, lady Xiphilinos. replies her scarred and bald headed companion,

[drpete]

The harbormaster takes the money, and directs a pair of young halflings to lead you to the stables and the Inn. (if you want to add anything, feel free)

You are clearly out in a much simpler place than the City State. The paths through the town are simple dirt roads, muddy from the spring rain. The town proper is up on a bluff overlooking the harbor, so you head up a steep hill to get to your inn. The town has many halflings in it, and you see that many of the houses are carved out of the ground, but there are also many man sized structures, and you see a mix of humans and little people going about their business.

The stable is run by an old man with a handful of stable boys. He appears to be of Tharbrian origin, possibly an old warrior or explorer. Tharbrians are nomadic horse people, and you can tell that this stable can house many more horses than are currently stabled here. Stabling your horses here will cost 5 sp per day for the riding horses, or 1 gp for the warhorses. A little on the expensive side, but they will be well cared for.

The inn is a much simpler affair. It may be fancy by local standards, but it's a step down from what you are used to. The proprietor offers a decent meal of lamb and potatoes with a decent ale for 2 gp. Rooms have stuffed straw mattresses, and go for 1 gp per night. There aren't enough rooms for the men, but they can sleep on cots in the common area for 5 sp per night. Cheaper weekly rates are available.

[drpete]

The arrival of the large group sends a buzz through the inn as all eyes turn toward them for a moment.  The patrons seem to be a mix of mercants and relatively well off townspeople, with a mix of halflings and men.  The proprietor, a halfling named Porto Plum, comes over and sees to your needs.  After seeing your gear stowed, you settle in for some food, the PCs and henchmen at one table, the  soldiers at another.

You see a group of Tharbrian nomads at one table making a fair amount of noise. The best dressed of them, a dark haired, middle aged man, is telling the others a story that seems to have the others laughing at the expense of one of the younger men. They are likely a merchant or head man and his guards.

A group of well dressed halflings, 4 men and 2 women, are enjoying a post dinner smoke and playing cards.

At a table in the back, a man in a mages cassock is sitting with a group of halflings, talking quietly.

The bar has a variety of people at it, including a group of three attractive women who keep casting glances toward the party, especially Minos and Ludwig, and smiling.

(You guys are all at the inn. Now might be a good time to introduce yourselves. If you want to head out toward an objective you already know about, or find out about the local area, or look for local adventure, let me know. There is stuff to do here, but it will likely be less "epic" than the stuff you already know about.

As your boat was coming this way, you saw some villages that would be within a day or two's ride to the east, but not much other civilization was visible along the south coast of the bay.

This is a market town, so there will be merchants from various locations relatively nearby coming and going, and information is there to be had.)

[granger44]

That evening a man with dirty blond hair and a slightly darker beard and moustache quickly introduces himself to group. "Heard there was some new blood in town. Name's Lucius. I make my living helping groups go out into the wilderness surrounding Blackspell. I'd love to sign on with a group who's going out for an equal share."

[Rodriguez]

Damiane rents the common room for her guard, one room for herself and one for Ludwig.

A real pleasure to meet you... Lucius. I am Damiane Xiphilinos of Koro, Daughter of Vitula VII though for you, you can just call me Damiane though. says Damiane with a lascivious smile while holding out her hand, palm facing down. So... You are currently without a group mmm? What happend with the last one? she adds after a while with a chilly undertone.

[granger44]

Lucius smiles politely at Damiane and gives her hand a brief brush of his lips. At her question, Lucius responds The last group I escorted out had no business being out in the wilderness. I believe they were searching for some ruin or another in that direction, though they tried to be cagey about it. Despite my efforts to...educate and help them, after a few days of trying to push northward, they turned back. Lucius then adds Thankfully or they'd have probably not lasted, or worse, gotten me killed.

[The-Dungeon-Shaker]

"Cute."

Minos salutes Lucius.

"Well met, traveller. I am Minos Torak, a stranger in these lands, and, like you, I'm looking for adventure. Share a meal with us, and we might agree on an exciting destination. For now, I'm hungry like I've never been before."

With a nod of the head, he invites Heraclides at the table, and smiles at the young women at the bar.

[drpete]

Seeing Minos' invitation, the women head over to the table.  One, a blonde Skandic (Viking) woman kneels at his feet and puts a hand of his leg, smiling and looking for attention.  The other women look for an opening to sit with you.

The captain of the ship the group came in on, a blue skinned Avalonian named Godric enters and sits down at the table of halfling merchants, greeting them. After a moment, the halflings look over at you, then go back to their conversation with Godric.

[drpete]

The girls well settle in with the mercenaries, unless one of you is interested. After finishing their food, one of them comes over to this table "Lady, if you won't be needing our services this evening, we'd like to go explore the town with these ladies. They say there's fun to be had down by the docks."

One of the halfling merchants comes over and introduce himself "How do you do. My name is Rego Gamblas. My friend over there tells me you might be looking for work. I need some men to clear out a crab's nest, and protect my divers. If you don't mind getting your feet wet, it's honest work...?"

[The-Dungeon-Shaker]

Minos shows to the Skandic woman the chair next to him. As the mercenaries leave, he hands 50 gold pieces to Heraclides.

"Have fun with them, my friend, if you will. Just be ready at dawn, as usual."

Later, when the halfling merchant has spoken...

"Getting our feet wet? I guess it would not kill us, even if I'm done with water. How many crabs do you want us to defeat, and how much are you willing to pay, Rego Gambas? Ah, a prawn named Gambas, is that for real?"

[Rodriguez]

Damiane nods as she gets asked by one of her guard.
Its been a long voyage and another long one is ahead of us.
and with that she hands him 12 gold for the group.
Just keep your wits together, all of you. These short ones are not to be trusted.

As the the merchant comes over and asks for protection Damiane raises one eyebrow slightly and puts on a you-got-to-be-kidding face. Crabs? she asks if she wasnt sure to hear it right. She doesnt wait for an answer though and while massaging her forehead softly with her fingers she addresse Ludwig.
I am not feeling well, I will retire for today, it was a long journey. You handle that.
She says before heading off to her room.

Ludwigs mood worsened noticably with that, staring at the merchant and waiting for him to answer Minos.

[drpete]

The halfling looks after the lady as she departs. "I didn't mean to offend you fine folk. It's honest work, I swear! I've lost a diver, and one's lost his hand to a colony of crabs just down the coast! Looks like they've moved their hunting ground, and now my divers are in danger. They might be hard to clear out, but I'll offer your crew ... 500 gold if you can wipe them out....?" Seeing Ludwig's skepticism, he adds "Plus, crab is tasty. We'll have a feast! They're really big!" Then he shrugs.

The girl on Minos' arm orders a drink and tries to turn his attention to her.

I added a map that combines your knowledge of the area... The towns you passed on the boat ride are marked, as are some local terrain features that Lucius is aware of.

If you guys want to do the crab hunt, that's cool. If you want juicier local opportunities, we can jump forward a bit if you want to look around for that kind of thing. You also have a number of non local opportunities to choose between if you just want to get on the road... The elf villages, the crypt map, the ruined city, etc. They are not all in the same direction. You may want to discuss a plan. There are also 3 other PCs who may pop up here in town whenever they are ready.

[Rodriguez]

A feast hmmm?
Ludwig rubs over a small scar on his nose.
How big are they actually? Are they like crab-people? Do they live on the land?

[PyroArrow]

I am willing to do the Crab hunt!, says Erico Caravallino.

[The-Dungeon-Shaker]

"You seem all enthusiastic about it, friends, and so am I. A hunt is all I'm looking for, especially if there's gold to be earned in the end!", Minos roars.

"We'll just need to convince Damiane that this errand is a good opportunity for us adventurers. But this is a story for another day, for now I am retiring to my room. Will you join me, beautiful Lady?"

The warrior offers his hand to the skandic woman and heads to his room.

[drpete]

"Oh, the crabs are big... The size of, well... dogs, I guess. They live in the water, which is what makes them so dangerous for my pearl divers." says the halfling. "They seem to have moved into the pearl beds when the water warmed up this year. The water isn't too deep, only 20-30 feet. You should have no trouble, if you're good swimmers."

The man sitting in the corner, wearing a mages cassock stands up and comes over, declaring "Eric Caravallino is willing to do the crab hunt!"

Minos becomes enthusiastic about the opportunity, and heads off to bed with his me lady friend, leaving Erico, Ludwig and Lucius together with the halfling.

"Great! I'll see you in the morning, then...?"

[drpete]

Not long thereafter, everyone heads of to bed, agreeing to see each other in the morning.

In the morning, the cavalrymen and the cleric are there, having had a night on the town with the ladies, courtesy of their benefactors. They report that they visited the Old Troll, down by the docks, which was much rowdier than this halfling establishment.

From there, they went to a barn called the Myriadrome, which featured giant centipede races. They found that they weren't very good at picking winners, but they didn't get in any trouble. They report that there's a market for healthy giant centipedes to act as racers, and that they ran into an elf that might be stopping by here this morning.

After you've had your breakfast, the halfling merchant from the previous night shows up, hoping you are still interested in helping him with his crabs.