Hope's Rest

[archolewa]

May 1st Rappan Athuk Campaign Year 1

Hope's Rest sits right on the northern border of the Empire, on the southwestern corner of the Scar Sea. The sea is so named because the long and narrow body of water and its jagged coastline looks like a great scar on the map. The Coast Road starts at Hope's Rest, and winds its way north, into a no-man's land between the unified Empire and the fragmented nations and tribes of the North. This no-man's land is known locally solely as The Wilderness. No other name is necessary to send a shiver down the locals' spines. For somewhere lurking in that wilderness lay the entrances to the great, terrible fortress-temple of Rappan Athuk. A horrific place dug out of the earth by hideous followers of Orcus, one of the greatest Demon Lords serving Conflagration, when they were driven from their old temples by the Army of Light.

Evil emanates from that place. It corrupts the Wilderness, and draws terrible monsters to it. Monsters of evil and destruction answering the dread call of Rappan Athuk.

And so, Hope's Rest is a border town, and a heavily fortified one. Great walls surround it. Imperial soldiers are ubiquitous. They man the walls. They guard the surrounding farm land. They even venture on patrols up and down the Coast Road.

Large, heavily armed merchant caverns come down to Hope's Rest from the North, unload their goads, load up some more and head back North once again. Heavily armed bands of adventurers periodically come through, seeking to plump the rich depths of Rappan Athuk, or drive the evil away at last. Far, far fewer return, though some extremely lucky few return with fabulous treasure.

It is a bustling town, boasting a barracks for training, a large temple dedicated to Jupiter and his Pantheon, a smaller temple dedicated to Odin and his celestial vassals, and even a small temple ducked away where come those few followers of Zeus and his pantheon.

A barracks sits on the western side of town, offering training to those interested in combat. Rumors abound of a thieves guild, working the heavily armed caravans while they are exhausted from their long, dangerous trek, or seeking to slink away with the plunder of Rappan Athuk that someone else fought so fiercely for.

Randall Smithson, Martin Trismegist, Ingulfr, and Hektor along with their other companions, stand just inside the southern walls. They each had joined a large caravan making its way from the west to Hope's Rest. During the trip they met, they spoke, they learned of a shared goal: the terrible depths of Rappan Athuk.

And now, they stand on the cusp of that dark dungeon's twisted environs, planning their first move.

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

The man cracked his neck, looking around - "Here we are" - he nodded to the others with that hint of a smile that always seemed to play at the corner of his lips. He was tall and broad shouldered, unshaven with unruly brown hair and bright brown eyes. His gear looked pretty well worn but more than serviceable.

"My throat is parched, so I say we find a place to clear the dust of the road, and learn what we might learn" - he suggested.

[Ythgar]

Randall

Randall nods.
”Let’s find a drink and see what folks are talking about. And watch yer pockets.”

Randall will particularly watch for signs of thieves or the guild as they search for a watering hole.

[Rex]

Ingulfr

Ingulfr looks over the walls, scanning for weaknesses. Looking like the wolf he is named for, a predator among prey.

"Ulfr and I shall go to the temple of Odin first and then after we have said our peace we will join you. Please send word where you are once you have chosen. Be cautious but inquisitive, learn everything we can here as our lives likely depend on it."

[archolewa]

Ingulfr and Ulfr peel off and head towards the simple, elegant and fortress-like temple of Odin, while the others continue on their way through the muddy streets.

Randall notes a few ruffians, street kids and other n'er-do-wells who briefly eye the group before turning their attention elsewhere. Likely, they recognized the group as being far too dangerous, and far too short of coin and supplies, to be worth bothering with.

Before long, the group finds a tavern called Hope's Wink, with a sign of a simple, but cute and freckled redhead winking at the passer-bys.

Inside, they find a tavern bustling with men and women of various degrees of armed and armored, laughing, gambling, arguing and just getting on with living. Likely a favorite amongst caravan guards and adventurers foolish enough to challenge Rappan Athuk. Serving girls hurry amongst tables, surprisingly unmolested. Likely due to a pair of female half-orc guards standing on either side of the door, and watching the patrons closely. They give the group a quick lookover as they enter, but neither say anything nor move to impede their progress.

Women they may have been, but tall and powerfully built as any male half-orc. Heavy cudgels rest at their hips, and they wear thick gambesons leather armor basically.

Rex, your adventure will continue in the thread Hope's Rest: Odin's Temple: viewtopic.php?t=14408

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

The man moves inside with a nod at the guards - he heads for the bar, hoping to grab the attention of the tender and get four ales for the group, or maybe a pitcher.

"We are also looking for information" - he will add with a smile when/if the situation presents itself - "Gossip about Hope's Rest, and directions to Rappan Athuk"

Unless we already know it.
Off the top of my head, looking for info on:
- Rumours
- Location of RA from here
- Maps (a map of the region would be nice)
- Perhaps some of the way we can do as part of a traveling caravan (if there are any of those), gain some extra coins or safety in numbers.
- Was also thinking we might want to pool resources for a light bearer? I know this is always a big pain - who holds the torch, etc

[rredmond]

Martin & Iacchus

The magic user and young cleric follow along the rest to Hope's Wink. Both with their eyes and ears open, for different reasons. The wizard to find out information and knowledge, and the cleric to learn more about the people and their ways.

[Ythgar]

Randall

Randall heads into Hope’s Wink as well, still surveying the crowd.

[archolewa]

The bartender grunts sourly, and fills a pitcher. He puts it on the bar, along with six mugs. "That'll be half a silver. You want some gossip eh? Well, not much to say around here. Solar patrols. Luna dances. The Emperor demands taxes. Idiots head to Rappan Athuk, and never come back. Seems like we got a couple more. Spend yer coin now, 'cause you won't be spending it later!"

The bartender guffaws. Then he spies Hektor's holy symbol. He coughs a bit. "Though, I'm sure a follower of Muir knows what he's getting into. Anyway. Rappan Athuk is a ways to the north, near the coast road. You'll want to find Zelkor's Ferry first, a small settlement. Basically, a small fort serves as an inn for adventurers, and folks trading down the river. Just follow the Coast Road about three days or so. It'll wind between the Forest of Hope and the coast, you'll cross a couple of bridges over rivers flowing to the Scar. You'll go past the Hills of Rappan Athuk the West. You'll hit a third river. This one you'll want to follow west, away from the coast, a couple of days. You'll find the Ferry. Anything else?"

The bartender listens as Hektor goes through his list of desired information. He grunts. "Well, you ain't completely stupid, I'll give you that. There's a cartographer a few blocks east of here, goes by the name Carly. Yeah, yeah Carly the cartographer. Make that joke to her face, she'll stab you in the eye with her quill, don't think she won't. She can probably get you a map of the area around RA for a couple of gold. Now, you want some rumors about RA? Well, I can give you a bit of what I heard. Get a lot of folks, merchants and soldiers, and idiot treasure hunters moving through here."

The bartender pauses, and thinks for a bit. "Alright, well it's said ol' RA's used to be a fortress of Solar right? Probably built to watch the Scar, and keep the route open between the Empire, where Jupiter and his people are worshipped, and Luna's Odinfolk to the North. Well, it got overrun by Orcus' monsters. So, it's a dark and terrible place right? Well, you can dim the light, but you can't extinguish it. It's said that deep within the dungeon there's a place where the light of the noonday sun still shines. I know right? 'Course, the beasties in there are monsters of Orcus, meaning fragments of Conflagration. So they hate the place."

"Here's another one you might like. Your folk always like to raid tombs eh? Well, if you see a couple of giant scorpions, pay attention. They guard the way to the tomb of a fell king." He runs a hand through his hair. "Speaking of dead things, I hear there was a powerful group of adventurers called the Dancing Blades. Real successful. Rich. Powerful. Glow brighter than the stars, they got so much crazy old magic crap hanging off of their bodies. Well, RA killed them of course. Now, their restless spirits wander the halls, attacking anyone they see with phantom blades. Guess they couldn't handle being brought low, powerful as they were. But RA does that."

The bartender takes another breath. "Now, merchant caravans, you picked a good time to come. Spring rains are drying up, and the North is warm enough to be worth visiting. Caravans are coming and going all the time. Not sure how keen they are to take on a bunch of random toughs though. Some folks pose as adventurers doing what you're doing, and then try to kill the merchants and take their stuff a few days out. Not saying you're doing that of course, but merchants got to be careful. Anything you can tell me about yourself? I like what I hear, maybe I can hook you up with someone."

[Ythgar]

Randall

Randall quietly puts a gold piece in the bar and slides it toward the bartender, hoping to bolster and not interfere with the rapport Hektor is developing.

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

He smiled as the bartender referenced the fools heading to Rappan Athuk. "You may well be right about the 'idiots' part," he chuckled, a glint of humor in his eye. "We’ll try to prove you wrong."

Taking note of the directions, Hektor nodded thoughtfully. "Carly, the Cartographer. Got it. I’ll be sure to pass along that the bartender at Hope’s Wink calls her that," he added with a light laugh.

"Thank you for all the information good Sir. I have one last question before we stop pestering you - do you recommend a place to stay overnight here in Hope's Rest?"

That's it - next stop I suggest Odin's Temple to grab the others, and then Carly, the Cartographer for a map.
Anyone else wants to ask stuff, feel free
Otherwise Hektor is good to go.

[rredmond]

Agreed, good to go!

[archolewa]

The bartender chuckles. The gold piece disappears before Randall is even finished sliding it over. "Nice to see somebody heading up there isn't puffed up with his own self-importance. You might just make it out alive after all. I got some rooms upstairs, if you want to bed down there for the night. Be a silver a room, and they can fit three, so I'd say you're paid up for the night already, and then some."

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

"We have a deal then - please keep another room on hold for us, as we are six in total?" - he added, just before leaving for the Temple.

[archolewa]

The group only gets about halfway to the temple before running into Ingulfr and Ulfr on the busy streets, the towering half-orc making the pair easy to spot in the crowds.

Ulfr taps Ingulfr on the shoulder and gestures. "Our companions it seems, have come looking for us."

[Rex]

Ingulfr

"Good work spotting them in this mess Ulfr. Apparently they don't listen well."

He waves to the others, "Hey, over here!"

[archolewa]

"A champion of Muir not listening? Say it isn't so," says Ulfr with more than a little amusement.

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

"We've found us a place to stay overnight, and some directions to where we can head next" - Hektor nodded as they joined the others - "Hopefully we can team up with a caravan, at least for a part of the trip" - he added - "But first we are checking on Carly the Cartographer, for a map of the region, if she has one"

[Rex]

Ingulfr

"Excellent, much progress then. A cartographer seems a good choice, lets be along our way."

[Edeldhur]

Hektor

We go look for the cartographer.