Thorfus and Chuq had gone off to the temple. Chuq heading for the Ark, Thorfus, the temple of of Meredur, laden down with the late Virgil’s belongings.
The sounds of melodic and droning chanting of multiple choirs led them easily to Temple Square, where the two split to visit their respective temples. Meredur’s Temple was a little less fancy than others in the square, but easily recognisable for it’s Trident symbol. As he approached, Thorfus could see numerous acolytes working hard to scrub clean the entrance to the temple, supervised by a slightly older cleric.
Approaching the supervisor, Thorfus gains entry, asking to see the leading priest. An acolyte is sent, and he is soon met by Sister Huguette. It is to her that he breaks the news of Virgil’s death, presenting the holy man’s belongings in offering. Saddened, Huguette accepts the gold, remarking on the traditional nature of Virgil’s gear, a trident, net and scale mail.
Feeling there should be some reward for the bringing of such news, sad that it is, the Sister offers Thorfus some of the gold back. Politely declining, the dwarf instead barters for the healing services of the temple, should it be needed in the future.
Whilst there, he takes the time to ask about some of the leads we have, gathering information on the Kobolds, Newton, Lizardmen, Dragon and Gremlin. It is here we learn that the Gremlin may just be a story of drunken guardsman.
Meanwhile, across town, the rest of the party follows Wall Street through Hightown, making for the harbour and a blacksmith. They are greeted somewhat cordially by some passing guards, but they continue to watch us suspiciously, even to the point of following us. Now keeping a wary eye, the party reaches an open area at the end of the street, centered by a huge, filthy obelisk. There is a tavern nearby, the Starving Dragon, and next to it is the tell-tale signs of a blacksmith.
Finklemur stops a passing sailor, a grizzled man known as Sweeting, who agrees to exchange some stories for a drink or two. Whilst Ashton and Faldspar head to the smith to purchase the militiaman some new weapons, Axel and Finklemur sit down with the sailor.
Finklemur purchases the drinks (with some embarrasment and difficulty), and Sweeting proceeds to tell us about an area full of shipwrecks, infested with the undead. Apparently, there is a large treasure haul just waiting to be grabbed, but remains due to treacherous waters and zombies.
He believes he once saw a winged dragon as boy, flying past the moon, but knows nothing of vampires. There are Elephants in Curabl however.
He tells us of a crazy old man, Alfa Fishwick who was laughed out of town after claiming to have received a heavenly visit. Then, he tells of Water Elementals, how he was once on a ship that was sunk by them, and also how they are less dangerous at sea, where it’s harder to force a crash or beaching.
We leave, arriving as Ashton is finishing up, and getting information on a Clothier. Axel sells the gnoll battleaxes and hands over FaceCleaver for repair.
We leave, meeting Chuq and Thorfus outside, exchanging the information we had gathered, before heading up to the Clothier, wherein Ashton exchanges his worn out militia uniform for a more ranger-like garb, and Orion also purchases some ‘city-clothes’. Finklemur gets extravagant, buying himself some fancy new purple robes.
Next, the bowyer, where Ashton and Thorfus purchase new bows, and we get Sturloc’s crossbow repaired. The tanner is next, bumping into a less-than-reputable seeming Alchemist on the way, where Ashton finishes off his rearming with a set of studded leather armour, a backpack and a set of tools, he himself being a tanner by trade. Whilst the work is done, we discuss dragons again.
Axel slips into daydreams here, realising how close he his to home for the first time in months, remembering that he knows of one of his father’s old associates living over in Farharbour. What little he hears of the discussion points to the political situation of Vargan and the makeup of the Council of Ten.
The Gremlin rumour is again pointed out to have come from a drunk, but there is also news of numerous thefts and pranks, notably of which was the break in of a money changer and the loss of hundreds of gold.
We also learn the effects the Kobolds are having on trade, and just how much that is profiting the Punters Guild, giving them strength and votes enough to begin muscling in on the Sink.
At the harbour, we arrange passage for Chiq and Rowlie to Midmark so they can carry our message to Thornton. For 15g each, Reinholdus Tactin ferries them on his Flying Jackal, insulted that the cost would be any less, despite advice from a fisherman known as Tilly.
From there, we visit a Tinkerer, all the way over in Long Market, to purchase a spyglass for Finklemur. Following the Bargeman’s Road and getting directions, we the Tinkerer’s dilapidated home. Conversing at the door, we Orion sucessfully haggles him down from a price of 150g to just 100g, but Finklemur accidently insults the weird old dwarf in trying to pay with a cracked emerald, that it ends up as payment as well. The old man also offers him a carrot.
Returning to the blacksmiths, we once more pass by the alchemist, who believe to be something of a snake-oil salesman, and manage to sell of the Bubrie beaks for 50g each by hyping them up as aphrodisiacs. Finklemur also sells a potion for another 100g, along with jungle herbs and powdered silver for a little more.
After reunited Axel with his axe, we return to the Twelfth Night to talk to Peverell, but he is out, so after sorting out lodging, we decide to begin investigating the gremlin.
At the gatehouse, we meet with Elisandro, the guard who charged us extra to enter and has a guilty concience, who gives us directions as to where we can find his captain. We follow this to talk with Captain Adalune Beamsly, who is leading the investigation and offering reward, and also Arnold LaPoundmaker, the gremlin victim.
Other guards present seem to think it’s a big joke, but the Captain fills us in on the various crimes occuring in the area, and that the gremlin, or rather gremlins, some small, impossibly fast blur have been seen nightly and maybe responsible for the disappearing cats.
Arnold describes the creatures the same way, saying he encountered childish giggling during a late night patrol, and following the sound, was beset by numerous gremlins from an alley. They poked him repeatedly with needle-like objects until he passed out, stealing his clothes and leaving him in the gutter.
Shown the scene, we decide to set an ambush later that night. In the meantime, we check out the most high profile incident by visiting the money changer. Mane Joldir runs the establishment, accompanied by some very burly guards, and she describes the event to us, how that the guards didn’t even notice what had happened until it was done.
She also shows us the room the money was taken from, the floor of which is now covered in a circle of symbols and shapes of language unknown even to Finklemur. As we leave, the mage advises she hires a wizard who knows the ‘Comprehend Language’ spell in order to translate it.
With that, we return to the inn to wait on Peverell.
