Prymptown Courier - v. 2 no. 10

PRYMPTOWN COURIER


Vol. 2, No. 10 (Oct. '99)

EDITORIAL

There are two big issues in this...issue.  One is the session written up below.  The other is explained in
the letters section below. 

If anyone got a feeling of deja-vu, chalk it up to lack of preparation on my part.  Oh, it's not that I didn't have lots of notes.  That's never a problem.  Usually, though, I'm good at anticipating my players.  And then sometimes they throw me a wicked curve and I'm forced to improvise, which I hate. 

After the seawolf encounter, and finding out that the abbey of Pholtus was the only place they could
have the curse lifted, I fully expected the party to head there.  I did not expect them to ignore the
curse and keep heading to Galdol.  That meant they would hit my second sea encounter before I was
really ready for it.  The MERP module I was loosely following was extremely hazy on how to handle the encounter, and it didn't help that I was doing MERP to AD&D conversions on the fly. 

Looking back, I could have given the pirate battle a more dramatic ending by having the pirate master
escape somehow instead of another surrender.  In fact, I almost wish I had rammed them with the
longship, as that too would have been a different approach.  The boarding and capturing of the
shipsmaster was too similar to their previous battle with Beregun Renspa. 

I also may have erred in the use of a cannon in the ship-to-ship battle.  I suspect that it would be
dangerous to fire a cannon on a ship smaller than a caravel, but I haven't really researched the matter. 
The problem is that (again, that hindsight) I now see setting the ship on fire would have been less
complicated and more suspenseful.  Oh well.  I guess I'll just have to put them on another pirate
ship someday so I can get it done right.

As for that other matter which I promised in the letters section, well, that all started rather
recently when I got an e-mail from Peri's player.  It's long and complex, so I'll be quoting only bits and pieces and paraphrasing the rest.

LETTERS

First, there was this:

>Hi Scott !
>As always, it is a pleasure to read you !
>Thanks !
>Stéphane

He was referring to the Courier, incidentally...

But then all the players got the following e-mail
from Peri's player:
>As for whether or not I'm going to show up . . . I
>don't know. I've been thinking about it since the
>end of the last session. I'm really getting tired of
>spending a whole afternoon and evening on 200
>x.p. The story is good, but the reward sucks! I
>don't want to quit the game, but the worm fell off
>the hook a long time ago, and 20 sessions is a long
>time to play without any pick-up in the reward
>department.

That was so shocking, that I actually started to get feedback by e-mail from all my players!  It was an
energetic debate.  Complicating matters was the fact I had to cancel a trip to Alex's player's distant
house at a few day's notice.  Alex's player wrote:

>I'll have you know - THIS SUCKS! >:o
>I cannot forever be juggling my schedule around on
>a few days notice, especially with a business to run.
>Don't get me wrong - I enjoy playing, but this is
>getting frustrating not to mention, a little unfair.

Vlad's player was very quick at writing just the
responses I had in mind.  To Peri's player he wrote:

>Please tell me that I'm not really reading this. I don't
>know why you feel that the experience points your
>character earns is the reward for playing.  The game
>itself is it's own reward. If you don't enjoy the game
>then don't play.

To appease Alex's player, I wrote:

>So...I have decided that the best solution to
>everybody's whining -- I mean, problems -- is to
>institute the [player's name deleted] Experience
>Point Reimbursement Fund. From this fund, EVERY
>PC whose player is in attendance will receive 400 xp
>(yes, even the xp locked Vlad) for this next game
>session only!  Those who can't attend will still
>receive 200 xp for their character, as they probably
>just live too far and it's my fault for not packing up
>and moving closer to them.
>Does that make everyone happy?

But it didn't end there, because Peri's player wrote:

>I would have all of you know that I talked to
>Tammie (via AOL Instant messenger) this past
>weekend while Scott was at Winter Con 2000.
>When I mentioned to her that Scott was going to
>go to Peoria this weekend she was totally taken
>aback. Stunned, she asked me what I was talking
>about. SCOTT NEVER TOLD HER ABOUT THE
>TRIP TO PEORIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>So it is little wonder why he must suddenly cancel
>the Peoria trip.  Perhaps a little more thought of
>others is in order on your part Mr. Casper, or did
>you plan this cancellation to occur?

To which I had to reply:
>Tammie was not happy with my Winter Fantasy
>plan, so I did not want to press my luck by
>mentioning two weekend trips in a row. I thought it
>would be easier to break it to her in sections.
>However, that just led to a breakdown of
>communication over the doctor's appointment.

Enlock's player, still new at that time, wrote in my
defense:

>It was not cancelled because of the time of traveling
>or the cost of the trip.  Scott is having his first child
>(...well he is not actually having the kid, but you get
>the point).  He wants to be with Tammie when she
>goes to the doctor, and I don't blame him.

And then Gabriel's player chimed in, writing:

>As I've made a point the party characters need to
>leave their day jobs.

To which I replied:

>There has for certain characters been only a slow
>breaking away from their previous hum-drum
>lives. A drastic breaking away calls for drastic
>change, which hasn't happened yet, but it is
>coming..

To which Vlad's player responded:

>Personally I like the fact that not everyone has
>simply dropped their day to day lives to take up
>high adventure. It makes the characters seem
>more real and have more depth. You can't expect
>someone to dump their whole lives in the span of
>a few weeks.

And then there was when I told Peri's player that
if he didn't come, then Dargog's player (who
wanted back into the game) would play Peri.

Gabriel's player responded:

>Scott now we are threatening players??? Don't you
>think you are being a little to dramatic?? I mean
>...really enjoys his character. He feels though that
>the rewards aren't high enough. I also agree. My
>Dwarf doesn't live in Prymp. I'm an adventurer,
>explorer. As stated in my background, I want to
>visit new lands, and do Heroic deeds, not staying
>too long i one town. Although Prymp is a large
>part of your Campaign, I think you should give
>new opportunities and more places to travel.

But there is a happy ending, of sorts.  Peri's player
wrote back:

>I don't want to quit the game. I don't know what else
>to say about that. I hope you can all forgive me for
>my recent tantrums, if not then I guess I will have to
>remain out of the game.

But worry not, because everyone had welcomed him
back into the campaign.  In fact, I've got nine players
now, though only four showed up for the most
recent session.

SIXTEENTH SESSION

Cast:
Barada, Neutral male Flannish human mercenary (1st
level fighter).
Alexander Petrok, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian human
templar of Zilchus (1st level paladin variant).
Perpegilliam Brown, (Chaotic)Neutral male Hairfoot
Hobniz footpad (2nd level thief). 
Hristo Neutral Good male Wesevud ("Central") noniz
ex-town watchman and rogue (1st level fighter/1st level
thief).
Vladamir Kostitov, Lawful Good male Oerdian human
prestidigitator for the Governor's Guardsmen (1st
level illusionist). 
Gabriel Lanovastorm, Mentherim-Dwur ("Common Hill")
veteran (1st level fighter).
Enlock, Neutral Good male Oerdian apprentice (1st level
magic-user).

Quote of the month:  "Open fire!  It's a ship of Zilchus!"
~Perpegilliam Brown.

Setting:  Shargallen & Dargveto, Ahlissan Coast, South
Province; Relmor Bay.

Coldeven 2nd.  Sunday.

Most of the Band of the Grinning Gargoyle was still
hanging around the Happy Nymph Tavern when the
Town Guard came looking for them.  There were some
points of local law that the adventurers were violating.
It was illegal for anyone other than the Town Guard to
wear armor better than chainmail, or to carry weapons
bigger than a short sword.  That meant Barada, Alex,
and Gabriel needed to turn over their weapons and
armor.  None of them were comfortable with that, and
Gabriel in particular balked.  It was finally agreed that
the Guardsmen would escort them to the Naval
Garrison to speak to the Sentinel in charge.  
  
Vladamir was searching the town for a bookseller. 
After spending the afternoon asking around, he was
introduced to the private owner of a book called The
Old Oerdian Primer.  The man was willing to trade the
book for two thinner volumes in Vlad's possession.

Sentinel Stanic was courteous and understanding. 
He even arranged for Alexander to be given a suit
of chainmail to wear while in town so that he would
not have to wear armor beneath his station while in
town.  While Barada and Gabriel returned to the
Happy Nymph to get drunk, Alex headed around
town to find a chapel to Zilchus.  What he did find
on the south side of town was a plaza surrounded
by governmental buildings, with a shrine to Zilchus
at one end of it.  Alex was thrilled to see it, though
disappointed to find it unmanned.  He knelt and
worshiped.  Afterwards, he went to the Town Hall
on the opposite end of the plaza and used his title
of Captain of the Templars to get him an audience
with Steward Siro Vitoslav. 

Barada and Gabriel were stopped en route to their
drinking binge by Halmir Feldenov, Second Mate of
The Cormorant.  Halmir had dire news, for he had
been asking around about what was known of
seawolves, and had found someone who claimed to
know.  Halmir lead them to the doorway of a shack
where sat an unhealthy-looking man.  Ilyich was an
old ship's Mate, and claimed to know about the curse
of the seawolf from a reliable source.  In an eccentric
performance he told them about how those badly
injured by a seawolf incured their curse, and would
themselves become a seawolf on the next full moon.
Gabriel, who had been injured in the battle, became
a little concerned.   Halmir knew of an abbey
dedicated to Pholtus to the south and east where
they might be able to find help.

Steward Vitoslav was an old, bald, sickly-looking
man with a thin grey beard.  He listened attentively
as Alex explained who he was and that he
represented the Church of Zilchus for Prymp. 
Vitoslav asked him if he liked Shargallen's shrine,
and Alex said he liked it very much.  However, what
Alex wished to discuss was Shargallen's loyalties,
and if they could be counted on to side with Prymp
if there was war with the Province.  Vitoslav
informed him that he could not speak readily on
the subject, as he was only the representative of
a ruling council that he would have to consult
first.  He asked Alex to return the next morning to
hear his answer.

Concern was spreading around the Happy Nymph
Tavern as the story about the seawolf curse was
spread amongst the party.  Still, no one knew how
to detect a curse, or how to cure it even if they did
know which of them had it.  Vlad in particular was
skeptical about the abbey.  Even though Pholtus
was his own patron deity, Vlad did not want to veer
from their quest to stop the pirates at Galdol by one
more day.  Perhaps another opportunity to find a
cure would present itself.

Later that evening, as the others retired to the
Travelers' Rest Inn for a good night's rest, Peri
dragged Hristo out of their sick beds to explore the
seamier side of Shargallen.  After wandering the
streets for some time, they came across an open
doorway on the west side of town wherein they
heard the rolling of dice.  Hristo had claimed to be
a good gamer, and Peri bet on him, but he was
stymied by the small bets the locals would make
as well as their skill.  Peri and Hristo did little better
than break even before quitting, but at least Peri
had learned in conversation that the thieves of
Shargallen  were not organized into a guild.  But
Peri wasn't satisfied with information, because he
wanted action.  He grabbed Hristo and took him
out to case some joints.

While Shargallen looked well-defended from the
bay, the curtain wall did not extand all the way
around the town.  Much of the south half of the
town was protected by wooden pallisade instead,
and a large area had no protection at all.  Near this
breach was a walled complex with houses in it. 
Across the street from this walled complex was a
small store.  Peri wanted in.  He asked Hristo to pick
the lock.  Hristo didn't care for that idea, but agreed
to do it when Peri claimed to have left something
inside he needed to get.

Once inside, Peri discovered he was in a small
trader's shop.  He was examining what goods it had
when he accidentally made enough noise to rouse
the trader.  Peri hid as the man came running out with
a short sword in one hand and a lantern in the other. 
While the man looked around, Peri took the
opportunity to peek in the back room.  It was just a
mundane bedroom, and didn't look like Peri would
find much treasure hoarded there.  He tumbled
right out of the shop past the trader, only to see
Hristo was already running way ahead of him. 

Coldeven 3rd.  Moonday.

It was already the warmest day in a month of
unusually warm days, despite the cool wind
blowing hard in from Relmor Bay.  Alex rose early
so he could keep his appointment at Town Hall.  He
did not have to wait long at all before being
allowed to see the Steward.  Vitoslav had
consulted with the town's ruling citizens, and was
now prepared to tell Alex that Shargallen would
indeed be behind Prymp if it wished to fight for
its independence. 

The others collected their armor and weapons from
the Naval Garrison, and had good news waiting for
them when the reached The Cormorant. 
Shipsmaster Hallatan Feldenov had replaced the
entire lost crew in a day, as Prymp was not the only
town with a surplus of unemployment.  Galdol was
once more an accessable goal.

The Cormorant set sail.  The strong wind blowing
inland was a problem quickly surmounted by the
experienced mariners.  By mid-day, they had just
passed the port town of Dargvonesa.  The coast
turned northwest now, forming a point, and
beyond that would be the small port of Dargveto
from whence they planned to travel by land to
Galdol.  Gabriel was using his limited shipboard
experience to coach Shipsmaster Feldenov on how
to man the helm.

Just then, before rounding the point, another ship
came into view.  This was quite a surprise, as their's
had been the only ship larger than a rowboat which
they had seen brave the coastal waters.  It appeared
as if the second ship, called The Bay Eaglet, was
going to give them a wide berth and allow The
Cormorant to hug the coast. 

While the Band was debating whether The Bay
Eaglet was a pirate ship, a longship came at full
speed around the point.  The longship was called
The Master Seawolf, and it was coming straight
toward The Cormorant.  Gabriel told Master
Feldenov to turn away, but The Cormorant was
trapped between the coast to port and the second
ship to starboard.  They had no choice but to
brace themselves as The Seawolf either rammed
them or tried to board them.

The Master Seawolf drew alongside The Cormorant. 
Dozens of grappling lines were thrown across
between the two ships to lash them together. 
Boarding planks were laid across from the pirate
vessel.  Vlad estimated the longship held 30-40
pirates.  Enlock cast his Grease spell, and centered
the magically summoned pool of grease onto the
center gangplank.  Alex and Gabriel rushed across
the planks to the pirate ship, getting the jump on
their attackers.  Peri swung on a rope from the
crow's nest down to the deck of the longship.  The
battle was joined.

Enlock cast his Phantasmal Force spell and made a
fire appear to break out on the opposing ship's deck.
Even though some of the officers saw through it and
shouted that it wasn't real, about half the crew was
kept distracted trying to put out the fire which wasn't
there with buckets of water and sand.  The remaining
pirates fired arrows onto the deck of the Cormorant.
The crew of the Cormorant were pinned down by
the pirates' superior missile fire.  Vlad maintained his
illusion from a place of concealment.  Enlock,
however, was hit by an arrow and went down.   

Barada, still sluggish from sea sickness, tried to join
the others by crossing the planks, but the rocking of
the ships caused him to loose his footing and he
went over the side in full armor.

Although shocked at the loss of Barada, Alex, Peri,
and Gabriel fought on.  Gabriel seemed to have their
leader engaged in one-on-one melee, and was
surprisingly winning.  Back on board The Cormorant,
Hristo was making his own preparations; getting a
barrel ready to dive overboard in.  Vlad, from his
vantage point, could see that Barada was hanging
from the side of the longship, desperately clutching
the rail.  Enlock tried to cross between the ships to
help Barada up, but he too was tossed over the side
of the plank and pitched into the bay. 

Alex was slowly gaining ground, as pirate after pirate
fell to his sword thrusts.  Peri had spread marbles
around the deck, an attack reduced in effectiveness
as most of them rolled overboard.  Gabriel blocked
every single thrust from the Pirate Master's long
sword, and while the Master was blocking every
potentially lethal swing, Gabriel had produced
multiple cuts which left the Master bleeding and
weakening. 

And then it was over.  The Pirate Master threw
down his sword in surrender.  What few officers
remained surrendered to Alex and Peri.  The crew
which had been distracted by the phantasmal fire
found the fire disappearing and the battle around
them lost.  Barada was helped up over the rail. 
Hristo came out of hiding on The Cormorant with
his barrel, and seemed disappointed that he was
not going to have to abandon ship in it. 

The other pirate vessel, which had been watching
from afar, had by now circled round and appeared
to be fleeing westward.   With The Bay Eaglet
gone, the battle was truly over.  

Enlock would live.  Alex laid his hands upon the
magic-user's chest, and the healing power of a
templar of Zilchus brought Enlock to
consciousness.  On board The Master Seawolf,
Gabriel began to question the Pirate Master.  His
name was Gedron, and he said he was one of twelve
shipsmasters from Galdol.  Galdol was really no more
than a village of shipsbuilders, though.  The real
power behind the pirates was in the allied town of
Trennenport, and in the ruler of Galdol, a man
named Zokhad who ruled from Moonstone
Fortress. 

Between Gabriel, Alex, Vlad, and Master
Feldenov of The Cormorant, it was decided that
Master Gedron would be kept as a prisoner, and
transported back east to Shargallen to be tried
for piracy.  However, the Grinning Gargoyle Band
would remain here aboard The Master Seawolf
until The Cormorant returned.  As The Cormorant
pulled away, the party commenced searching the
ship for treasure.

To their displeasure, the pirate ship seemed
devoid of treasure, as if they had just unloaded
the ship before encountering them.  While split
up into teams searching the ship, everyone heard
the sound of another ship scraping the side of
their's.  There was no doubt in their minds as to
what ship it was.  The Bay Eaglet had returned.

Everyone ran to hide.  Vlad and Enlock were both
low on spells, and no one particularly wanted to see
if the party's fighters could hold their own against the
pirates up on deck.  They could hear the footfalls of
men up there.  Enlock, Alex, and Hristo were in the
pantry.  Enlock hid under a heap of sacks, Alex hid
behind the door, and Hristo jumped in a barrel.  The
others were hiding in a bedroom.  It didn't work.  A
small group of pirates spotted someone, and a battle
was joined.  The pirates were slain, but other groups
of pirates roaming the ship all fled back to their own
vessel.

The ship moved.  Then there was silence.  And then
a large BOOM.  The Bay Eaglet had a small bombard
on board, and had fired it.  Soon, the ship was listing
to port.  The bombard had smashed in the hull of The
Cormorant and it was taking on water fast.  When
the party reached the deck, they could see The Bay
Eaglet was leaving.  Apparently, they preferred to
loose The Master Seawolf than face whoever had
beaten its crew.  Luckily, since no one had dropped
anchor, the longship had drifted with the current
towards shore and was now a mere hundred yards
away from some very short cliffs.  Everyone decided
to swim for shore, rather than risk staying onboard
the floundering vessel.  Alex and Gabriel applied
their combined muscle into prying off one of the
cabin doors.  Barada stripped out of his armor. 
Everyone jumped into the icy seawater, save for
Alex and Gabriel, who gripped the door as a life
preserver as they went over the side.  The
desperate gamble worked, for the door held on
impact with the water, and the two armor-encased
warriors were able to keep their grip on it.

A short time later, seven tired, soaking wet
adventurers dragged themselves up onto the land.
It was decided right away that they would remain
there, lighting a fire big enough that The
Cormorant would see it in passing and come pick
them up.  Enlock dug his spellbook out of his soggy
backpack to check its pages.  They were warped,
but the ink was fine.  Vlad had never thought about
checking his spellbook after being immersed in
water like that.  He pulled out his spellbook, but to
his horror found that it was not fine.  Every spell in
his spellbook was ruined.  His mind raced
desperately.  He did have his Color Spray spell still
in his memory.  If he had cast it, it would be gone,
but with it still in his memory, there was a chance he
could copy it down and it would work. 

The others gathered fire wood, which took some
time as the closest trees were not a short walk away.
Vlad broke his writing utensils out of his backpack,
dried his book as best he could, and feverishly
worked to re-scribe his spell. 

As evening came, and the party sat munching on wet
jerky, a large group of figures could be seen heading
this way on the southern horizon.  Peri went to scout
out the situation, but returned quickly when he saw
that several dozen people were heading towards
them.  With nowhere to hide, the band stood their
ground and waited.  As the figures drew closer, it
became apparent that they were humans, and that
few of them were armed. 

The leader of this group was a woman.  As those
with her hung back, she waked up alone to the
Grinning Gargoyle Band and introduced herself.
She was Beccora, druidess of Beory, and she and
her followers had come here to spend the night. 
The next morning was Godsday, and she wished
to hold services by the shore.  As they talked
more, she explained that she was from the tiny
village of Ovesho Larene.  It was a quiet farming
community between fiefs, and its people were
devoted to Beory.  She also told them about some
trouble their nearest neighbor, the village of
Ovokero, was having with raiding monsters.  Alex
asked her if she had any ability to detect or remove
curses, but alas she could do neither.  Nor did she
know anyone who could help them.

All that night, the farmers and the adventurers
slept beside each other in separate camps. 

Coldeven 4th.  Godsday.

Before dawn, a ship was sailing past.  It must have
seen the campfires, for it dropped anchor not far
from shore.  It was The Cormorant.  Soon, the band
was back on board.  Unfortunately, Master Feldenov
did not have good news.  Upon docking in
Shargallen, Geldon escaped from them and was still
at large.  He could even now be on his way back to
Galdol to warn the Pirate Lords.  It was more vital
than ever that they reach Galdol. 

The band rested throughout the day as the ship
moved ever westward.  Finally, they reached the
port village of Dargveto!  Here was the end of the
line for their naval voyage.  From here, they would
travel by land through pirate-controlled lands.  The
village of Dargvolyavi was their next stop, and then
Trennenport, and lastly Galdol.

There was a stable in Dargveto, and the party
arranged the purchase of the owner's four riding
horses for sale.  With the demi-humans doubled up,
the Grinning Gargoyle Band left the village right
away.  They rode into the setting sun bound for
Dargvolyavi.

Only they never got there.

TO BE CONTINUED

PERI'S VERSION

The night was late.  The Band of the Grinning
Gargoyle had decided to stay in Shargollen for the
evening and continue onto Dargveto the next day. 
The party had chosen an inn of no particular repute
to stay in.  The food was good and the beer was
cold.  The serving wench had caught the eye of more
than one of the Band members, but she was defiant
against their advances.

Slowly, one by one, the group retired for the night. 
Hristo was the second to leave the table, but was
halted by Peri as he made his way to the room. 
After some quick fast talking Peri convinced the
tired Noniz to accompany him on a midnight stroll. 
The two did not go far before they stopped in front
of a shop.  The shop was a single story building, a
tailor shop from the look of it.  Peri again turned to
the Noniz and convinced him to pick the lock to the
shop.  Hristo was way too tired to argue with his
greedy friend and opened the door.  Peri slipped in,
and Hristo left the Hobniz to fend for himself, looking
to lay his head on a pillow.

The shop was dark and quiet inside.  Unfortunately
the shop keeper awoke with the noise Peri made. 
Hiding in shadows Peri went undetected until he
went to the owners room.  Peri had just doned his
mask when the keeper entered.  There was a short
scuffle, but Peri escaped into the night leaving the
frightened shop keeper in the cold street calling for
the guard.

The next morning the Band of the Grinning Gargoyle
met at the Cormorant.  By mid morning the ship was
underway with additions to its crew Hefline, Serium,
and Indiv.  The ship sailed for a good part of the day
unmolested.  Both party and crew made themselves
busy as the ship sailed on.  Peri was in the crows
nest doing what he so much adored to do when he
spotted the two ships near to the coast.

The larger ship was a galleon, a longship made its
way well ahead of the galleon at a course for the
Cormorant.  Peri called down to the captain and
Ormon repeated the claim, adding that the two flew
the flag of the Herzog.  The crew jumped into action. 
The longship named 'The Iceberg' drew near, and
missile fire was exchanged.  The galleon, perhaps
from some unknown difficulty, lingered behind
unwilling to charge into the fray.

The longship threw over boarding planks and
grapples, but could not put them to good use as
suddenly caltrops exploded over the deck of their
ship.  Ormon and Peri high-fived as Peri followed
with his marbles.  The party and crew of the
Cormorant used the confusion on the longship to
board her and confront the attacking crew. 
Marbles and caltops slided and rolled about the
ship throwing all into a fickle, and an illusionary
fire leapt up from the Icebergs deck adding to the
disarray. 

Barada slipped on the plank while running over to
the other ship, but was helped up by Alex.  Now
Barada, Alex, Gabriel, and most of the crew of the
Cormorant was on the longships deck.  Vlad and
Enloch assisted the attack from the deck of the
Cormorant.  Peri used a rope from the rigging to
swing into the netting of the opposing ship, and
met their man from the crows nest fourty feet above
the deck of the ship.  The two fought like lions, but
the pirate fell to the deck when Enloch unfurled a
magic missile.  Hristo slept soundly in his room
aboard the Cormorant.

Peri proceeded down to about ten feet above the
deck and used all six of his daggers to kill two more
pirates!

[It's interesting to compare the two stories.  Peri's
player does have a better recall than mine about
what his character did, but his story is flawed in
some other aspects.  "Iceberg," for instance, was an
out-of-character joke I had made about The Titanic. 
However, I then explained it as sailor code for pirates
so that the dialogue would not be voided. 
Interestingly, Peri's player picked up on that as the
name of the pirate ship.]

GABRIEL'S STORY, PART ONE

Gabriel Lanovastorm buried his face into the
wooden tankard he had been drinking from.  His
new companions of the Grinning Gargoyle Band
were droning on about what they wanted to do. 
They could not agree on anything.  Why did they
not see things as clearly as he did?  What they
needed was just to get out of Prymp.  The town
was stifling them.  There was no adventure to be
had there.  Not like the adventure Gabriel had
getting to Prymp...

Bronzegate was a town nearly twice the size of
Prymp on the shore where the Iron Hills met
Dunhead Bay.  Bronzegate was not as well-known
as Irongate with its famous canal, but there was
Gabriel's father, Thorin, who was a great hero. 
However, as long as Gabriel lived there he lived in
his father's shadow.  So Gabriel knew that he would
have to travel far to bring his own honor to the clan. 
There was no more conflict-torn neighboring land
than the South Province, so that was precisely
where he needed to go.  This would be a Kirnum-
Var, or personal quest of honor in a foreign land.
He took on the name of Gabriel, which was an
Oerdian name, and modified his clan name so that
it would not be recognized if his quest ended in
failure.

But traveling through the South Province proved
difficult for him.  He quickly found out that he had
to avoid the army, which routinely killed dwarves
for being spies.  This changed his plans
dramatically.  He did not dare go to Zelradton now
where he planned on recruiting other adventurers. 

For a long time, Gabriel stayed west of the Ruksi
River, along the province's scarcely populated west
coast.  There was a half-dozen or so villages
between the shore of Dunhead Bay and the Ruksi
River.  Farmers struggled to till the rocky soil, and
much woods had been left unspoiled near the hills
to the south.  There was a better life to be led in the
fishing village along the bay, and for a few short
months Gabriel was caught up in the bliss of rural
life.  He had always loved the sea, and would have
became a sailor if his father had not been such a
hero. 

During the time he spent there, mostly in the port
villages of Stevoksal and Yudolzok, he heard of the
pirates based in the north.  And he learned the
names of wicked places, such as Galdol and
Trennenport.   These were just the sorts of places
that needed a hero like Gabriel still longed to be.

TO BE CONTINUED